Opinion: What good are electric vehicles if California doesn’t have enough chargers to power them?

To the editor: While a ban on dirty internal combustion engines might help policy-makers plan for a fully-electric future, transitioning to electric vehicles will happen with or without a ban. (“If California insists on keeping its car culture alive, it needs to do so without fossil fuels,” editorial, Nov. 1)

Those who drive EVs already know this technology is superior to internal-combustion engines in virtually every category. Most important to this conversation is that these cars can be, and in increasing numbers are, powered by clean, renewable electricity.

The lack of a robust charging infrastructure is the single biggest obstacle. Many people have no access to electricity where they park at home or work.

Folks who live in multi-family housing have the most trouble. Laws allowing apartment renters and condo owners to install charging are already on the books; however, rent control units are excluded. This specific exclusion needs to be struck in next year’s legislative session.

Paul Scott, Santa Monica

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To the editor: There’s no reason to think California couldn’t make the transition to electric vehicles in 20 years. But the problem is the automakers are talking out of both sides of their mouth.

On one side they are boasting of their major electric vehicle investments. On the other side, major automakers and their trade associations are intensely lobbying in Washington and fighting to relax federal emission standards that reduce oil use and pollution.

Plus, manufacturers and dealers are not doing enough to market electric vehicles. Californians like innovation and new technology, but it’s hard to embrace a technology when you can’t find it or when the companies that produce and sell the new products are unwilling to talk to you about it.

It’s time for the auto industry to stop using tactics that undermine its own stated support of electric vehicles.

Don Anair, Oakland

The writer is deputy director of research for the Union of Concerned Scientists’ clean vehicles program.

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To the editor: Perhaps The Times can show us the way on going gasoline-free by requiring its newspaper delivery drivers to use electric vehicles now.

I am considering giving The Times a deadline to make this conversion by 2018, as I am very concerned about how much home delivery of a newspaper may affect the environment. I am sure The Times would agree that people should have the courage of their convictions.

Reid Killen, Glendora

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