The future of our planet will rely on fuel efficiency from renewable energy, and what’s more fuel efficient than electric vehicles?
Imagine how much gasoline is wasted during rush hour driving when a vehicle is idling in standstill traffic? Electric vehicles (EVs) do not use energy when stopped, except to run utilities in the vehicle. Moreover, given that there are more vehicle choices and most EVs now go 150-330 miles on a charge, there is little reason for “range anxiety,” the worry that you can’t go very far between charges. In addition, in 2021, the Biden Administration passed the landmark Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act which invests in a network of electric vehicle charging stations and provides training for electricians to install electric vehicle supply equipment. Wider availability of EV charging infrastructure across the US further enhances the appeal of making the switch to an EV.
EVs are becoming increasingly popular globally. The total number of plug-in electric vehicles sold in the US has increased every year. Sales of EVs reached their highest level ever in 2022 at an estimated 800,000 in the US. For comparison, roughly 320,000 plug-in electric vehicles were sold in all of 2019. Even while total passenger vehicle sales dropped in 2022, EV sales actually increased by over 60%, representing over 4.5% of all vehicles sold in the United States. Globally, the numbers are even more striking: As many as 24% of new vehicle sales worldwide were either plug-in hybrid or EVs, with EV sales reaching 10 million in 2022.
As many of my constituents who have made the transition to electric vehicles know, while the day to day operational cost of operating an EV is much lower than the average gas powered car, the upfront cost can be higher. Purchasers can make up for that cost in the long term with tax benefits and immediate savings on fuel.
The Virginia rebate program, originally introduced and passed by Delegate David Reid in 2021, was unfortunately left unfunded in that year’s final budget. As passed, the program, which began January 1st, 2022, offers buyers a $2,500 rebate for the purchase of a new or used electric vehicle. An “enhanced rebate” of $2,000 would also be available to buyers whose household income equals less than 300 percent of current poverty guidelines. Designed with equity in mind, this program would help get EVs into the hands of those who stand to benefit in the long-term from the lower total cost of ownership. I look forward to the opportunity to vote to fund this program in the upcoming budget vote. The federal government also incentivizes purchasing EVs by allowing EV buyers to claim a tax credit of up to $7500 on their federal return with the Clean Vehicle Credit, updated by last year’s Inflation Reduction Act. To be eligible for this credit, vehicles must have undergone their final assembly in North America.
It is somewhat perplexing when folks say “I prefer the overwhelming convenience of gasoline-powered vehicles.” Well, EVs have 85% fewer moving parts than a gasoline-powered vehicle. This allows for much fewer maintenance visits. All you need to do to maintain your car is rotate the tires and fill up the windshield washer container. No waiting at the gasoline pump. No oil changes every 5,000 miles. No routine maintenance at 15,000, 30,000, or 45,000 miles. With all that factored in, which car is more convenient?
One big environmental advantage for EVs is that it’s easier to contain emissions of all kinds at a central point than to do it across hundreds or millions of individual locations. And, of course, nearly every electric utility uses some mix that includes nuclear, hydro, wind, natural gas, and now solar, so compared to gasoline there will be a higher percentage of energy that is clean in the first place.
From the perspective of energy use, EVs are about 80-85% efficient in converting electricity to power, compared to around 20% for gasoline-powered vehicles. There is, of course, a meaningful loss of efficiency as the electricity is generated and transmitted, with coal producing the least efficiency and wind the most. At current prices, the cost of the electricity used to move an EV one mile is much less than the cost of gas to do the same thing, which certainly suggests that EVs are significantly more efficient from an energy-usage perspective. As we continue to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels over the coming decades and the power grid here in Virginia becomes entirely powered by renewable sources by 2050, the future powering of EVs will be carbon neutral.
My next car will be an electric vehicle, will yours?