The newest thing: Tesla-bashing

Now we get the newest fad from the “Not So Fast on Climate Action” crowd; complaining about electric vehicles (EVs), the most conspicuous ones being flashy and expensive Teslas, driven by people from “leafy suburbs” – code for rich people.

The principle gripe seems to be that EV drivers don’t pay road user charges, like drivers of petrol and diesel cars and trucks do.  This and the Clean Car discount are, in essence, subsidies that other drivers don’t get.  And all that money in subsidies won’t make much difference in the country’s overall greenhouse gas emissions – the money would be better spent elsewhere in reducing emissions.

Let’s step back a moment and look at why these subsidies exist.  The burning of fossil fuels creates greenhouse gas which is warming our planet and contributing to damaging weather.  The world, including New Zealand, needs to stop burning fossil fuels.  No one seems to argue with this anymore.  So, how do we get to a fossil free world?

Unlike for air and sea transport, the technology to eliminate fossil fuels in land transport already exists.  All it takes is a transition to electric vehicles.  The problem is, technology and production capacity have not matured sufficiently to allow the manufacture of EVs at comparable price to petrol vehicles.  For the same size vehicle, EVs are still significantly more expensive. 

And, not everyone wants to deal with the inconveniences of driving an EV: Limited driving range, limited charging sites, long waits and sometimes queues at charging sites.  Driving an EV takes a bit of patience, planning and adaptation that aren’t needed when driving a petrol vehicle.  Given the existing price difference, even with the subsidies, no one buys an EV because it is the cheaper and more convenient option.

So, it makes sense that the government would “tip the scales”, at least temporarily, to get more people into EVs.  If we are going to reach “net zero” greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, expanding the number of electric vehicles in the nation’s passenger fleet is a necessary step.  It may not give the best “bang for buck” in eliminating emissions, but it is one of many steps needed to reduce the nation’s emissions.
So, for the Tesla-bashers out there, consider these thoughts next time you want an EV to give way to you at an intersection:

• EVs make much more efficient use of energy than petrol vehicles.  EVs transfer about 80% of the electrical “fuel” energy into motion, whereas a petrol vehicle transfers only about 30% of fuel energy into motion.  With energy availability becoming more restricted, going farther on less is a good thing.
• EVs run on domestically generated fuel, whereas petrol is imported and promotes all the problems of the petroleum industry.  Think drilling and pipelines in environmentally fragile and culturally significant places, oil spills, leaking methane, oil embargos and outright wars. 
• EVs don’t generate emissions that harm human and ecosystem health.  According to the Ministry of Transport, vehicle emissions result in 2,200 premature deaths and 13,200 cases of childhood asthma in New Zealand each year.
• And, EVs don’t make nearly as much noise as petrol machines.  I’m sure no one will miss boy racers revving up on our streets at night.

So, rather than foment a new culture war between EV and petrol car owners, better to look forward to a cleaner, healthier, quieter and more peaceful electric future and just get on with it.  Subsidies help kick-start the transition.  Hopefully, our roads won’t wash away from climate-supercharged storms in the meantime.