Richard Killmer: The truth about electric vehicles

Have you ever heard that catchphrase, “The future is now!” Well, the current state of electric vehicles (EVs) is a prime example.

We’ve lived a long time with the greenhouse gas emissions that come from the tailpipes of gas-powered vehicles. The transportation sector is now the No. 1 contributor to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in Michigan. GHG’s cause climate change. The largest portion of this sector lies within the passenger and light-duty trucks, which constitute almost 60% of greenhouse gas emissions within this sector.

Today, we’re seeing a vastly accelerating shift towards EVs in the national and global markets. We now have the rechargeable battery technology to make EVs not only more practical, but more economical and an answer to many existential problems of our time, like the climate crisis and detrimental public health impacts surrounding air pollution.

In recent months, there’s been much hype surrounding a possibility of automakers no longer making EVs. The facts are these: early EV purchasers who typically were buying the high-priced luxury EVs are not the primary EV buyers anymore. A new group of people buying EVs is appearing and this population is looking for an economical and modestly priced EVs. Car companies see this and are making changes.

So why is every American NOT running out and buying an EV? There’s a plethora of myths surrounding EVs making a person ponder … is an EV right for me?

Are there enough places to charge my EV? The average EV on the market today has a range of about 240 miles on a full charge so most people will have plenty to get through the day. If you live in urban or suburban areas in Michigan, there are a plethora of public charging stations. Take Lansing, for instance … there are 38 public charging stations in just this city alone. Detroit has nearly 200, even Petoskey has four. Also, the recently passed Infrastructure Bill has $7.5 billion dedicated to expanding the charging network across America within the next five years.

The Biden administration has put $7.5 billion into providing charging stations in places where the private sector is not already building them. The United States has about 170,000 charging stations right now. We are adding about 900 per week. With the money that has come from the president's agenda, we are probably going to get to 500,000 by 2026. And more after that.

I think it's important for people to know that if they have a garage, they have a charging station. Just plug it in at home.

Can I afford an EV? The current federal tax credit is $7,500 for new vehicles, and a $4,000 credit for a used EV. There’s also a proposal to add a state rebate of $2,000 to purchase an EV and a $500 rebate for at-home charging. Combining the federal and MI credits, that could mean a savings of almost 10 grand! Every year we’re seeing many car companies decrease the price of their EVs. And with more and more people buying EVs, there will be an increasing number of used EVs for sale at very economical prices.

Aren’t EVs more costly to maintain? Absolutely not, they’re actually much cheaper to own. Not only do you save money by going to a charging station instead of a gas pump, but there’s fewer moving parts in EVs and far less maintenance costs. The average American with an EV would save around $3,000 a year in gas and gas prices are so volatile.

Are EVs really better for the environment? YES! The entire lifecycle of greenhouse gas emissions of an EV (including manufacturing, transportation and disposal) is 30-60% less than its gas-powered counterparts.

I’ve heard EVs aren’t as safe. Not true. EVs are as safe and in many cases actually safer than gas-powered vehicles. A recent study found that rates of injury claims for EVs were about 40% lower than gas-powered ones. New U.S. government data has also debunked the myth of more fires from EVs during an accident. Actually, gas-powered vehicles are involved in more vehicle fires.

Aren’t the Chinese building EVs, EV chargers, and other needed items? The whole supply chain for building these electric vehicles is coming back to the United States. That's the whole point of these tax credits — to incentivize bringing back that full supply chain in the United States. China has had domination over batteries, whether it's a gas-powered vehicle or electric vehicle, but we are now bringing this industry back.

Electric vehicles are here, and the future is now. Make an EV your next vehicle and drive into the future.

— Rev. Richard Killmer is a retired Presbyterian minister who lives in East Grand Rapids. Amy Rogghe, is a Physician Assistant and Executive Director of the Michigan Electric Vehicle Alliance.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Richard Killmer: The truth about electric vehicles