The cents and sensibility of electric cars
This week, when air pollution in the South Sound is worse than some of the world’s most populated cities like Beijing and Delhi, talk of electric vehicles, touted as the clean air solution, is most welcome.
Fossil fuel consumption accounts for about 27 percent of greenhouse gas emissions; greenhouse gas emissions are said to be at least partly responsible for the out of control wildfires burning all around us.
When Gov. Jay Inslee stood in front of Tacoma’s LeMay – America’s Car Museum earlier this month and christened two of the state’s six new fast-charging Electric Vehicle stations, we took it as a hopeful sign that the EV revolution is finally coming to Pierce County.
Granted, the revolution has been slow; progress comes in drips not cannon-fire. In 2017, Americans bought 17 million cars; just under 200,000 of them were powered solely by electricity.
Currently, Washington has only 33,000 registered EVs on its roads. By 2020, Gov. Jay Inslee wants to see that number grow to 50,000.
To that end, the new EV fast chargers in the Dome District are part of a network from Vancouver, British Columbia, all the way to Mexico. EV drivers now have access to fast charging stations approximately 30 miles apart.
But in order for the EV revolution to be more than a politician’s pipe-dream, consumers must be convinced switching from their gas-powered car to an electric one is both practical and economical, an uphill climb, indeed.
As of January 1, 2018, there were only 1,939 EVs registered in Pierce County. Snohomish County had 2,952 and King County had 15,651.
Opponents to EVs have long argued that plug-in cars aren’t as eco-virtuous as they appear; they claim carbon pollution just comes from an energy source upstream; hence the other name for EVs: “coal cars.”
But that’s not the case in the South Sound: With more than 94 percent of the region’s energy coming from clean, renewable sources, we say: why not use it to power a car?
It’s why Tacoma Public Utility Board Member Bryan Flint, an EV driver himself, was at Inslee’s side during the celebratory launch. Flint reiterated TPU’s commitment to supplying “low-cost, renewable, carbon-free hydroelectricity to power the vehicles.”
Flint says TPU will be working with the Legislature on providing customers with an incentive to go electric, but it won’t make up for the sweet electrified-vehicle tax credit the state phased out last May.
TPU should be commended for providing current and potential EV owners with solid information. Their website includes charging station locations and a savings calculator. FYI, a plug-in car gets 91 more miles for the price of a single gallon of gas.
In Sept. TPU is hosting two Electric Vehicle Ride and Drive events where the public can take an EV out for a spin.
Pierce County government also wants to lead by example and is looking to install six Level 2 charging stations at the old annex building; they’re even considering an electric ferry to shuttle folks from Steilacoom to Anderson Island.
And look for Pierce Transit to roll out their first all-electric buses. Thanks to a $2.55 million federal grant, three new buses will be on the road this fall.
Inslee’s goal of electrifying “every mode of transportation in the state,” may be out of reach, but it’s not out of sight.
The most compelling sign EVs will soon go mainstream comes from the marketplace.
This past year, Ford announced plans to invest $11 billion into EV cars over the next five years. Volvo said they will deliver five battery electrics between 2019 and 2021. GM plans to ditch fossil fuels altogether and will soon have 20 fully electric vehicles to choose from.
And Honda will electrify two-thirds of its global fleet by 2030.
The EV future is coming. Get ready to charge.
This story was originally published August 21, 2018 at 12:00 PM with the headline "The cents and sensibility of electric cars."