EV future

From school buses to public transportation to private vehicles, the transportation sector is responsible for nearly 30% of annual US greenhouse gas emissions. Electrifying transportation and then "decarbonizing" electricity is one of the quickest ways to make a very big impact.

With moves by some European countries to phase out fossil fueled vehicles and by China and India to develop and subsidize home grown EVs, the road to electric transportation is looking bright.  (Now, if someone would only develop an electric chassis retrofit so we could keep our beloved gas vehicles and easily transform them to EVs . . .)

For many, the dilemma now is when, not whether, to take the plunge. Used EVs can be had for less than $10,000 but their ranges are limited compared with newer models. If you mostly use your car for commuting relatively short distances to work and back, you can go fossil free right now and rent a vehicle for occasional longer trips. Or you can get a dual fuel plug in hybrid that will allow for commute-range electric only trips but alleviate "range anxiety" and allow for longer trips with its gasoline engine.

If you are shopping for a used vehicle, you need to check electric range by model year and trim level.  Battery size improvements from one to the next can make a big difference in range and sometimes charging time. Sites like Carvana.com, autotempest.com, and vroom.com can give you an idea of what's available around the country, not just in one region.

The Sierra Club's new EV Buying Guide lets shoppers take a quiz about their vehicle needs and then suggests which might be best new EVs or hybrids plus which subsidies and rebates are available.

With news that Governor Evers, a Democrat, is competing with the Republic state legislature for best renewable energy supports in the budget now being debated, including grants for EV charging stations along interstate corridors, the possibility that our state could topple a whole carbon footprint sector into the clean energy column is very heartening.

For now, though, while you shop for your family's next clean energy private vehicle, know that moving out of a fossil fueled single occupant vehicle to a car pool/ride share, bicycle, pedestrian plan, and/or public transportation vehicle is one of the quickest ways to reduce your personal transportation carbon footprint.