The
basic arguments fall into two categories.
Number
one – Dealing with an electric vehicle may not be all that beneficial
to the environment. Yes, the environmental impact of vehicle during
its operational lifespan favors the electric. But before that,
the basic building of a car whether gas powered or battery powered,
is essentially the same when we consider the frame, seats and
panels. Creating the batteries for an electric vehicle, however,
make building it arguably more hazardous to the environment. Then
there’s the afterlife considerations, such as battery disposal,
which again raise the stakes on electric vehicles and environmental
concerns.
Number
two – Driving range. People—myself included—like to nod in the
direction of longer drives. South Carolina over to Oregon. Massachusetts
to Florida. You can’t go as far between stops, nor can you complete
those stops as quickly. A passenger vehicle needs to add time
on for some extended breaks to charge the vehicle. It’s not stop,
use rest room, grab take out, fill the tank and dash.
In
each of these two cases, the arguments are used by both sides.
Take the driving range. As charging stations increase in numbers
and improve the efficiency of the process, the idea of a horrible
search to find a place for a six-hour battery-charge stop every
three hours is being eliminated. The ability to find a charging
station, and get a significant enough charge in the time it takes
to use the facilities and grab a bite to eat, is becoming less
of a concern and closer to a practical reality.
Again,
both sides are claiming a level of victory.
“I
can’t drive up and down the coast of America, north to south,
without losing lots of time for stops.”
“Sure
you can. Stretch your legs, grab a cup of coffee, and you haven’t
lost that much time charging the batteries while you do. Heck,
bring your dog and the car will be charged before your dog finishes
up.”
The
debate rages, but it’s a muddier and muddier debate. Eventually,
we’ll get to where we need to be for the debate to be pointless.
But for now, as we move beyond the usual suspects for conversation,
it turns out it’s not just the impact of building a vehicle and
its driving range, with batteries at the heart of both. There’s
some new information that I came across recently. Turns out the
batteries aren’t the only thing causing some maintenance frustrations.
On
average, tires on electric vehicles are wearing out twenty-percent
faster. And that’s the best case average. Many studies and car
models place that figure at thirty-percent faster. Some give even
worse rates. The reality is, the tires wear faster. The results
are clear that the heavier weight of the vehicle along with other
factors is reducing the life expectancy of your tires on an electric
vehicle. For your results, however, it’s going to depend on how
you drive. (Think brakes. They do not wear the same on every car
or for every driver, but wear they do.)
And
then there’s guard rails. Now, of course, guard rails aren’t perfect.
Put a fully loaded tractor-trailer against a guard rail and the
out-of-control big rig isn’t stopping. But what about a car? Multiple
studies are now revealing that current expectations and standards
for guard rails are not prepared to deal with the heavier electric
vehicles.
Let’s
be clear, these aren’t thunder and lightning, doom and gloom concepts.
Not saying that the additional costs of upkeep aren’t worth it.
Not at all saying that electric vehicles aren’t safe.
Instead,
I’m saying we all recognize there are those reports that discuss
how far you can drive without stopping and what happens when you
need new batteries. They use those as the big two, then place
a notation of “…and other assorted factors worthy of consideration…”
written in pencil along the margins. What we are now hearing is
that those throw away, once you hear these two you won’t need
to hear much more, other assorted factors are actually kind of
noteworthy.
We
need to be prepared to face a real difference when it comes to
caring for electric vehicles. I’d like to think we knew that.
But I’m not certain we did know that, and if I’m being honest,
I don’t think as a group we currently do realize it.
It’s
not intuitive, nor does it go without saying. And it goes beyond
what you might be thinking by hearing this news, since there without
question will be a time when highway departments need budgets
that significantly improve elements of road construction and maintenance.
This
is not an essay intended to say I don’t like electric vehicles.
This isn’t something where I’m looking to find reasons why hybrids
are or aren’t good options. It’s intended to simply present considerations.
Facts. Reality.
We
are moving toward alternative fuels for our vehicles. Gas is moving
away, not just off to the side but toward a day where its use
will be extremely rare. But we’re still in the early days of the
transition. That means we don’t know all of the issues that need
to be addressed. That means surprises and costs. And, it turns
out, all of us don’t even know the issues we already do know about.