Ahmed Haque
Immediate Past Chair
Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce
If the air seems cleaner to you lately, your eyes and lungs are not deceiving you. Restrictions brought on by the coronavirus pandemic have had the positive side effect of reducing vehicle trips in Southern California by roughly 80% and cities around the world similar under restrictions have experienced up to a 40% drop in pollution.
The link is clear as the air- transportation by road accounts for roughly 40% of our region’s pollutants and 50% of greenhouse gas emissions. The obvious solution to this problem a shift to zero emission electric vehicles or EV. And now may still be the best time ever to consider an electric vehicle or EV if even for purely economic reasons.
Elaine Borseth, Membership Director for the Electric Auto Association, a national organization whose mission is to accelerate the adoption of EV, says that vehicle design, performance and reliability have all greatly improved in recent years. “Consumers often have the impression that EVs can’t look like conventional gasoline-powered vehicles, are at constant risk of running out of charge, and require battery replacements every few years” says Borseth. She has driven her 2015 Tesla model S on cross country trips over 16,000 miles and with over 100,000 miles on the odometer, her battery still has over 90% of its original capacity.
State incentives are available on nearly every vehicle and the Federal tax credit of up to $7,500 is still available on all but Chevrolet and Tesla vehicles. Borseth says there are also additional incentives for low-income individuals and that preowned EVs can be purchased for well under $10,000 and even Tesla models for under $30,000 with lower regular maintenance costs than conventional vehicles.
EV sales are expected to fall in the coming months as consumers assess the impact of an emerging recession and lower gas prices. Dozens of EV models are currently available at North County dealerships and certain manufacturers are offering aggressive discounts. Natasha Contreras, EV Customer Engagement Program Manager for SDG&E, agrees that consumer education is the biggest challenge to EV adoption. Her team conducts over 50 outreach events each year and provides resources to SDG&E’s household and business customers and even auto dealers.
SDG&E provides additional financial incentives for EV owners and is expanding charging infrastructure for its customers at multifamily and workplace locations. Contreras explains that SDG&E has already installed over 3,000 charging stations and is currently working to support the electrification of port, airport, fleet and shuttle vehicles.
Contreras says that three additional rate plants are available to customers who own an EV. One time-of-use (TOU) plan has an overnight rate of 9 cents per kilowatt-hour. “Customers who charge their EV at this time get the equivalent of purchasing gasoline for 75 cents a gallon” says Contreras. SDGE is also offering school district employees and first responders, including police, fire, EMT and lifeguards, a $1,000 rebate for the purchase of an EV.
Employer, retailers and destinations recognize the need to support EV adoption despite the continuous improvement in EV range. Eduardo Moya, Head of Hotels at LEGOLAND California Resort, said the resort increased their charger count three-fold when they constructed their second hotel. SDG&E provides workplace chargers to its over 500 employees who drive an EV which is roughly 10% of their workforce.
Industry analysts expect EV sales to fall in the coming months as consumers assess the impact of an emerging recession and lower gas prices. Certain manufacturers are currently offering aggressive discounts to clear existing inventory but Danny Jimenez, sales manager at Weseloh Chevrolet Kia, says it will be difficult to predict the effects of the current production shutdown. He encourages customers to reach out via phone or email to shop for a vehicle and defer in-person business until restrictions are lifted.
According to the American Lung Association, pollution from passenger cars in California resulted in health care and climate costs of $15 billion in 2015 alone. They estimate the hidden cost of health and climate impact to be $18.42 per gallon. Air pollution causes or exacerbates many of lung-related conditions that make individuals more vulnerable to the potential deadly effects of coronavirus. The silver lining of this pandemic may be a rare opportunity to see what the air can be like and to consider how we can keep it that way.
For more information on electric vehicles visit www.sandiegoev.org and https://www.sdge.com/residential/electric-vehicles