ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Grid isn't ready for them

Brent Regan's Friday, July 1, 2022 article titled "Dreams of Electric Sheep" was informative and well-crafted. He obviously did his homework. However, he did not take it far enough. All the extra power he cites as necessary in order to make liberal dreams of doing away with fossil fuels a reality may become available from his proposed additional nuclear plants, but having all this new power available doesn't do us much good if we can't transmit and distribute it.

Tim Mclaughlin's Reuters article "Creaky U.S. power grid threatens progress on renewables, EVs," May 12, 2022, gives a pretty good rundown on what is needed to prepare the power distribution system to meet the needs of the 'Green New Deal.' His sources estimate a $2 trillion investment (much of which is already needed due to the grid's current dilapidated condition,) to give the distribution system the capacity and reliability that will be required for the additional load of EV charging, let alone to keep it running in the meantime. What may be even more alarming, McLaughlin writes that no one really knows who, or what agency, is responsible for all the distribution system's necessary updates and repairs. Take the problem one step further into our neighborhoods, where adding EVs to every household will stress, and possibly overload, existing residential substations and power lines. Upgrading all of that will be spendy, as well, and at what promises to be a very personal level for homeowners and municipalities. The transition to EVs will in no way be simple, or easy. I mean, I love the idea of electric vehicles--the technology is very compelling and I believe that one day EVs will be a reality. But EVs can't be a solution until our distribution infrastructure has the capacity to power them reliably and safely. As usual, climate change wonks and environmental drum-beaters who promote these pie-in-the-sky solutions haven't really thought things through very well. Brent's article was great, though. Not the usual fare from this left-wing newspaper. I hope he writes many more.

RALPH BARKER

Silverton