Electric vehicle (EV) frequently asked questions, myths vs. facts.
Will driving an EV make a difference with climate change?
In WA state, and the US, the transportation sector is the largest source of climate changing emissions (over 40%). Driving an EV, instead of a fossil fuel vehicle, is the single greatest action we, as individuals, can take to reduce our climate changing emissions and reduce the impacts of climate change on our world.
There won’t be enough electricity to power all those EVs.
While this seems to be a logical assumption, it is not correct. In 2007 the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL, Richland, WA) conducted a study that concluded we could transition 73% of light duty cars and trucks to EVs, in the nation, with no additions to the national electrical production or transmission systems. In March 2022, the study author affirmed that this conclusion was still valid in 2022. Currently approximately 3% of registered vehicles in WA state are EVs. We have a long way to go before significant increases to electrical generation or transmission systems are needed to power EVs. By conserving our electrical energy whenever possible, and installing residential renewable energy systems, we can use available electric power for emission free transportation.
My electric bill will go up.
Your electric costs will vary with how much you drive and the cost of electricity you use to charge. The average American drives about 14,000 miles per year. The average EV can travel about 3.5 miles using 1 kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity, so uses about 4,000 kWh a year. The national average cost of electricity per kWh is $0.12, so about $480/year to “fuel” an EV. Compare that to the average miles per gallon in the US of 25.4 mpg, or 550 gallons of fossil fuel per year, with the average cost of $4.59/gallon, at the time of this writing, for about $2,525/year. Driving an EV will save you money!
In Chelan County, our cost of electricity is $0.03/kWh, so our example above would cost $120/year to “fuel” an EV for 14,000 miles of driving! And, our electricity is generated by clean, renewable, hydropower.
The example above assumes you charge at home using residential rates for electricity. Most of us will charge overnight at home 80% to 90% of the time. If you travel, and use public DC Quick Charging stations, the cost of electricity is much higher, around $0.35 per kWh. To compare the cost of electricity to fossil fuel, multiply the cost per kWh by 10. So, in Chelan County our $0.03/kWh residential electricity is equivalent to $0.30/gallon gasoline! Charging at a public DC Quick Charger at $0.35/kWh is equivalent to $3.50/gallon gasoline. Still a bargain compared to the current $4.59/gallon national average.
How will roads be maintained if EV don’t pay gas taxes?
Since about 2012, EV owners have paid an extra $225 a year for their vehicle registration. $150 of that is in lieu of gas taxes to support highway maintenance. If you drive a small battery EV and don’t put many miles on it, you’ll actually pay more each year than the average fossil fuel driver. The remaining $75 is used to install charging infrastructure throughout WA state. So EV owners do pay their fair share, and then some.
I can’t charge on solar energy.
In Chelan County 99.9% of our electrical power comes from clean, renewable hydropower. In WA state, 62% of electricity is from renewable energy. In the US, 20% is from renewable energy. In areas with a low renewable energy percentage, you can purchase 100% renewable energy from your utility for a small additional fee. So it’s easy to charge your EV with RE. And, our electrical grid continues to get cleaner as old coal fueled generating plants are closed and cleaner natural gas or renewable energy generating plants are added.
EVs cause more environmental damage than a fossil fuel vehicle.
According to several studies, from “cradle to grave” over the life of the vehicle, an EV is about half the environmental impact as a fossil fuel vehicle. Most of this savings is from the “fuel” used, and, as our electrical grid continues to get “cleaner”, the environmental benefits of driving an EV keep getting better.
EVs don’t have enough range.
EVs meet about 90% of our driving needs. Most people drive less than 40 to 60 miles a day. There are many makes/models of EVs available that can meet that need, charging at home overnight. See Plugstar.com. For longer trips, or if charging at home is not an option, there are numerous public charging stations available. PlugShare.com, and the phone app, can help you locate charging stations. With planning, and taking a little extra time, you can drive an EV just about anywhere you need to go. The money saved, and climate changing emissions avoided, is worth it.
There is no charging infrastructure.
There are numerous charging stations throughout WA state, and the nation. PlugShare.com, and the phone app, can help you locate charging opportunities. Funds from WA state EV license tabs, and the VW “diesel gate” fund, are being used to install more charging stations, particularly Level 3, DC Quick Charging stations along major highways. You can also charge an EV from any standard household electrical outlet. It’s slow (about 5 miles of range per hour of charging), but outlets are just about everywhere. And, with an inexpensive adapter, you can charge from a NEMA 14-50 RV outlet, at 30 to 40 miles of range per hour. RV campgrounds are also very common and accessible.
Maintenance is too expensive.
EVs have very few maintenance needs. Typically tires, windshield wiper blades, windshield washer fluid, and cabin air filter are the only maintenance needed. Many improvements and “fixes” can be done with software updates “over the air” (by wifi or cell phone networks). These are free and can be done at home. In the rare instances of other repairs, like all modern vehicles, it can be expensive. One of the benefits of EVs is that maintenance is significantly less than a fossil fuel vehicle.
EVs are unsafe and can catch fire.
Fires in EVs are rare, but are often sensationalized by the media. According to the National Fire Protection Association, NFPA, there are about 212,000 fossil fuel vehicle fires per year in the US, causing 560 deaths and $1.9 billion in property damages annually. We don’t hear much about those…. Many people fear a battery fire in an EV. It’s true a battery fire is hard to put out, but fire services know how, using foam or a “fire blanket” to smother the fire. As with any vehicle, it’s prudent to pull over and get out if you receive a warning or see smoke!
EVs are slow, like golf carts.
Electric motors produce 100% torque immediately when you press the accelerator, unlike fossil fuel engines that must rev up to achieve maximum torque. This is why EVs are very “quick”, accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in just a few seconds. The Tesla Model S “Plaid” does so in less than two seconds! Even a modest EV accelerates quickly, making merging on a freeway, or getting out of a potential accident situation, much more safe than with a similar fossil fuel vehicle.
EVs are too expensive to buy and maintain.
EVs may cost more than a comparable fossil fuel vehicle, but all new vehicles these days seem much more expensive than just a few years ago. But, due to savings on “fuel” and less maintenance, studies have concluded that EVs can save you significant money, up to 50%!, over their lifetime when compared to a similar fossil fuel vehicle.
Driving an EV won’t save money.
Quite the contrary. As noted above an EV is significantly less expensive to own and operate than a comparable fossil fuel vehicle.
EV batteries don’t last and are not recyclable. Mining the minerals used causes environmental damage and uses child labor.
EV batteries in recent models are projected to last from 300,000 miles to 1,000,000 miles! Early model Teslas have surpassed the 300,000 mile mark. When a battery pack can no longer sustain the daily cycling an EV requires, it can be used as an emergency backup power supply, which does not require frequent cycling. When the battery pack is no longer useful, it can be recycled, just like lead acid batteries, which are currently recycled 98.9%. Spinoff companies from Tesla, and Tesla themselves, are currently recycling EV battery packs. Using materials from the old batteries in the pack to produce new, more powerful and efficient, batteries. EV manufacturers are very watchful of the source of materials they use, to insure they do not benefit sources that use child labor. EV manufacturers are also working hard to reduce the need for rare minerals in their batteries, to reduce the cost and environmental impact of obtaining those minerals. When compared to the environmental damage from extracting, refining, and transporting fossil fuels, the environmental cost of EV components is much less.
EVs are not readily available.
Many EV models are currently available, and more are becoming available all the time. Check plugstar.com to explore what EVs are available that would meet your needs.
There are two sayings about EVs:
“Once you go electric, you’ll never go back.” Once you experience the benefits of owning and driving an EV, you’ll wonder why you didn’t make the switch sooner.
“EV grin”. Driving an EV will make you grin. It’s quiet, comfortable, and fun. You’re saving money and not polluting the environment. It’s “guilt free”.
Sources: MyEV.com, Sierra Club, Forbes, Union of Concerned Scientists, ClipperCreek.com , NFPA.org, PNNL.com, PlugShare.com, PlugStar.com, ChelanPUD.org