EVs Aren’t Going Away, But They’re Hardly the Future!
Bob Tomaine NaturalGasNOW
Contributing Writer
[Editor’s Note: EVs have a role to play in transportation but will only serve as dreamy replacement vehicles until blackouts and parking and range restrictions force a wakeup.]
It hasn’t gotten much coverage in the so-called mainstream media, but more than 60 members of Congress have co-sponsored a House Bill aimed at protecting individuals’ freedom of travel. Since the 66 co-sponsors of H.R.1435 – just like its sponsor, Rep. John Joyce of Pennsylvania – are all Republicans and since the legislation seeks “to amend the Clean Air Act to prevent the elimination of the sale of internal combustion engines,” it’s not hard to figure out why the “news” media have tried to pretend it doesn’t exist.
Nothing would please the left more than to see cars parked, forgotten and overgrown as their owners are forced to walk, bicycle or rely on public transportation for their limited travel.
The SEMA Action Network’s web site has links to a form email to be sent to Representatives urging their support for the legislation and importantly, the email’s text goes far toward explaining why this matters. “Vehicle owners,” it states, “should not be forced to purchase a ZEV, but rather be allowed to choose the type of vehicle technology that best serves their needs.” Setting aside for a moment the fact that forcing drivers to buy Zero Emissions Vehicles is a disturbing step toward a centrally planned economy, as well as the fact that personal freedom is at stake, the very term “Zero Emission Vehicle” is a clever example of truth versus accuracy.
Volkswagen is one of the automakers honest enough to note its electric vehicles generate “zero direct emissions.” In other words, its EVs aren’t producing any emissions as they’re going down the road, but their operation and indeed their very existence definitely are responsible for emissions. How serious is that? Apparently, very serious, given a dictatorial scheme from – of course – California orchestrated by those who want drivers to give up their Internal Combustion Engine vehicles and their Electric Vehicles, too.
The original report is accessible from the ZeroHedge site and is worth reading in its entirety because its call for control extends far beyond cars, but a sense of its direction can be gained from the statement that “like all forms of mining, lithium extraction and processing comes with a number of concerning social and ecological impacts. These include pollution, water depletion, loss of biodiversity, threats to human rights, nonmining [sic] livelihoods, and Indigenous sovereignty and cultural integrity.”
So mining to produce the lithium necessary for EVs’ batteries is a major problem even as the push to EVs continues and for whatever reason, one huge component of that push is the CARB States. In effect, these are states that have quietly signed away their sovereignty to California under the bizarrely mistaken belief that California’s plans for transportation are good ones and universally applicable. There’s no question that they do apply if the goal is to limit personal freedom of both choice and travel. Those working to implement such limitations are organized as illustrated by the concept of the 15-minute city in which you’ll be told that no, you really don’t need a car because you won’t be traveling out of the city anyway,
They’re also very willing to fall back on name-calling, one of the weapons traditionally employed by those attempting to force their ideas on the unwilling, but that might not be completely necessary thanks to the basic fact that no one can change the truth. Consider a recent long-distance trip in a new electric pickup. Commendably, the author tried hard to present a fairly balanced picture of his adventure – although it seems pretty clear that he’s a believer in EVs – and like that report mentioned above, it’s worth reading right to the end. It’s also worth reading David Blackmon’s comments on the trip and on his own experiences.
Blackmon speculates that “at some point in the near future, our society may be forced to recognize that it has been subsidizing the wrong solution” and he’s likely right. It’s a near certainty that there’ll be a point at which the obsession with electric vehicles is eclipsed by the realities they present.
It’s happening already as some are recognizing the problem and have begun solving it, but help can come from unexpected sources. The market, when allowed to function on its own instead of as part of the above-mentioned planned economy, has a way of turning around and biting.
It’s a fantasy, though, to believe that EVs are going to go away. Those who have short commutes in moderate climates will likely use them in the one role they fill well. The naïve idealists who see them as the solution to all the world’s ills will tell themselves that they’re doing something meaningful by not driving cars with Internal Combustion Engines. They’ll go on doing so at least until the overstretched grid’s rolling blackouts prevent them from using their chargers or until they confront something far more unpleasant than range anxiety.
Text and Photo Copyright 2023 by Bob Tomaine
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