Buckle into the driver’s seat for the electric car revolution
Count me as a partisan when it comes to the personal transportation revolution.
Ten years ago, I sold one of my favorite vehicles, a 1976 Range Rover that I’d driven all over East Africa. Over seven years I’d replaced the original V-8 engine with a 1992 model and taken out the four-speed tractor box and put in a five-speed transmission to get to 17 miles to the gallon. But even with those upgrades, there was something primal about taking “The Beast” into the bush looking for adventure.
When my wife and I returned from Kenya in 2007, we bought a second-generation Toyota Prius, which we jokingly called our penance for the Range Rover. For most of 145,000 miles, we averaged 44 miles to the gallon, thanks to the hybrid electric motor.
Last month, with the Prius’ computer chips and battery beginning to fade, we took the final step to 100 percent electric power by purchasing Motor Trend’s 2017 Car of the Year, a Chevrolet Bolt. There is much to love about this little four-door hatchback, but the greatest satisfaction comes from driving past gas stations.
The ease with which I’ve made the transition from gas guzzler to electric reflects the larger transportation revolution underway around the world. While Texans today may find it hard to fathom giving up internal combustion engines, I found it as easy as buying a new car. There was no learning curve, sacrifice or compromise. And when millions of others come to the same realization, it will have a profound impact on the Texas economy.
Undoubtedly I am an early adopter. Electric vehicle sales have struggled because of battery and computer costs, and gasoline is very cheap. But transportation experts predict this is a shortterm phenomenon, and electric vehicles will become cheaper. Consumers will also soon recognize the long-term savings of getting rid of internal combustion engines.
The Bolt more than fulfills our daily needs for commuting, running errands and driving around
town. Neither my wife nor I haul heavy loads or equipment, and like typical Americans, we rarely drive it more than 40 miles a day.
In place of a fuel gauge, there is range indicator, and the computer says if I drive perfectly I can squeeze out 270 miles on a charge. If I crank up the air conditioning and enjoy the Bolt’s 200 horsepower and tires-quealing 266 pound-feet of torque, then the gauge tells me I’ll be lucky to go 160.
The normal driving range is 238 miles, and because it takes three hours to charge using a commercial DC station, and nine hours at home, I have no intention of taking the Bolt on a road trip. For the one time a year that we go to West Texas, we’ll rent a gasolinepowered car.
Now, some readers may think that’s an extravagance, but the economics work out. Thanks to tax breaks and other incentives, our car cost us just under $30,000. The Bolt gets 4.1 miles per kilowatt-hour, which means it uses about 10 kilowatt-hours to travel 41 miles, about the same mileage the Prius delivered for gallon of gas.
Since I am enrolled in a green power electricity plan, I pay 10.1 cents a kilowatt-hour for electricity. Therefore, I pay $1.02 for the same range that I would get from a $2.39 gallon of gas.
I also save money because the Bolt’s engine does not require oil and filter changes, or anything else that an internal combustion engine needs every 7,500 miles. The only parts I worry about are brakes and tires until the battery fluid needs changing at the 140,000-mile mark. The drive train has an eightyear, 100,000-mile warranty.
Those savings and convenience are enough to make the Bolt a good buy, but we also get to feel good about reducing our emissions. Admittedly, most of Texas’ electricity is generated using natural gas and coal, but I can offset that by paying extra to encourage wind and solar energy production.
I also manage when my Bolt charges, using an app on my phone. I ensure that it charges only in the early morning hours when the wind blows strongest and Texas has plenty of electricity. While some critics will always dispute the exact effect electric vehicles have on the environment, I feel good about pushing my transportation-related emissions to a power plant, where they are easier to control at a single fixed location rather than millions of mobile ones.
Major manufacturers are introducing dozens of affordable electric vehicles over the next three years. Consulting firm Wood Mackenzie predicts that electric vehicles will lead to peak demand for petroleum transportation fuels in 2020 in developed countries. China plans to eventually ban gasoline engines for personal transportation, and new research at HSBC predicts that 40 percent of all vehicles sold in 2040 will be 100 percent electric.
I suspect electric vehicles will catch on quicker as oil prices inevitably rise, and the cost of batteries drops. Due to pollution and congestion concerns, more countries like China will also restrict private vehicle ownership. Car services and autonomous taxis will greatly reduce an individual’s need to own a car in metropolitan areas. I even believe that in another 10 years, when I sell the Bolt for scrap, I won’t need to buy another car to replace it.
I will never lose my love, though, for a beautiful, well-engineered car. I am keeping one as a guilty pleasure, and the only way you’ll take my 1997 Porsche 911 is when you pry out my cold, dead body.