Incentives for electric vehicles provide alternative to oil dependence
Incentives for electric vehicles provide alternative to oil dependence
As climate change continues to worsen, the price tag from natural disasters and other associated impacts keeps rising. This is a scientific and economic certainty, as recently highlighted by the GAO report issued at the request of Sen. Susan Collins. Unfortunately, the United States’ continued dependence on oil only exacerbates the problem.
The U.S. spends more than $60 billion every year patrolling oil supply lines, and Americans have sent $1.6 trillion to OPEC countries in oil revenue over the past 10 years alone. Electric vehicles offer a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to the gasoline-powered vehicles that underpin our oil dependence.
Yet as Congress attempts to tackle tax reform, the electric vehicle tax credit, which lowers the tax burden for early adopters who buy them, could be on the chopping block.
Ninety-two percent of all U.S. transportation is powered by petroleum fuels, meaning when prices at the pump spike, drivers have no alternatives available. A low-petroleum future requires a major shift from gas-powered vehicles to plug-in electric vehicles, and at this early stage, such incentives are a strong policy choice. Repeal of the $7,500 tax credit will have dire consequences for the federal budget, the national economy and the people of Maine.
Here in Maine, electric vehicles would run on a diverse range of fuels, including hydropower, wind, solar and natural gas, and this diversity makes electricity low and stable in price. Oil is very different. Gasoline price spikes severely damage the American economy and household budgets, with every 1 cent increase taking $1 billion out of the pockets of consumers.
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Comment by Paula D Kelso on November 13, 2017 at 8:33pm
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Check this one out: http://www.kezi.com/story/36824165/gov-brown-signs-energy-mandates-...
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Comment by Eric A. Tuttle on November 13, 2017 at 2:22pm
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Paula, laugh or cry, I am still waiting for the Electric snowmobiles and 4-wheelers to appear with the tourists. Then I may believe their seriousness. A charging station behind every tree? No, because they will have had to cut them all down.
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Comment by Deborah Andrew on November 13, 2017 at 2:09pm
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natural gas? hydrofracking and methane release, clean energy? never mind the harm from the mining, manufacture, transport, installation, maintenance & repair, decommissioning, waste and replacement (every 20-30 +/- years). Clean energy? Not so. While oil and gas must stay in the ground, we have a lot of work to do at the local, regional, state and national level - asking: what can we do without? the over seas military bases? all those weapons? dryers? power mowers? this is a bottom up, sideways search party that needs to work on this problem with support from the federal government. Electric cars are not the answer.
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Oh thanks Eric. I really needed a giggle today. Haven't recovered from last week's nightmare. Sure reminded me of the utter dependence we have on electricity. And these bozo's want us to be even more reliant on it with electric cars. We stored up some gas for the generator ahead of the storm, no way to store up electricity other than charging everything chargeable.
Let's see if I follow the writer's reasoning. Gasoline bad. Tourism good. So Maine should go electric cars. Well still won't those millions of tourists want to buy gasoline to get here and to tool around on Maine roads? As I understand it, electric vehicles aren't suited much for long distance travel, especially in rural areas like Maine. Have never seen an electric car getting a recharge at the 6 or 8 chargers by WalMart in Brewer. Wondering how much tax money went to that installation?
Somebody figure out a comparison of the economic impact of electric rate increases to compare with the gasoline price impacts. Gas costs more, we consolidate tasks and drive less. Electric rates go up and we become watt watchers and switch to fewer electric appliances. You win some, you lose some. Bottom line modern society has a high demand for energy. We can meet the demand in many ways. We can learn how to conserve energy. But there needs to be some common sense in choosing solutions. My hands and feet are cold and the propane furnace fried last week. I can sit by the wood stove in the living room or I can sit by the portable electric heater in the kitchen. My choice. Let the market decide which is more suitable for me. Not some sanctimonious bureaucrat or money scheming shyster. Gee that warmed me up. Got my blood circulating.
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3 quick sources I forgot to include.
https://www.tesla.com/models
https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-cuts-price-model-s-60-75-kwh-batter...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Model_S#Home_chargingThere are many more. First of all I can not afford to take a $70,000 chance, though there are FOOLS that will try.
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On average today, 14 hours to do a complete charge, to drive up to 80 miles @ about 55mph. (assuming there are no hills to climb) Then at your local Charging station, you can expect a 30 minute delay to charge up to 80% which will get you another 64 miles at the same speed. (assuming it is not below zero degrees) For me this would be a trip to Portland with an extra half hour (or more in cold weather) added for time. 2hours 36 minutes. The return home would take 3 hours and 6 minutes as I would need to stop at a local charging station twice along the way. (assuming warm weather) Then there is always the chance that I would not make it at all if the battery goes defective. How much does electric heat use off these batteries on a cold winter day? (No Info found) So I would presume there may be a need for a second stop each way adding another hour round trip.
- Tesla Model S: 60–100 kWh. The best on the market to date with the 70 kWh battery upgrade being reduced to a price of $2000 and the 60Kwh being discontinued. Though it boasts a driving range of 249 miles for the S70 and 315 for the S100 models on a full charge (14 hours) (batteries charge much slower after 80% of full charge) a Chart of Performances https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Model_S#Practicality_and_livabi...
- 33.56 Kwh per gallon of summer gasoline @ 16¢ Kwh would equal $5.3696 in electricity for that gallon. I would need 3.15 Gallons to get to Portland, (40mpg) costing about $7.40 (round trip $14.80). $16.91424 of electricity "May" get me to Portland and back when the vehicle and batteries are new however as they age they can not absorb as much electricity thus reducing overall range between charges. The trip could cost as much as $33 per round trip with heating in the winter, and nearly $66 if aged batteries require more frequent charges. Though the initial start of the trip may be disappointing with the first stop being soon after leaving home since the home charging unit is only capable of providing a maximum of a 10% charge of the 100 kWh battery (sold by Telsa) Supercharging Stations to be needed at your local charging station. (Not much range from home to work)
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As Maine continues down its road of renewable energy economic disaster , it is good to see Congress address the unneeded subsidies for foolish ,useless uneconomic electric vehicle fadism.
Check out the economies in this nation of states like Texas, Florida , Georgia etc...(who recognize and utilize our massive fossil fuel wealth in the form of natural gas ,oil etc..
Then note the out-migration from the northeast and their energy policies.
Case closed.
Maine's reliance on the elite of Portland to run its energy policies is also its ruination.
Maine as Third World Country:
CMP Transmission Rate Skyrockets 19.6% Due to Wind Power
Click here to read how the Maine ratepayer has been sold down the river by the Angus King cabal.
Maine Center For Public Interest Reporting – Three Part Series: A CRITICAL LOOK AT MAINE’S WIND ACT
******** IF LINKS BELOW DON'T WORK, GOOGLE THEM*********
(excerpts) From Part 1 – On Maine’s Wind Law “Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine if the law’s goals were met." . – Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, August 2010 https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/From Part 2 – On Wind and Oil Yet using wind energy doesn’t lower dependence on imported foreign oil. That’s because the majority of imported oil in Maine is used for heating and transportation. And switching our dependence from foreign oil to Maine-produced electricity isn’t likely to happen very soon, says Bartlett. “Right now, people can’t switch to electric cars and heating – if they did, we’d be in trouble.” So was one of the fundamental premises of the task force false, or at least misleading?" https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-swept-task-force-set-the-rules/From Part 3 – On Wind-Required New Transmission Lines Finally, the building of enormous, high-voltage transmission lines that the regional electricity system operator says are required to move substantial amounts of wind power to markets south of Maine was never even discussed by the task force – an omission that Mills said will come to haunt the state.“If you try to put 2,500 or 3,000 megawatts in northern or eastern Maine – oh, my god, try to build the transmission!” said Mills. “It’s not just the towers, it’s the lines – that’s when I begin to think that the goal is a little farfetched.” https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/flaws-in-bill-like-skating-with-dull-skates/
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Hannah Pingree on the Maine expedited wind law
Hannah Pingree - Director of Maine's Office of Innovation and the Future
"Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine."
https://pinetreewatch.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/
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