The Tree Hugger

I have been singing the praises of electric vehicles (EVs) for quite some time now. EVs combine a couple of the concepts that I truly admire. At their core they are very simple machines. An EV needs an electric motor, some way to control the motor, a battery to store electricity, and a place for the driver and his passengers to sit. This is a very simple list in comparison to the things that you get to leave off if you are converting your EV from a gasoline powered car; the fuel tank, the gas lines, the carburettor or fuel injection system, the complicated multi-cylinder engine, the radiator and water pump, even the transmission in some cases (the electric motor develops a great deal of torque from start-up through most of its RPM range, so a transmission may not be necessary, the motor can even run backwards, so there is no need for a reverse gear!)

Most of what is complicated (and therefore expensive) on an EV are extras that are mandated by the safety gurus and the anti-fun lobby. Most of these, like airbags, safety crumple-zones, and cabin comforts have already been developed by the auto industry, and are easliy adapted to the EV. And the major automobile manufacturers are beginning to see the light, and are developing and releasing new EVs to the market.

While consumers and manufacturers are working around the major disadvantages of EVs, namely limited range and long charge times, perhaps some consideration needs to be given to the hidden cost of operating an EV. Namely this: Electricity ain’t free.

Electrical power is generally relatively inexpensive, especially when compared to $5 a gallon pump prices for gasoline of diesel. But the electricity that is stored in an EV’s battery has to be generated- if you think back to high-school science class, you may remember that you can’t make energy, you can only convert it from one form to another. The power to make that electricity has to come from somewhere, whether it is burning natural gas, burning dirty coal, damming rivers to harness the energy of falling water, or the dangers of nuclear power generation.

This isn’t a call to begin fasting in an energy sense. Power is available, and it should be used to make our lives better. But we need to remember that there is only so much of it, so it needs to be used wisely.