Tux Turkel commentary: Is Maine’s drive for all-electric vehicles bad climate policy?

Personally, I believe that the dunderheaded, grift propelled and dangerously reckless plunge off the cliff should become a top election issue in 2024 at all levels of government. Bear in mind that the "everything must be electric" sheep march is occurring at a time when electricity prices for Mainers are surging upwards. Does anyone want to guess where electricity prices will go if the central planners succeed at forcing us to power our driving with electricity? Moreover, where do EV drivers think their electricity comes from? It sure isn't wind and solar. Also ponder the fact that the same coterie of criminals that is foisting "all electric" upon us has done everything in its  power to block new natural gas lines from coming into Maine from nearby states with some of the largest natural gas deposits in the country. They tell us we must go all electric and from the other side of their mouth, they attack the fuel which makes so much of our electricity.

July 16, 2023

BY TUX TURKEL STAFF WRITER

EXCERPTS

Transportation accounts for more than half of Maine’s greenhouse gas emissions, so maybe it’s not surprising that the state’s 2020 Climate Action Plan contained a bold goal: Aim to put 41,000 all-electric cars and light trucks on the road by 2025, and 219,000 by 2030.

Midway through 2023, it’s obvious the first benchmark is pure fantasy. With fewer than 5,000 all-electric vehicles registered in Maine, nothing’s going to get us close to 41,000 in 17 months. The 2030 target, meanwhile, is based on emissions modeling to meet state-mandated reductions. Seems like wishful thinking.

But what if these targets, aside from being unattainable, also are wrong headed? What if all-electric is a counter-productive approach to cutting carbon emissions?

It’s a challenge to conventional wisdom, but could it be better and easier to get more cars that achieve smaller emissions cuts versus fewer cars capable of big reductions? This is not a new idea. It was broached in 2019 by Emissions Analytics, a U.K. research firm, that found gas-electric hybrids can cut emissions 14 times more than battery-only cars over their lifetimes.

But the concept received wider attention earlier this year from Toyota, the world’s largest carmaker. In a strategy paper sent to dealers, Toyota highlighted three major barriers to wider adoption of all-electric vehicles – the shortage and cost of critical battery-making minerals, such as lithium; insufficient public fast-charging stations and the high average price of all-electric vehicles................................................

............................................The availability of hybrids is reflected in Maine registration figures: Roughly 27,000 hybrids compared to 4,779 all-electric and 5,557 plug-in hybrids......................................

........................As a reporter who has covered energy issues for years, I’ll be interested in how policy makers chart a path forward. But as a car owner and shopper, my personal experience makes me skeptical of goals that misread or downplay market realities......................................

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The push for all-electric cars is based on the concept of beneficial electrification, the idea that the world must rapidly phase out fossil fuels in favor of affordable electricity that's generated from renewable resources. That has led climate activists to embrace the "Electrify Everything!" mantra with an almost religious zeal. You're either on the (electric) bus, or you're not.

But it's more complicated. The average price of a new electric vehicle, if you can find the one you want, is around $55,000. Used EVs are even more scarce, a big obstacle to wider adaption. Many Mainers buy pre-owned because they can't afford new.

Mainers also love pickup trucks, but prices for the all-electric version of the iconic Ford F-150, the Lightning, range from $60,000 to nearly $100,000. And to give the three-ton truck a range of 200-300 miles, Ford needed a battery weighing up to 1,800 pounds.

Massive batteries equal big problems. The New York Times has detailed China's global stranglehold on mineral mining and battery production, citing projections that China will still make more than twice as many batteries as every other country combined in 2030. China also owns most of the cobalt mines in Congo, where it has been accused of child labor abuse........................................

Please read the full article at https://www.pressherald.com/2023/07/16/is-maines-drive-for-all-elec...

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