CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – Imagine you’re coming of Lambeau Field on a cold winter afternoon after a Packers game. You’re ready to drive home to Wausau. But, hypothetically, we’re in the era of electric powered vehicles. The parking lot at the stadium has 100 electric charging stations. But there are thousands of cars waiting to charge-up. At an old-fashioned gas station, the average customer takes 4-minutes to fill their vehicle with fuel. At the charging station, a quick charge takes a half hour. And on a partial charge, you may need to re-charge again before you get home.
This is just one scenario of how electric vehicles aren’t ready for prime time.
If you commute from Wausau to Marshfield, your employer may need to have a charging station in the parking lot for you to get home after work. Maybe between meetings and phone calls you’ll run downstairs to move your car so a co-worker can charge-up too.
There will be no ‘trips on a tankfull’ to the Dells. You’ll need to re-charge there and back.
What if you’re stuck in a traffic jam? Will cars die out while waiting for the road to be cleared?
In the winter, batteries don’t hold their charge as long. The promised range of your electric vehicle will be less than advertised. On hot days, Californians were asked not to charge their cars because of high demand for air conditioning.
Joe Biden and Tony Evers announced last month an ambitious plan to build 600 charging stations from Wausau to the Northwoods. Parts of Highway 51 and Highway 29 would become electric vehicle ‘corridors”.
I pray that I never have an electric car. I want to turn the key, go where I want to go, refuel quickly, and be on my way. Politicians don’t care that electric vehicles can’t do what you want them to.
Chris Conley
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