“Bring it on”, say Drumpf and his Team of Deplorables, declaring war on all that is decent in America within the space of one week. This is a multi-front war, and we must play full-court-press defense while gritting our teeth. But there’s at least one front where we can play offense, in an enjoyable and immediately effective direct action, with the wind in our back.
It’s really simple: if you haven’t done so already, get yourself an electric vehicle (EV). And if you already have one, convince at least 2 people around you to follow in your footsteps.
It can be a “pure electric” that uses only electricity, or a plug-in hybrid that will use electricity for shorter trips and gas for longer trips. Either way, you’ll be undercutting this Oil White House and its pipeline revival plans, and helping the fight against global warming.
I made an earlier pitch for this idea as part of the 2013 #NOKXL blogathon, organized by the beloved late Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse. Given the capabilities/affordability of EVs in 2013, all I could ask readers back then was to at least give EVs a thought and a try.
Four years have passed. The mass-market revival of EVs is finally entering its second technological generation, and for a change this is happening sooner than expected, rather than later. After stagnation in 2015 (oil price drop, and key EV product-rollout delays), the US EV market has taken off again since mid-2016. Last month, nearly 25,000 EVs were delivered (1.5% of all US auto sales; 0.9% for the year), shattering the record set only in September. And 2017 brings an unprecedented variety of great mid-market and budget EV offerings; incredibly cheap deals can be found on the used EV market.
Meanwhile, the rest of the world saw no 2015 pause. Many Western European countries have been well above 1% market share last year. The Chinese made and bought in 2016 as many EVs as the rest of the world combined — a mind-boggling ~500% increase from 2014, and a 100-fold increase from 2012 (US EV sales increased “only” 3x since 2012). Regardless of what happens in the US, the global EV revolution has reached critical mass and momentum. But the US can actually resume its leading role this year; it is up to you too!
| Disclaimer 1: This is NOT a sales pitch. First, I am a lousy salesman so I’ll try not to “sell” this. Second, I believe that as of 2017, the facts about EVs and the war-on-everything situation we’ve been forced into, speak for themselves. I am bringing you the information, warts and all, and pointers for getting more information. |
Disclaimer 2: This is NOT a celebration of car culture. I commute by bus. My wife works from home, commuting by bus once a week. Our college-age kids commute by bus and foot. So I get it, ok? This is not about celebrating cars. This is about switching the fuel source of all vehicles (cars, buses, etc.) to one that can use renewable energy. Specifically, this is about kicking the Oil Economy in the teeth. Moreover, in each of the past couple of years, >17 million new cars were sold in the US. And many millions of used cars. You can stomp your feet and ignore this reality, or leverage it to change the future. Or think about it this way: when Exxon-Mobil CEO is about to become the Secretary of Friggin’ State, even a car-purchasing move becomes an effective act of outright resistance against the new regime. |
Hopefully after reading the information below, for the vast majority of car-owners reading this, you’ll realize that there is really no excuse *not* to switch at least one of your cars to an EV (“pure” or hybrid), sooner rather than later. Yes, even if you weren’t really planning on replacing your car right now.
I start with the lowest-budget options below the fold. New mid-market offerings will be explored in a sequel diary, because this one is getting too damn long.