Recently
I wrote another—some of you are saying that’s yet another—article
about technology.
When
I do these observational efforts, I’m almost always trying not
to take a stand in the way of progress, advancements and improvements.
Want my honest opinion? I wish alternative fuel options and energy
sources were better and available in larger numbers, think that
as a whole we treat the planet horrendously, and believe global
warming is real. I think technological advancements, such as the
amazing things a handheld cellular phone is capable of, are brilliant.
I believe we should be treating each other better and with far
greater respect, acceptance, love and compassion than we do.
There
you go.
But
those beliefs, and a desire for a better tomorrow, don’t stop
me from noticing that in a battery powered car I can’t drive across
most U.S. states without stopping to recharge. They won’t stop
me from noticing that a massive power outage leaves us at the
mercy of our car batteries to recharge us… someday likely to be
for the majority the same car batteries that a power outage means
can’t be recharged.
And
oh yes, when I delivered the last essay, I got a response.
I
shared one of my favorite stories, about how during some recent
storms that brought power outages to friends and family, I kept
hearing stories and seeing social media posts about how dozens
upon dozens of people were headed out to their cars. The power
was out and they needed to charge their phones, or get the batteries
ready to entertain the kids.
Then
I pointed out that if you charge your car at home, and the power
goes out, you can’t charge your car. And, logical progression,
recharge anything else.
The
first three emails I received attempted to drop the mic on me
by trying to explain that they each had portable battery chargers.
(I didn’t respond to those. I just nodded my head sarcastically
as I read the emails, took a deep breath, and overcame the impulse
to ask how they were going to charge the portable chargers if
they weren’t ready at the time of the storm or were quickly exhausted
by parents that needed to keep the kids quiet.)
A
few more emails arrived, and in most of them there was at least
shreds of truth and a bit of a debate.
But
the thing is—hence this essay—the debate is kind of my problem
with the whole thing.
Go
back to the beginning. I’m with you. I want to treat the planet
better. I want options for powering, heating and cooling my house
that make sense environmentally and economically. And, I also
want to be able to drive from the northeast all the way to Florida
without spending more than five to ten minutes in a rest area
if I so desire.
Two
stories came up in the past few days that I found interesting.
First
involved a person travelling with an electric vehicle. They did
it as a bit of a challenge, were driving in many places that most
folks would say needed a minimum of a dozen more people along
with a stop sign and at least one business where you could purchase
a beverage before you’d think of it as rural, and had lots of
troubles finding any way of charging their car. Basically, had
to make arrangements with motels and such to use a standard electrical
outlet then sit around forever.
Second
investigated a study that showed the cost of charging most electric
vehicles is actually higher than filling a standard gas tank on
a car with fuel.
I’m
not going to link to either of them, because the specific stories
(and accuracy of the story as compared to my insertions of humor)
aren’t the important part here. Whether or not it costs more to
charge a vehicle than to fill a gas tank still leaves out the
super special extra bonus item: Most electricity options used
to provide the electricity to charge the batteries on a battery
powered vehicle are doing so with the old fashioned environmentally
damaging sources.
Most
studies place the figure of electricity generated by coal in the
United States as recently as 2021 somewhere above 20%. That’s
just coal.
What
I’m trying to say is the argument isn’t that you have to start
somewhere. Of course you have to start somewhere. That’s the point
of starting. A beginning. We’re beyond that now. The argument
today is that you have to make it reliable and cost effective.
Many
people live paycheck to paycheck, or in a situation that can be
viewed in a similar fashion. Restricted, limited budgets. The
starting somewhere with everyone sacrificing doesn’t work for
folks working hard just to cover necessities with little to nothing
remaining for sacrifice.
Pick
up the mic and hold off on clicking send. I don’t need the email
right now. What I need is reliable, affordable alternatives with
all of us working together.