An EV Discussion with a True Believer

A few days ago I had a discussion with an EV True Believer. Basically my side of the discussion was that EVs are too expensive (generally) and do not have the range to make them appealing to the masses. 

One thing dawned on me after the fact; If I had been there at the dawn of the automotive age I would not have been an early adopter. Cars were expensive, unreliable, and there were few if any gas stations meaning that unless you carried a lot of extra gasoline you could not travel very far. Nope, I would have stuck with my horse and buggy. 

One of the things the True Believer said struck me as being elitist; "They (EVs) also can benefit from a shift in mindset." So it isn't that EVs have limited range and require special refueling, it is that those who haven't totally embraced EVs just need a shift in mindset? 

Let's get something straight, not everyone lives within a half hour commute of their work. Out here in the hinterlands it isn't out of the ordinary for people to spend a combined total of 2-4 hours a day commuting. They are away from home 12-16 hours a day. Many are tradespeople who drive a pickup for work. I'm sure they would look forward to spending a couple of hours sitting in a Walmart parking lot recharging their EV instead of going home, and having a hot meal with their family (sarcasm). 

Here's something else the True Believer said "With gas powered cars, fueling is something one goes to and as such the time matters. With charging, it's something one does while one does something else: charge when you sleep, charge when you eat; charge when you shop. This, in a very practical way, lessens the impact of less than rapid charge times. The only time this doesn't hold true is road tripping when one has to get there fast." Let them eat cake!

Not everyone has access to a charger at their job, or at home. When I test an EV, I sometimes have to recharge it. The charging stations at my local WalMart are fairly fast but there is often a line to use one. So while the True Believer may have 24-hour access to a charger not everyone is in the same boat.

Oh I know, we should all just have a charger installed at our home. Oh wait, many of us rent so we're out of luck. 

I pointed out to the True Believer that there are those of us, like me, who, if I could afford it, might have a EV for around town, and a second, gas-powered, car for longer trips. But I can't afford two cars.

Right now the cost of operation of an EV is lower than a gas-powered car - they pay no fuel tax. That will change if the number of EVs grows drastically. The government, any government, depends on the tax paid by gasoline consumers. As that slice of the pie gets smaller you can bet your bottom dollar they will find a way to tax EV operation. 

What started the conversation with the True Believer was a post about an EV SUV that was super fast. I said I'd rather have an EV that had a range of 500 miles than one that went 0-60 in three seconds. Super quick EVs are an attraction to the elite, not everyday drivers. It's the same for super quick gas engine cars; they are great for advertising but for commuting not so much. 

I have nothing against fast cars or EVs in theory. I like fast cars, and I like the idea of not adding to global warming. But for now I think I'll hitch up my horse and mosey down the road.