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2021-

2021-05-06 d
THINGS FALL APART IV

One in Five Electric Car Owners in California Switched Back to Gas-Powered

Meanwhile, governors of California and 11 other [leftist] states urge Biden to back phasing out gas-powered vehicle sales by 2035.

Legal Insurrection readers may recall that California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order banning the sale of new gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles by 2035.

As with his dining habits, Newsom’s inclination to virtue signal may prove toxic to his continued political career. Unfortunately for him, it seems that the realities of “green energy” are not living up to the promises made by green justice advocates.

In a study published in the journal Nature Energy by the University of California Davis, researchers Scott Hardman and Gil Tal surveyed Californians who purchased an electric vehicle between 2012 and 2018 and found roughly one in five switched back to owning gas-powered cars.

Why?

Most indicated they found charging the batteries was a pain. Business Insider published a story on the study that said of those who switched to gas, more than 70 percent lacked access to Level 2 charging at home, and slightly fewer lacked Level 2 connections at their workplace.

While ready access to the proper type of charging station was important, other economic factors also played a role.

…Those who gave up on their EVs lived in smaller households so they had fewer vehicles. They were also younger, had smaller earnings, rented more, were less likely to live in a single-family standalone house, and were less likely to be male.

What were their reasons? Charging was the biggest thorn. Specifically, the lack of a 240-Volt power outlet at home. “We know that home charging is most influential charging location in the decision to buy an EV,” says Hardman. “It is the most frequently used, the cheapest, the most convenient, and increases odds of continuing PEV ownership.”

While many in single-family homes can easily get home-chargers, for lower income households a home charger can be unaffordable, and those who live in apartments and condos may not be able to install a charger where they park, he says. “Maybe we need to think more about getting home charging access for as many households as possible.”

[...]
There is an additional consideration about just how green electric vehicles are, which officials are starting to assess. In about ten years, the lithium batteries powering those cars will start failing. As a result, those in charge will soon need to address the disposal of these units containing a substantial amount of hazardous materials that are potentially reactive:

“In 10 to 15 years when there are large numbers coming to the end of their life, it’s going to be very important that we have a recycling industry,” he points out.

While most EV components are much the same as those of conventional cars, the big difference is the battery. While traditional lead-acid batteries are widely recycled, the same can’t be said for the lithium-ion versions used in electric cars.

EV batteries are larger and heavier than those in regular cars and are made up of several hundred individual lithium-ion cells, all of which need dismantling. They contain hazardous materials, and have an inconvenient tendency to explode if disassembled incorrectly.

“Currently, globally, it’s very hard to get detailed figures for what percentage of lithium-ion batteries are recycled, but the value everyone quotes is about 5%,” says Dr Anderson. “In some parts of the world it’s considerably less.”

Of course, Newsom is trying to export this energy insanity throughout the country, perhaps to prevent even more citizens from fleeing to more liberty-embracing states. He has joined the governors of 11 other states pressuring Biden to issue a presidential executive order banning new, gasoline-fueled cars by 2035.

The governors of a dozen U.S. states including California, New York, Massachusetts and North Carolina called on President Joe Biden on Wednesday to back ending sales of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035, a dramatic shift away from fossil fuels.

Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan calls for $174 billion in spending and tax credits to boost electric vehicles (EVs) and charging networks but does not call for phasing out gasoline-powered passenger vehicles.

In a letter that was seen by Reuters, the governors, which also include those of Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington State and Rhode Island, urged Biden to set standards “to ensure that all new passenger cars and light-duty trucks sold are zero-emission no later than 2035 with significant milestones along the way to monitor progress.”

They argued that “by establishing a clear regulatory path to ensuring that all vehicles sold in the United States are zero-emission, we can finally clear the air and create high-road jobs.”

It is hoped, the rest of the nation won’t have to go through this executive inanity.

I suspect that we can add the practical problems surrounding this executive order to the list of significant issues that can and will be highlighted by Newsom’s recall challengers. (read more)

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