One June 24, 2024 The Wall Street Journal ran an opinion piece titled “Young Voters No Longer Get a Charge Out of the Biden Presidency” by Allysia Finley.
It focused on two themes:
1. Why electric-vehicles (EVs) are no good for millennials
2. Why this supports her presidential choice
We are going to analyze number one and the McKinsey & Co. survey behind the article from that cites why EV users are likely to switch back to gasoline vehicles.
The top 6 reasons are a square peg in a round hole
They result from thinking EVs are a one-size-fits-all solution for clean transportation. They are not.
- Charging infrastructure in public not yet good enough for me
- Total costs of ownership too high
- Driving patterns on long distance trips to much impacted
- Cannot charge at home
- Needing to worry about charging is too stressful
- Charging mobility requirements
- Do not like the driving experience
For some driver’s needs, EVs are a good fit, for others they are not.
EVs are more convenient than gasoline when you charge at home and only take short trips
This is the sweet spot for EVs.
- No more trips to the gas station
- No more oil changes
- Savings of $1,000 less/year on fuel
Cost savings is based on average savings of $33 per fill, driving 12,000 miles/year, and fuel efficiency for a Tesla S and a Toyota Camry. The average cost to charge a large battery at home is 15.45 cents/kWh, costing $16.53. The average cost to refill the 14.3 gallon tank of a Camry is $3.47/gallon, costing $49.62.
These conveniences disappear once you charge outside of the home
We need to be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of EVs for different driving needs.
- Charging outside the home takes 30 minutes for a partial charge and gets exponentially worse if there’s a line
- The cost for fast charging outside the home is about 2 to 3 times higher, so about $32–48 to charge a large battery
- Long range driving requires public charging and brings on all the stressors related to these inconveniences
In EV’s sweet spot, there are serious benefits beyond just convenience.
EVs are not a one-size-fits-all solution, but they play an important role in addressing our air pollution problem
When charged with clean electricity, EVs do not emit air pollution. This means they can be more convenient, cheaper, and good for society. But do we really have an air pollution problem and is it serious enough to address?
- The air emitted from gasoline and diesel vehicles is not healthy to breathe and it is changing the composition of our atmosphere in very bad ways
- On June 16th, Colorado drivers were asked to leave their gasoline and diesel vehicles at home by the National Weather Service due to dangerous levels of air pollution
- This air pollution is widespread, Los Angeles averages 175 days a year of dangerous air pollution
In Conclusion
If your driving needs are in the EV sweet spot, you will probably love them. If not, you may be happier with alternative clean vehicles. In future blog posts, I will discuss the conveniences of hydrogen vehicles where EVs fall short.