To the Editor,
Let’s presume for a moment that electric cars become the norm and gas is phased out. Picture this: The temperature is 35 degrees Celsius or minus-35 degrees Celsius (take your pick). What will be the first thing that is done by the end of a normal workday?
First, we all plug in our electric cars…right? The next thing we would do is adjust our air conditioners or furnace systems, right?
Think for a moment what this will do to our power grid—overload comes to mind, and many power outages as a result. Do we have enough dams or other means of power? The answer is a big no. Now couple that to more and more housing, which adds further overload. We all know that we are in the midst of a climate crisis.
I can also see long lines at service stations across Canada waiting to get into charging stations. I don’t know that I want a vehicle powered by electricity during extreme heat or cold while travelling across Canada. I can just imagine being stuck on a highway and having to choose between heating/air conditioning or conserving energy to run the car’s engine. Either would be dangerous.
Now we deal with making an actual battery and the cost, and how about the added costs of electricity 10 years from now? And will these electric cars perform properly when the temperature hits a balmy plus-35 or minus-35 degrees?
Next, we come to the environmental issue of safely disposing of all the spent batteries. Did I mention there is no safe way? I could go on and on, but you get the picture, I’m sure.
Ron Gobeil,
Parksville