The weird belief that everyone should drive a plug-in car
Timothy P. Carney
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I think plug-in electric cars are really cool. I’d like to own one eventually. There are many ways in which plug-in electrics are superior to gasoline-powered cars, including some of the reasons I switched my outdoor power equipment from gas-powered to DeWalt 60-volt-battery powered.
But just because electric cars are cool, and even if you think that a lot more people should own and drive electric cars rather than gas-powered cars, it doesn’t mean every car sold should be an electric car.
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It’s a very peculiar and not very smart pathology of our politicians that they believe that if something is good, it should be mandatory. This short-sightedness, lack of imagination, and rigidity of mind are particularly endemic in environmentalist regulations and legislation.
Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) is hopping on the California-led trend to ban the sale of all new gasoline-powered cars next decade. Moore says his ban would “potentially provide net in-state health benefits equal to about $39.9 million per year due to decreases in respiratory and cardiovascular illness and associated lost work days.”
But nowhere in any of his defenses of a gas car ban does he explain why the appropriate number of gasoline cars is zero.
Electric cars are perfect for small fleets of cars that drive predictable local routes and have a designated indoor overnight parking place.
For many people, a plug-in electric is also the perfect car. I almost fit that category. I currently drive a 2002 Camry that usually goes less than 100 miles per week. An affordable electric car could maybe replace that — except that I have to park it on the street, so charging it regularly would be a big pain. Also, I am a renter, so I couldn’t install my own proper outdoor outlet from which to run an extension cord.
Then there are local headaches. Maryland, for instance, has above-average energy costs and middling environmental scores. Charging a car there is unusually expensive and not as beneficial in terms of clean air as in other states.
Also, once everybody is powering their car with electricity, the demands on the electricity grid will be enormous (especially if the Biden administration continues on its plan to force electric stoves on everyone).
Having a mix of gas-powered and electricity-powered cars diversifies demand and reduces strain on any one part of our energy economy.
But politicians tend to be simplistic. They like to create a single solution and apply it to everyone. That is what Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is doing in California, and Moore in Maryland has decided to follow Newsom’s lead. It will prove a big mistake if it ever goes into effect, but by then, Moore and Newsom will be long retired.