On Oct 14, this was the display on the City of Albany EV charging station in the lot behind the JC Penney Building downtown.
Unless our current state politicians are replaced before then and the policies and rules are changed, in Oregon you won’t be able to buy a conventional new car in 13 years.
You will be limited to electric vehicles instead and have to hope that when they need a charge, you can find a station that works.
The City of Albany’s venture into this field has been fraught with problems since its own charging station on Water Avenue, behind the former JC Penney Building, was opened a year ago.
The station was unusable for much of the past year because of several issues, and only 30 charging sessions were recorded, Sophie Dykast of the city econonic development staff told me on Oct. 26.
The city worked with the software company and the manufacturer to resolve the problems, she said at the time, and the manufacturer sent a couple of replacement parts that were waiting to be installed.
Evidently the parts now have been installed and the station may be working now, because the display on the housing no longer says “alarm.” Instead, on Saturday it said “initialization”and asked users to “please press emergency button,” whichever button that is.
The problems with this public charging station may be the exception, but they send a cautionary message. If you’re planning to take your new electric car on a road trip in 2036, or anytime, how can you be sure that the charging station 200 miles down the road is going to work?
Even if the station you’re hoping to use does work, there would be other complications with a longer drive compared to now.
Now, stopping at a gas station off the freeway takes a few minutes, even if the station is busy, and then, with a full tank, you’re good for another 400 miles. But even with a fast charger, you’re going to spend much much more time just waiting around to get that kind of range.
A drive that takes three and half hours now — from Albany to Medford, say — may take all day with an electric vehicle if it requires a couple of stops for charging. For many drivers that would make such a trip impractical.
So when the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission orders a stop to sales of fuel-driven cars in 2035, as it intends to do shortly, the commission is making road trips in new cars much more difficult after that year. (hh)
The city’s charging station Saturday: Which is the emergency button?
It’s only one of many benefits to be had living in a blue state.
13 years is a long time, and if there’s money to be made to sell electricity to EV cars, then it will certainly happen.
Personally, I would and will buy any NORMAL internal combustion engine vehicle. I really wonder what these “green” people have planned for existing gas stations. Are they going to start shutting them down? Charging stations with attached “bed and breakfast” facilities? May be the next step for these tree huggers. I could kind of understand their side of the story, but we aren’t surrounded by a bubble/dome, so even if the U.S. was completely “zero emission”, what about the rest of the world? Reductions would only succeed if it was world wide.
the political hype is driven by the mantra that the US can change the climate w/o any other nation e.g. China, India doing anything constructive. Trump was right to withdraw from the Paris Accords because of those inequities in recommended response of other nations. We must once again embrace nuclear energy to improve the grid. Requirements stipulated by predicted legislation will require changes that make sense over time.
Vote Republican; reject every democrat this and future elections.
Hatred can be a good thing to some people. It gives then a reason to get up every day. It fulfills their need for a simple solution to complex problems. Kind of like a political version of ethnic cleansing. Only Republicans can have good ideas. Or no ideas at all. So I nominate you to be the Commissioner of Unacceptable Outcomes. Election results to athletic events, you can simply change the outcome or the score with just a waive of your mighty hand. Or maybe just by thinking about it.
What hatred are you talking about Jeff? As an owner of an electric car, it will take a massive infusion of government money to solve the charger problem and there is no way to fix the electric power shortage caused by mandating electric cars without going to nuclear power or additional carbon based power plants. AND THIS CANNOT BE ACCOMPLISHED IN 13 YEARS!
This issue is bigger than just the EV that government will force you to buy. It’s also about forcing you into a usage scheme that government will dictate.
In 2035 if half of the cars in your neighborhood are electric and unhook at 7:30 and rehook at 5:30, and your only fuel source for heating, cooling, and cooking is electric, will the local transformers be able to handle the surges?
The supply and distribution of electricity will have to change, which means more government control over your life.
Given government’s power to force an EV on you, it’s a baby step towards also dictating how and when you consume the government chosen fuel (electricity).
I see oppressive rationing in our future.
And like everything government does, winners and losers will be picked. Any guess which you’ll be?
If we are to take Hering at his word, then truly…the sky is falling.
Maybe a couple of web cams will solve the problem.
SB1044 includes PHEVs within the 90% ZEV requirement for 2035. PHEVs are slowly improving – hopefully soon 40-50 mpg and 50+ miles electric range. The transportation industry is the largest polluter in most countries and most developed countries are quickly moving towards ZEVs.
You have to wonder whatever happened to the myriad buggy & whip manufacturer’s back in the day when car companies (esp. Henry Ford) decimated that industry. Obviously there will be changes so make your choices and deal with the outcomes.
Start with the choices you make at the ballot box and start with relacing Ray, when the time comes.. ;-)
Not to worry… I’ve already told many folks that, just as before in 2018, I will again take a self-imposed term-limit when my current term is up. So it will be an “open seat: for anyone in Ward II. I’ll simply sit out for 2 years, re-charge my batteries, check whether or not I still have all my faculties, and if it’s an open-seat — maybe try again. This way too much fun. :-)
“…so make your choices…”
In 2035 there won’t be a choice. The way this is playing out it’s “cower in fear and do what tyrannical government tells you to do.”
Have you trashed your oil/gas heater? Your gas stove? Your wood stove? Your gas water heater? The diesel train Hasso photographs? Your gas guzzling Saab?
Ahh…check that….trashing the ugly Saab will probably be a pleasure.
Sounds like car envy to me. I’ve been driving “ugly Saab[s]” for 50+ years now. Even drove my 3-cyl 2-stroke cross-country and back last summer while towing a small trailer. NO one will have to “trash” their car. LOL
The proposed 2035 date, even if adopted, will only serve as an aspirational prod for at least several years. Given the global need to sharply reduce the burning of fossil fuels, it makes sense to for the state to move in that direction as part of that effort. Adjustments in the drop dead date and the details surrounding it will occur as time passes if that proves necessary. There is no need for panic at this point.
You’d think EV’s would be required to have a solar array installed on them to help their own cause.
We were also nervous about owning an EV.
We bought a plug-in hybrid minivan and have come to love it. After sitting in our driveway charging for 1.5 hours it has another 30 miles for us to use. We take advantage of off peak energy prices to pay a lower electricity rate and rarely visit a gas station. When we break with the motor we get more charge for free and put less ware on our break pads.
The number of available charging stations is increasing everyday and there are already a large number of them. Remember that a large percentage of EV’s will do most of their charging in their owners garage or driveway. They leave every day with a full charge — more than enough miles for everyday driving.
For long distance trips there are a surprising number of chargers available. Just pull up one of the many mapping apps like ChargePoint. When you do need to charge you just plan to do it while you shop or get a meal. It’s easy. Most chargers are located near businesses.
This is America. We should not be afraid of American global leadership. We don’t back down from doing the right thing because we want to wait to make sure others commit to doing the right thing first. America is capable of figuring out charging stations and transformers, we already are. We don’t need to be afraid of electric vehicles.
Didn’t our gubmint dictate that we would be usin’ th’ metrik system in 1976?
This too shall pass.
If and when Oregon adopts a new vehicle sale policy, there will always be alternative choices for individuals that chose to continue a petroleum-dependent lifestyle and support the fossil fuel industry. For example, one could buy a pre-owned or used combustion engine vehicle in Oregon, or buy a new gasoline car out of state and drive it back, or purchase a new gas vehicle in state right before the change to electric then hold onto that vehicle for a decade or two, or one could simply continue driving their existing beloved carbon-unfriendly emission-polluting Earth-warming automobile for as long as it will run — which could be a dozen or more years if done strategically.
Of course in 13 years gasoline fuel will be far more expensive than now and petrol stations will be fewer but remain open to serve the waning millions of combustion engines still in service. Additionally all petroleum derived products will be more expensive, taxed more frequently, and less available as well. This will be gradual however and not overnight or Orwellian as implied.
Taking into consideration that the Republican party has no policy to address and mitigate climate change, in the next 13 years we should expect the U.S. will not meet the carbon emission reduction targets as needed according to the IPCC.
Consequently, the most significant “change” for people and society between now and then will not be the consumer’s challenges with buying new electric vs gasoline vehicles. It will be the regular disruption, breakdown, effects, loss, and cost of increasingly frequent extreme weather related events and toll they have on people, wildlife, places, environment, politics, pretty much everything. This future is imminent and already baked in thanks to the relentless extraction and burning of fossil fuels over the last century and a half.
Change is difficult for everyone but change is an inevitable part of life.
I’ve spent the last 10+ years in this field and wanted to share a few good starting points for folks who sincerely want to learn more:
https://goelectric.oregon.gov/
https://www.oregon.gov/odot/Programs/Pages/TEINA.aspx
https://forthmobility.org/showcase/electric-cars-101
Short version: today’s electric cars get 200+ miles, 95% of trips are less than 30 miles, and for those long trips there is already quite a bit of fast charging nationwide and $7.5billion+ more coming thanks to the bipartisan infrastructure law. Many states, covering about half the US car market, are committed to ending new gas car sales after 2035 as are many countries worldwide.
PS Hasso, it’s so great to see that you’re still at this important work! There’s not enough good local journalism around these days. (You may recall we talked a few times while I was living in Albany, commuting to Portland on Amtrak daily.)