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Source: Community Environmental Council
The Community Environmental Council (CEC) and Electric Drive 805 coalition partners are proud to sponsor a variety of free, in-person and virtual events leading up to and throughout National Drive Electric Week from September 19 to October 2, 2021. The public is invited to learn about the wide range of electric vehicles (EVs) that can fit most every lifestyle and budget.
National Drive Electric Week is a nationwide celebration to help the U.S. transition rapidly and equitably to cleaner transportation that protects communities from pollution and worsening climate change impacts. Current emission and pollution statistics are behind California’s push to have five million zero-emission vehicles on the roads by 2030 and 100% zero-emission car sales by 2035.
“The most recent IPCC report states explicitly that humans are the cause for the rise in Earth’s temperature,” stated Michael Chiacos, CEC Climate and Energy Program Director, who has driven an electric car since 2012. “Transportation is the leading cause of greenhouse gas in California, so driving less and switching to electric is critical to meeting state and local climate goals – and ultimately creating a liveable climate and sustainable world.”
These events will also spread the message that electric vehicles are for everyone, regardless of income level due to increased incentives available for eligible low-to-moderate income households. “EVs can save people hundreds of dollars a month on transportation costs, especially when they can utilize local and state EV incentives,” commented Jen Hernández, CEC’s Energy & Climate Associate who recently used incentives to get her own clean vehicle. Speaking to why more people do not take advantage of the incentives, Hernández noted, “Until you start to do the research about potential savings and see EV options that are available, it is not always clear how an EV can fit your lifestyle and budget.”
Here is a current list of incentives, with additional state funding anticipated later in 2021 or early 2022:
- The California Clean Fuel Rewards program
- Southern California Edison EV Rebates & Incentives
- Central Coast Community Energy Electrify Your Ride
- Clean Vehicle Rebate Project
- Clean Vehicle Assistance program (currently closed)
A range of free events throughout the week highlight the many benefits – including affordability – of all-electric and plug-in hybrid cars, trucks, motorcycles, and more. They also highlight the strong growth of electric charging stations and other infrastructure that makes it easier than ever to drive electric.
Learn more about the events here.
Wonderful event. We need to get people off their fossil fuel addiction.
As if electric cars don’t use fossil fuels to generate electricity. Every car has plastic, rubber and tires.
You oilies just never figure out what the definition of “fuel” is. Such a simple word. Must be willful ignorance.
Lead acid batteries can be recycled in an environmentally responsible way. It is also economically viable to recycle lead from batteries. The article you linked to shows photos of lead acid battery recycling done the wrong way in Africa, and it’s a terrible thing. However, if you think that’s bad you should look into cobalt mining. There is a lot of optimistic talk about how lithium batteries might be recycled, but there is no viable way to do it yet. Remember how plastic “recycling” turned out? Right now it would be cheaper to dump spent lithium batteries in the ocean than it would be to incinerate them (pyrometallurgy recycling). What do you think is likely to happen when our spent lithium batteries leave our borders?
Chip, lead mining is also very dangerous for the mining and the environment. Lead acid batteries fail much much sooner than the lithium batteries in EVs. Lithium cells can be easily repurposed for power supplies, lead batteries no. Did you read the links I provided or are you too lazy?
What do you do with those big batteries when they fail? Landfill?
I have a plug-in hybrid, best of both worlds. 30+ miles all electric, plenty for around SB most days, after that, it turns into an efficient hybrid ICE. These are a great option, an incremental step until the infrastructure can be put in place to generate (without fossil fuels), distribute, and charge EV’s for the masses.
I’m ready to buy a new car and would like to buy electric, but I need to be able to travel throughout California. How can I be sure I’ll have a charging station when I need one?
Those pushing all-electric vehicles conveniently ignore all of the environmental impact of mining the raw materials needed for the batteries, etc. And the impact of disposing of the batteries after they reach the end of their life is still unknown. The electricity to power these vehicles has to come from somewhere and the environmental impact of wind/solar has also been downplayed. Our electric infrastructure isn’t designed to handle the load for all vehicles to be electric And just imagine the line up at the electric charging stations if their dream of only electric vehicles came to pass. It might be a great idea but we aren’t nearly there yet.
Limited range of EV’s kept me from purchasing one too. Where is the market incentive to put in charging stations or battery swaps like the market introduced gas stations on nearly every corner; and not depend on government handouts to provide this critical link. EV users need to fund these charging stations; not the population at large. Call it the cost of doing business or cost of the psychic rewards of driving green, while saving all those other car repair bills. Then there might be a fair argument for switching to EV’s. Owner pays full fare for the moral satisfaction of driving quasi green. But quite honestly, the rest of us have no interest subsidizing your inflated sense of moral superiority.
I’m the anonymous 8:18 poster concerned about charging when on a trip. Is it still the general consensus that EVs aren’t wise for longer range? I want to be able to drive to San Francisco (for example), and small, rural areas far beyond that. It’s still not practical to get an EV, right?
Yep, I figured….. “the tires are still oil!” “the batteries are bad!” wha wha wha…. How is this simple concept so dang difficult for people? It may not be perfect, but its WAY better than the oil-belching, air-polluting alternatives! Same with all renewable energy sources. You same people cry and moan about by products, but ignore the fact that some by products are better than ALL the deadly and destructive output products of oil and gas.
Why do you insist on waiting until a tech is 100% “perfect?” Why can’t we push for things that, while not yet 100% “green,” are still WAY more green than the present alternative? Stop holding the world back with your complaining.
It’s so strange to see adults pining away for the days of coal and kerosene.
Less environmental impact than fossil fuel cars, right? Being alive is a negative environmental impact, so the best you can do is minimize your impact where possible.
The leading method to “recycle” EV batteries is called “pyrometallurgy.” As the name implies, this technique involves burning the batteries in high temperature incinerators. Much like the mining of the raw materials and manufacture of the batteries, this “recycling” process will likely be carried out overseas where costs are lower along with environmental standards. That’s just the disposal issue. Consider also the impact of lithium mining in South America. There is tremendous environmental contamination and communities are being deprived of their water supplies as all available water is being diverted to leaching lithium out of ore extracted from the earth. Then consider the impact of cobalt mining in central Africa. Here again the environmental contamination is widespread, uranium is released into the environment during the mining process among other things, and child and slave labor is prominently used to hold costs down.
EV’s are much more efficient at using energy than “ICE” cars.
Drive 10 miles with your ICE, put your hand on the hood and you’ll get burned.
Guess why ? It’s all the energy that ICE cars WASTE in heats !
And be very happy at your next oil change or brake pads change : none of that with an EV .
More FUD from the usual suspects. ICE (all 1.5 billion of them) vehicles have nasty lead acid batteries, their recycling is very nasty:
https://e360.yale.edu/features/getting-the-lead-out-why-battery-recycling-is-a-global-health-hazard.
The lithium cells in EVs are much more suited for repurposing:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/20/electric-car-batteries-what-happens-to-them