Top-down government mandates, not my style (1-22-25 “Attorney General McCuskey, multistate coalition score win over California’s electric-truck mandate”). My position is not necessarily that I disagree with the intent of the governmental leaders, but I disagree that forcing people to comply will be effective. And, top-down solutions tend to be one-size-fits-none results.
Electric delivery trucks and personal vehicles make sense in places that have limited ranges and can more easily set up charging stations at business transportation hubs or home garages. Great idea of the suburbs, maybe urban locations with parking garages. Not great idea for rural areas and long-haul trucking industry.
Transitioning to renewable options is a good idea, but with certain applications. Nearly 20 years ago, we looked into putting something to harvest the sun’s light on our roof. we installed a solar hot water system, that has hummed along even under a foot or two of snow (yes, we used to get those over here in Baker), with one replacement of the 80 gallon hot water heater after 15 years. We have plenty of 140* water for the price of a water pump to the roof.
Also, we worked (commuting together) in Harrisonburg, 63 miles each way, door to door. In 2005, electric vehicles hardly had a 100 miles range, so a fully electric vehicle would not be practical. However, we looked into a hybrid vehicle (gas-electric) and chose Honda for their reputation for great mechanics. We reliably got 50 miles per gallon on a bad day and 60 MPG on a good day. Two gallons to commute 126 miles. My light pick up truck with maybe 18 MPG on a good day could hardly run to Moorefield and back on two gallons. We replaced the battery pack ($2,500) after about 125,000 miles and 250,000 miles.
That Honda Civic was running strong, just shy of 300,000 miles on a dark February morning when a large buck, just north of Mathias took out the driver’s side front end, mirror and door. The engine, transmission, etc were in great shape, but the body work totaled it per the insurance company’s standards. We were in an Honda Insight hybrid in a day.
Of course, in a rural area such as Baker, with a mile of dirt road to get to our garage, this is our “fair weather” car. It has been tucked into the garage for the past couple of weeks since the first January snow storm. Rural areas require 4-wheel drive in inclement weather. If the government mandated electric vehicles out here, we would be stuck for certain times of the year (winter, mud-season, thunderstorms and flash floods). On those days, that truck comes in handy (as well as hauling stuff around), and for more comfort and the ability to tow our camper, the Subaru Ascent is the right-tool for the job.
I have also read elsewhere that some states are outlawing gas powered, small engines, with conversion to battery operated tools instead. I might pull out my DR Power 16 inch, electric chain saw to limb a downed tree for 45 minutes, but I’m going to want my Hasquvarna 20 inch gas saw to fell the tree and block it up for firewood.
Let’s not dismiss renewable options when reasonable. But, let that be an individual’s and business’ decisions based on local variables and long range plans. The more we do for ourselves, the more our leaders can be minding their own business and not mine.
P.S. I have long advocated that California should build solar farms over their north-south aqueducts that transport water down the Central Valley to the Los Angeles region. That gives hundreds of miles of land which is otherwise unusable, and would shade the water, thereby reducing evaporation of a value resource out west.
Oscar Larson
Baker, WV
