In response to Donald Nelson’s letter “Issues with electric vehicles”: I have owned a Chevy Bolt EV (electric vehicle) for a little over two years, and my comments are based on my experience.
For most of the year with a full charge I can drive about 300 miles of range, less in winter. How many days does the average driver put more than 300 miles on a car? As to the claim that recharging “would add an enormous amount of time for a trip”: Using the readily available commercial chargers, my car can get about 90 miles of charge in 10-15 minutes.
2. Currently there are over 70,000 commercial charging stations, and more are being installed every day. When cars first were becoming popular, the only place you could buy gasoline was a drug store! That didn’t stop the use of cars. It only expanded the opportunity to create a whole new business.
3. Someone does have to pay for the electricity: The person using it pays by inserting a credit card into the charger, exactly like buying gasoline.
4. My Bolt has an overall efficiency of 144 mpg energy equivalent. Using electricity in my car saves gasoline and dramatically reduces pollution.
Finally, for the most part, I charge my car at night when demand on the grid is reduced and this evens out the demand on the grid. Your comment on the use of hydrogen has been studied in great detail, and it is another “can of worms” that would involve much more discussion than can be handled here!
Kenneth R. Nath
Saltsburg