Electric Vehicles

Last August included an exciting day with the arrival of my first electric car. From an early age I took an interest in cars and in particular their internal-combustion engines. I never expected to see a competing automotive propulsion technology in my lifetime.

At the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2009, Tesla Inc. stunned the world with a prototype of the car that would eventually become the Model S. The first electric car that looked like a car, not a glorified golf cart or something from a Sci-Fi movie set.

In one fell swoop, Tesla silenced all critics with a car that had the style, poise, and range to be anyone’s daily driver. Introduced to the public in June of 2012, by 2016 the P100D version of the Model S boasted a range of over 300 miles and enough horsepower to turn the standing start quarter mile at over 120 miles per hour, making it one of the most powerful mass-produced cars ever made.

The key technology that made the Model S possible is a lithium ion — or Li-ion — battery, a technology that’s been around for years powering laptop computers and cell phones and other devices that benefit from power dense batteries. The Model S became a reality because Tesla had the vision to see all the pieces of a modern electric vehicle put together with 1995 technology, and the audacity to take on the worldwide automotive industry.

Gas cars by default

The fact is the IC, the internal-combustion engine, was never the best propulsion device for a car, it was simply the only propulsion device that 19th century technology had to offer that provided the power and range to meet consumer demand.

The electric motor was always the best propulsion device, but the best electric energy storage at the time (lead-acid batteries) didn’t have anywhere near the energy density needed to compete with IC engines for range. Internal combustion won the day and went on to become the dominant — and then the only — propulsion device for cars for over 100 years.

Internal-combustion engine development progressed in every decade garnering significant research and development budgets. The 130-year effort to develop IC technology for vehicles showed the ingenuity and perseverance that determined people can put forward when challenged. Starting in the 19th century with noisy, smelly and inefficient engines that required constant maintenance, engineers plied their craft to make modern IC engines quiet, power dense, reasonably efficient and remarkably reliable.

Yet all that progress is easily eclipsed with a modern EV.

Future arrives EVs produce zero tailpipe emissions, have significantly fewer moving parts, are as reliable as your refrigerator, and operate at a fraction of the cost of an IC-powered car. EVs don’t require multi-speed transmissions or a reversing gear. To go in reverse, the electric motor simply spins backwards.

EVs use brushless motors that require no maintenance, and those motors also provide regenerative braking, which puts kinetic energy back into the battery and augment the mechanical brakes to a point where the mechanical brakes may last the life of the car without replacement, depending on how you drive.

The largest impediment today for wide scale adoption of EVs is cost, namely the cost of those Li-ion batteries. But those costs have been coming down from over $1,000 per kW-h in 2010 to under $100 kW-h today, and will continue a downward trend, leading soon to EVs being less expensive than IC-engine cars.

You can look at it this way, when the cost of the Li-ion battery is less than the cost of a multi-speed transmission, it’s really lights out for the IC-powered car. That cross-over point is expected to occur in 2025.

Efficient? Oh, yes

The easy way to look at EV mileage and make comparisons is to simply calculate the cost per mile. For a typical EV the average mileage may be 33.3 kW-h per 100 miles and at 18 cents per kW-h that works out to 6 cents per mile. A comparable IC engine car may average 20 MPG and the fuel may cost $2.40 per gallon, which works out to 12 cents per mile.

Of course the price of gasoline and the price of electricity vary from coast to coast, but at the end of the day, pound for pound, the fuel cost per mile for an EV in Connecticut will be about one half that of an IC engine car.

Critics point to EVs zero emission moniker to be misleading; that their electricity may come from an undesirable fossil-fuel source and that their Li-ion batteries have environmental issues of their own.

Both are true statements.

However, the use of coal, the dirtiest of fossil fuels, to make electricity is in decline and today is less than 20% of total production. The largest share of electricity production today is from natural gas. I can’t speak with authority to the environmental issues with Li-ion batteries, all I know is that we cleaned up the water and the air after 1970, and that same spirit of environmental protection should be enough to minimize pollution from battery manufacture.

And make no mistake, the future of electricity production is green. Although electricity from natural gas has the lowest carbon footprint of all fossil fuels, its use will also decline with the increased use of wind and solar.

Driving technology

And this, for me, is the most interesting aspect of EV development; the EV will be the driving force to improve electric energy storage capability, and electric energy storage is the last remaining piece of the renewable energy puzzle.

Wind and solar output is highly variable, and thereby problematic for current electric grid operations. One solution to that variability is battery storage on a grand scale. The aforementioned research and development budgets that auto manufactures maintained for IC engines can and will be diverted to energy storage development for EVs. Every car manufacturer will have a vested interest in developing and deploying the most energy-dense, safest, environmentally friendly and lowest-cost batteries going forward.

It will be that development, in my humble opinion, that will drive the cost of electric energy storage sufficiently down to boost grid-friendly wind and solar power.

Considered by some to be a necessary scourge, the automobile once electrified will have an opportunity for redemption. As an engineer, I always enjoyed the thought that my car was propelled by a heat engine, with its hundreds of moving parts all working in unison to convert heat to work. As a citizen, I will enjoy much more the thought that my car is an integral part of a green-energy strategy.

I’ll miss the mighty roar of a well-tuned V-8, but I’ll never look backwards, only forwards for guideposts to a better tomorrow. Maybe you’ll soon join me in driving towards our green energy future.

Stewart Peil holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Clarkson University. He took an avid interest in cars from an early age and has owned several performance cars. He works for a defense contractor and lives in Norwich.

 

Brussels is seeking to stimulate take-up of electric cars by imposing a deadline to phase out the combustion engine and make carmakers pay a carbon price as part of a plan to decarbonise the EU economy.

Frans Timmermans, European Commission vice-president for green policy, told the Financial Times that Brussels was preparing a multipronged strategy to drive down the cost of electric vehicles and make cleaner cars “accessible to all Europeans”. 

The commission will present a series of measures this month to ensure the EU can meet its target of reducing average carbon emissions by 55 per cent in 2030, compared with 1990 levels. 

Timmermans said the measures would include tightening CO2 emissions standards for new cars sold over the next decade and a proposal for automakers to pay for polluting under the EU’s market-driven emissions trading scheme. 

“We have to do these two things to stimulate the introduction of electric vehicles. We don’t believe that just announcing a cut-off date would do the trick, but that telling the industry — as we’ve been doing all along — that we will come with stricter emission norms is actually sending the message and pushing them into this direction,” he said. 

If your concern is [making it to] the end of the month, the end of life on Earth is not something you think about every day . . . Whatever we present has to be credible from a social point of view

An EU official told the FT that Brussels was considering a 100 per cent reduction in average CO2 emissions in new cars by 2035 — making it a de facto deadline for the last petrol and diesel cars to be sold in the EU. Germany’s Volkswagen announced last week that it would aim to stop the manufacture of combustion engine vehicles in Europe by 2035. 

EU car emissions standards faced fierce lobbying from vehicle makers when a targeted 37.5 per cent CO2 reduction for 2030 was first agreed in 2018. This is likely to be revised up to 60 per cent for 2030 and 100 per cent in 2035, said the official. 

The EU is aiming to become the first major region to hit net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Brussels will propose 13 legislative measures on July 14 to translate the goal into a legal reality. The legislation will need to be approved by a majority of MEPs and the EU’s 27 member states to come into force.

Timmermans said the car industry’s approach had “changed completely” as the sector invested in low emissions battery technology. Electric vehicles made up around 11 per cent of new EU car registrations in 2020, tripling from the previous year, according to the European Environment Agency. 

“The car industry has really embraced the idea that they need to decarbonise. There’s always going to be a discussion at what pace but I think they’ve understood that this is the way forward”, he said. 

The existing stock of the “dirtiest” vehicles on the road should also be disincentivised by including automakers in the bloc’s carbon pricing system, Timmermans said. Brussels is preparing plans to include transport and housing in a smaller cap-and-trade carbon market, where sectors have to buy and sell carbon credits based on their emissions. 

The carbon price proposal has been criticised by governments in poorer parts of the EU for disproportionately penalising lower-income consumers who cannot easily switch to electric vehicles or alternative modes of green transport. 

Timmermans said Brussels would try to convince member states of the merits of the system by proposing a Climate Action Social Fund that would use a “substantial” portion of proceeds from the housing and transport carbon market to cushion the blow for worst-hit households. 

“It has to be substantial, so you can mitigate the consequences for those who would be unevenly affected by the changes,” he said.

Timmermans, a Dutch social democrat, said that while there were fears of a repeat of France’s 2018 “gilets jaunes” backlash against planned rises in petrol taxes, emissions in the transport sector had gone up in recent years. Poorer eastern European countries have also warned that their fossil-fuel reliant economies risk being penalised by the rapid pace of decarbonisation.

“The sense of urgency is not the same everywhere in Europe. If your overarching concern is [making it to] the end of the month, then the end of life on Earth is not something you think about every day” he said. 

“Whatever we present has to be credible from a social point of view. This is arguably the biggest transformational operation in living memory. It will be tough.” 

The commission will also respond to demands for more comprehensive electric charging infrastructure across the EU after research showed that three countries — France, the Netherlands and Germany — hosted 70 per cent of all car charging points in the bloc.

Timmermans said the EU’s current target of 1m charging points by 2025 was “modest” and that Brussels would propose stricter requirements for charging points within smaller geographic proximities later this month.

“We need to make sure that all Europeans can travel in an electric vehicle and charge it within a reasonable distance of where they need to be or where they live,” he said. 

Express News Service

CHENNAI: You’re probably upset about your fuel bill. But electric vehicle (EV) makers are glad. You’re now more likely to consider their products. Moreover, and since the government’s on their side, their goods are now more affordable than ever.

With petrol prices above Rs 100, a traditional vehicle would leave you poorer by about Rs 3 a km, if it gives you a mileage of 50 km per litre, and considering maintenance costs. But the per-km cost of using an EV is just 50 paise, says BC Datta, vice president, corporate affairs, OLA Electric Mobility. Datta’s company is working to roll out EVs from its Bargur plant in Krishnagiri district.

“Value for money is an important factor when switching to electric vehicles. With e-vehicles, customers can break within 18-24 months,” says Nilay Chandra, director, marketing and charging infrastructure, Ather Energy.

Clocking 8,000-10,000 km a year on an EV would cost Rs 16,000-17,000 lesser than if you used a regular 125 cc scooter, considering the present fuel prices, he points out.  Besides, EVs have a higher resale value than petrol or diesel vehicles four-to-five years down the line, Chandra adds.

One of the main drawbacks of EVs is the price tag they bear. But the Central and State governments have stepped in to bring them within reach.  The Centre offers a subsidy of 40 per cent on electric two-wheelers, while Tamil Nadu offers EVs exemption from road tax till December 30, 2022, and waiver of registration charges and SGST. The State also waives e-permit and registration charges for electric autos and taxis, as per the e-vehicle policy unveiled in 2019.

EV infrastructure 
It’s not, however, all smooth sailing once you buy an EV. You’ll have to keep charging it, which requires infrastructure. Datta says that over the next two years, Ola plans to set up one lakh charging stations across India. “We will start next month, and focus on the major cities before moving to tier-1 and tier-2 cities. “It’s an ambitious initiative to help consumers charge wherever they are. We have been talking to petroleum companies. Many petrol bunks will have charging stations,” he explains.

Chandra, meanwhile, highlights that most of the charging will be done at home. “People who use their vehicles to go to work would use them for a maximum of 20-30 km. They would be ready if they are charged at home at night,” he says, adding that Ather plans to set up 500 more 
charging stations across India.

Lockdown perks
The sale of electric vehicles has been picking up after the 
lockdown was imposed. Chandra says the volume of their sales in the last 15 days is equal to what they had in the entire month of February. Chennai accounted for 20 per cent of Ather’s EV sales in the last six months, he adds.

While the cost of EVs continues to be a deterrent, Chandra points out that government policies have narrowed the price difference between EVs and regular vehicles from Rs 50,000-60,000 to Rs 25,000. As the volumes of sales increases, the cost will reduce further, he asserts.

Thanks to some quick images captured by a Canoo deposit holder, we have a glimpse of one an upcoming electric vehicle from Canoo. This “sport vehicle” has previously been teased on Canoo’s website and in company presentations, but these images offer some of the first glimpses of the upcoming EV in real life.

Canoo ($GOEV) is an EV startup founded in 2017 by two former employees of Faraday Future. The automaker’s current focus is on delivering its first EVs, a Lifestyle Vehicle, its MPDV, an all-purpose, modular delivery van, and its Canoo Pickup Truck, which is scheduled to deliver in 2023. Canoo’s EVs sit upon the startup’s platform architecture, allowing for modular and customizable “top hats” to occupy the space on above.

In previous presentations surrounding the MPDV, Canoo has hinted at EVs to come carefully parked in the background and covered with sheets. One ended up being the Canoo Pickup, which was revealed last March. The other, is most certainly a sedan based on the silhouettes that have been shared with the public thus far.

In what Canoo is calling a “sport vehicle,” this prototype EV has now been captured in its physical form, being unloaded outside of Canoo headquarters in Torrance, CA.

New images of the Canoo “sport vehicle”

In a Reddit post on r/canoo, u/Mcardiel007 earned the 007 in their name by capturing some spy-like images of the upcoming EV. According to the original post, 007 is a deposit holder who has been having trouble getting a hold of Canoo.

The redditor decided to visit Canoo’s headquarters in Torrance to get some answers. In a fruitful twist of fate, Mcardiel007 was pulling up just as a crew was unloading the “sport vehicle” out of a trailer in front of the building. Without hesitation or regard for some of the crew discouraging the camera, the redditor was able to snap some images you can view below:

From what we can see from the images, the Canoo “sport vehicle” looks very low to the ground. It also appears to have a rectangular yolk style steering wheel, similar to the Pickup Truck along with Canoo’s unique headlights that appear as a prominent part of its logo.

In previous presentations from Canoo mentioning this upcoming EV, it is designed on the company’s modular platform to apparently be smaller and shorter than a Tesla Model 3, but with more interior space.

With the Lifestyle Vehicle slated to begin deliveries in late 2022, and the Pickup Truck to follow in 2023, customers could see this “sport vehicle” sometime in 2025. It’s safe to assume that at that point, these EVs will be manufactured at the upcoming “mega microfactory” Canoo has recently announced for Tulsa, Oklahoma.

More details will come to light when the automaker officially announces this new EV. We have reached out to Canoo for comment but have not heard back yet. Stay tuned for the latest.

---

Subscribe to Electrek on YouTube for exclusive videos and subscribe to the podcast.

Those hoping for direct subsidies to offset the price of a new electric vehicle won’t see it in President Biden’s newly negotiated, bipartisan infrastructure bill. Unlike the president’s proposed infrastructure bill, the bipartisan deal excludes EV subsidies. Specifically, it cuts $100 billion Biden wanted to help car buyers get behind the wheel of EVs.

So far, the Biden administration hasn’t made any changes to the long-running Plug-In Electric Drive Tax Credit, aka the EV tax credit, and EV subsidies appear to be off the table for the time being. But, in the meantime, you can still take $7,500 off your tax bill as the government mulls over other potential changes.

Perhaps you’re wondering how to claim the credit, or what you need to do to make sure you get the maximum dollar amount back the following year. Perhaps you want to know if the EV tax credit amount is increasing. We’re here to explain the process and help you take maximize the financial benefit of choosing an EV.

Are there federal subsidies for an EV?

Biden’s proposed American Jobs Plan included $100 billion in subsidies for EV buyers, if passed. However, on June 24, the president agreed to a bipartisan effort that does not include these subsidies. It’s unclear if Biden will pursue the subsidies in separate legislation.

Will the EV tax credit amount increase?

There are various pieces of legislation under consideration in Congress that, if passed, would increase the total amount available to claim. Most significantly, a new bill would raise the tax credit amount to $12,500 maximum. Another bill would include used EVs to make them eligible for smaller tax credits, too. In all, the Biden administration is keen to incentivize EV purchases, so it’s likely a matter of time before we see changes to the tax credit.

What is the EV tax credit?

Internal Revenue Code Section 30D provides a tax credit to any person who purchased a qualifying EV during the year. It includes passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks. The credit first came to life with the Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008, and amendments came with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The latter really gave us the tax credits as we know them today.

The credit provides up to $7,500 in a tax credit when you claim an EV purchase on taxes filed for the year you acquired the vehicle. So, if you bought an EV this year, in 2021, you would claim the purchase when filing your 2021 taxes next year.

How do I get the full $7,500 tax credit?

The Internal Revenue Service’s Form 8936 is how you calculate how much money back you’ll receive, which you’ll need to fill out and file with your taxes. Every vehicle with a plug earns a minimum of $2,500 from the EV tax credit — that includes a plug-in hybrid, not just a totally battery-electric vehicle. The vehicle must include at least 5 kilowatt-hours worth of power from its onboard battery. However, the government adds money to the credit for each additional kWh worth of energy packed into a battery. For every extra kWh, the tax credit increases by $417. This is where the dollar figures can shift around since it depends on the vehicle, not your finances.

For example, a Kia Niro plug-in hybrid is eligible for $4,543 from the tax credit, due to its battery size. PHEVs often have smaller batteries than EVs, since they share powertrain efforts with an internal-combustion engine. But, the Kia Niro EV is eligible for the full $7,500 tax credit because of its larger battery size. The government caps the credit at $7,500 maximum. Even for EVs with giant batteries, they aren’t candidates for more money. In most cases, pure EVs are the target cars for the total cash back from the tax credit.

Why can’t I claim the EV tax credit for my Tesla?

Tesla is by far the largest EV maker in the US today. However, those who purchase an EV from the automaker will not be eligible to claim the car on their taxes. That’s because the current law for the credits phases them out after a particular automakers sells over 200,000 qualifying vehicles. In Tesla’s case, it sold its last qualifying vehicle back in 2019, leaving no additional tax credits to take advantage of. The same goes for General Motors. A Chevy, GMC, Buick or Cadillac EV is not eligible for the EV tax credit as of today. The automakers continue to lobby for new legislation to make credits available to them once again.

What if I owe money on my taxes when claiming the credit?

This is the best case scenario, actually. The EV tax credit is a nonrefundable credit. In other words, the government does not cut you a check for the balance. So, say you owed the federal government $10,000 in taxes when filing your 2021 taxes. Let’s also say you purchased a Ford Mustang Mach-E in 2021, which is eligible for the full $7,500 credit amount. Your federal tax balance would then fall to $2,500 owed. If you owed under $7,500, the EV tax credit would wipe that away entirely to a $0 balance, even if it takes care of tax bill and then some. Essentially, purchasing an EV can wipe away tax bills very well. It does not, however, put cash directly into your pocket. Keep that in mind if you’re someone who typically receives a federal refund when filing taxes.

Can I lease an EV and claim the tax credit?

Unfortunately, there is no tax credit if you decide to lease a new electric vehicle. Instead, the tax credit actually goes back to the automaker or lender financing the leased vehicle. So, to actually earn the tax credit benefit, you need to purchase an EV — not lease one.

Do EV tax credits count for used electric cars?

Like leasing an EV, buying a used electric car also does not allow you to claim the EV tax credit in any way. There’s currently some legislation at the federal level that could change this, however.

What are the state EV credits and incentives?

Many states and even local governments looking to speed up EV adoption rates offer their own incentives. California is a leader in incentivizing EV purchases with a direct consumer rebate up to $4,500, for example, through the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project. There is currently a waitlist for application, however. Colorado, Washington and New England states also offer some generous state incentives that you can combine with the federal EV tax credit. Even your local utility company may subsidize an EV purchase.

Whether or not you want one, can afford one or think they will do essentially nothing to stop global warming, electric vehicles are coming to Canada en masse. This week, the Canadian government set 2035 as the “mandatory target” for the sale of zero-emission SUVs and light-duty trucks.

That means the sale of gasoline and diesel cars has to stop by then. Transport Minister Omar Alghabra called the target “a must.” The previous target was 2040.

It is a highly aspirational plan that verges on the delusional, even if it earns Canada – a perennial laggard on the emission-reduction front – a few points at climate conferences. Herewith, a few reasons why the plan may be unworkable, unfair or less green than advertised.

Liberals say by 2035 all new cars, light-duty trucks sold in Canada will be electric

Parkland to roll out electric-vehicle charging network in B.C. and Alberta

Sticker shock: There is a reason why EVs remain niche products in almost every market in the world (the notable exception is in wealthy Norway): They are bloody expensive. Unless EV prices drop dramatically in the next decade, Ottawa’s announcement will price the poor out of the car market. Transportation costs are a big issue with the unrich. The 2018 gilets jaunes mass protests in France were triggered by rising fuel costs.

While some EVs are getting cheaper, even the least expensive ones are about double the price of a comparable product with an internal combustion engine. Most EVs are luxury items. The market leader in Canada and the United States is Tesla. In Canada the cheapest Tesla, the Model 3 (“standard range plus” version), costs $49,000 before adding options and subtracting any government purchase incentives. A high-end Model S can set you back $170,000.

To be sure, prices will come down as production volumes increase. But the price decline might be slow for the simple reason that the cost of all the materials needed to make an EV – copper, cobalt, lithium, nickel among them – is climbing sharply and may keep climbing as production increases, straining supply lines.

Lithium prices have doubled since November. Copper has almost doubled in the past year. An EV contains five times more copper than a regular car. Glencore, one of the biggest mining companies, estimated that copper production needs to increase by a million tonnes a year until 2050 to meet the rising demand for EVs and wind turbines, a daunting task given the dearth of new mining projects.

Will EVs be as cheap as gas cars in a decade or so? Impossible to say, but given the recent price trends for raw materials, probably not.

Not so green: There is no such thing as a zero-emission vehicle, even if that’s the label used by governments to describe battery-powered cars. So think twice if you are buying an EV purely to paint yourself green.

In regions in Canada and elsewhere in the world that produce a lot of electricity from fossil-fuel plants, driving an EV merely shifts the output of greenhouse gases and pollutants from the vehicle itself to the generating plant (according to the government, more than 19 per cent of Canada’s electricity comes from coal, natural gas and oil; in the United States, 60 per cent).

An EV might make sense in Quebec, where almost all the electricity comes from renewable sources. An EV makes little sense in Saskatchewan, where only 17 per cent comes from renewables – the rest from fossil fuels. In Alberta, only 8 per cent comes from renewables.

The EV supply chain is also energy-intensive. And speaking of the environment, recycling or disposing of millions of toxic car batteries is bound to be a grubby process.

Where’s the juice?: Since the roofs of most homes in Canada and other parts of the world are not covered in solar panels, plugging in an EV to recharge the battery means plugging into the electrical grid. What if millions of cars get plugged in at once on a hot day, when everyone is running air conditioners?

The next few decades could emerge as an epic energy battle between power-hungry air conditioners, whose demand is rising as summer temperatures rise, and EVs. The strain of millions of AC units running at once in the summer of 2020 during California’s run of record-high temperatures pushed the state into rolling blackouts. A few days ago, Alberta’s electricity system operator asked Albertans not to plug in their EVs because air conditioner use was straining the electricity supply.

According to the MIT Technology Review, rising incomes, populations and temperatures will triple the number of air conditioners used worldwide, to six billion, by mid-century. How will any warm country have enough power to recharge EVs and run air conditioners at the same time? The Canadian government didn’t say in its news release on the 2035 EV mandate. Will it fund the construction of new fleets of power stations?

The wrong government policy: The government’s announcement made it clear that widespread EV use – more cars – is central to its climate policy. Why not fewer cars and more public transportation? Cities don’t need more cars, no matter the propulsion system. They need electrified buses, subways and trains powered by renewable energy. But the idea of making cities more livable while reducing emissions is apparently an alien concept to this government.

Your time is valuable. Have the Top Business Headlines newsletter conveniently delivered to your inbox in the morning or evening. Sign up today.

I’m not a car geek.

I’m not much of a mechanic of any sort. Yet I am learning about electric vehicles as our Department of Environmental Resilience participates with other communities around the state in a sustainability cohort guided by the IU Environmental Resilience Institute. Electric vehicle (EV) technology has come a long way over the past 20 years, and is poised now to become an increasingly important way to both move around and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Part of what I’m learning is that the term “EV” is not always well understood. This is due in large part to the different kinds of vehicles on the market which use electricity to help them move.

There are three broad categories of vehicles which use electricity to turn the wheels: Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs), Plug-in Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), and Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs).

HEVs use gasoline in an engine to move the vehicle, but have a battery which stores recovered energy (from braking). HEVs do not require charging, but the generated electricity helps to move the vehicle. PHEVs have a gasoline engine and a battery which can power the car if it has received enough charge via the plug-in. BEVs do not have a gasoline engine, and rely solely on an electric battery which must be charged.

Adoption of EVs in the past has been slow largely because of the cost of these vehicles, and because of their limited range. Those two barriers are diminishing. There are now some brands of fully electric cars which cost as low as $30,000 new. That’s still well more than I am ready to spend on a car (new or used), but there are plenty of folks who regularly do.

The driving range has also increased substantially for many of the newer model EVs. 2020 models list ranges from 110 miles to more than 350 miles per charge. Additionally, there are more and more charging stations, or electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), being installed across Michiana, Indiana, and the Midwest.

There are now 16 such charging stations within a 30 mile radius Goshen, and two more public chargers are set to be installed at the Goshen Public Library and in the public parking lot west of Interra bank.

High speed charging stations are being installed in highway corridors, as well. The combination of reduced costs, increased range, and greater charging accessibility make EVs an increasingly viable way to travel.

This is important as we think about how to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions for which we are responsible due to transportation. Our community-wide greenhouse gas emissions inventory from 2017 showed that 13 percent of our total emissions in Goshen came from transportation.

EVs produce fewer emissions than gas and diesel vehicles, even when the electricity is generated from fossil fuel; as our electricity is increasingly generated from solar and wind, EVs will become even cleaner.

EVs aren’t the only electric options for getting around town, either. We recently purchased some electric-assist bicycles for city employee use. These e-bikes require pedaling – like a conventional bike – but have an electric “gear” which increases the speed and the rate according to the pedal-power input.

The result is a machine that handles very much like a bicycle (and not like a throttle moped or motorcycle), and which can move a person through town with minimal exertion. You don’t show up sweaty or out of breath.

An e-bike can replace a car or truck for cross-town meetings, or, in my case, to evaluate a tree or consult about planting. Baskets and paniers can bring computers, tools, briefcases, and other equipment along. And at the end of the day, just plug it in.

This week we are launching an online public survey about EVs, at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WBCY5DF . The survey is designed to help us understand better what we know – and don’t know – about electric vehicles.

We need to know more clearly what the barriers are to operating EVs. Some of them are quite real (purchase price), and some of them may be more perception (range and charging access).

As the overall makeup of our mobile technologies shifts from internal combustion to electric, its important for us to see the opportunities and be ready to take advantage. Anyone who is watching traffic knows that electric cars are an increasing part of the present. Anyone who is watching TV knows that more EVs – including trucks – are in the very near future.

Some local businesses, including Massimo’s Pizza, Woldruff’s Footwear and Apparel, and Soapy Gnome, are offering gift cards to members of the public who take the survey. Take the survey, and look for more details in the coming days.

And start seeing EVs.