“Well, they’re out there having fun / In that warm California sun” (1964 song by The Rivieras).
California has become an example of what a state looks like when it’s controlled by one party — in this case, Democrats trying to impose a secular religion of green energy on its people.
Government officials have banned the sale of gas-powered cars by 2035, but a preview of the nightmare that could unfold in the near future is happening now.
Facing a heat wave this week and a high chance of blackouts, Californians are being told to crank up their air conditioners to at least 78 degrees and not charge their electric cars Sunday afternoon and evening. If there isn’t enough electricity to charge the current number of electric cars in California (estimated by Governor Gavin Newsom’s office at “1 million electric cars, pickup trucks, SUVs and motorcycles), how much confidence should Californians have in the availability of electricity in 2035 . and after this?
There are approximately 29 million cars, light trucks and motorcycles in the state. According to some estimates, it will take 15 years to fully transition to all electric vehicles. Currently, the Associated Press reports, California has about 80,000 public charging stations, “a far cry from the 250,000 it wants by 2025.”
CalMatters columnist Dan Walters gets to the heart of the problem for EV enthusiasts: “Let’s say someone living in San Francisco wants to drive to Lake Tahoe to ski. A 150-mile range wouldn’t even cover a one-way trip. The solution may be a lot of charging stations on interregional highways, but while filling up with gasoline can take 10 minutes, electric cars now take much longer. Is California ready to build hundreds of thousands of charging stations, which would require a complete conversion to battery-powered cars? Can Californians ride their mandate [zero-emission vehicles] in other states without running out?’
There are other concerns, such as the cost of EVs, battery life and the high cost of replacing them, the source of lithium from countries that do not respect human rights, and where all the new electricity needed will come from (mostly fossil fuels now, although green think that expensive and ugly windmills, wind and solar sources can produce enough energy, which is unlikely). There is little consideration for increasing the availability of nuclear power, again due to the left’s antipathy to this source of clean energy.
Then there is the premise on which “climate change” is based. This is more political than logical. With China and India still producing the most CO2, will electric cars in America address the perceived problem? Not according to David Kelly, academic director of the Master’s Program in Sustainable Business at the University of Miami: “You have to think about what’s the cheapest way to get where we want to go. So if the goal is to reduce carbon emissions or other pollutants, then electric vehicles are unlikely to be it. Kelly drives a Tesla.
California is ordering its people to give up choice when it comes to transportation in favor of expensive electric vehicles that are unlikely to provide the freedom they now enjoy with their gasoline cars, all because of a secular belief that claims that he knows best what is good for us.