LETTER: Owners of electric cars can get high-cost, short-range jolts

To Ozaukee Press:                                                                                        

Two recent events caused me to write this letter: A few weeks ago a letter to the editor appeared in Ozaukee Press concerning the writer’s enthusiasm for his electric vehicle and a recent proposal came out of California stating that there would be no new gasoline-fueled cars sold in that state starting in 2035.

If people are contemplating the purchase of an electric powered vehicle, there are a few features that are not advertised that a potential buyer should be aware of:

The cost of a replacement battery can run from $13,000 to $20,000.

The battery’s performance is affected by temperature. Depending on outside temperature, the power of the battery can be reduced anywhere from 30-60%.      

    In the August 2022 issue of Car and Driver magazine, they list the average range for 33 electric vehicles and here are the results: The 2021 Tesla Model S had the best range on a full charge of 320 miles and the 2022 Mazda MX-30 had the worst at 70 miles.

    And lastly, a recent article stated that 25% of all the charging stations in the U.S. were inoperable. The state of California just recently told citizens to expect a number of brown-outs due to an already overloaded electrical grid, so I don’t expect much improvement in the building of more of these charging stations. This same situation is likely to be repeated nationwide due to curtailing fossil fuel development.

Considering the above factors, it appears to me that an electric powered vehicle has a very narrow range of usage for a buyer. An electric vehicle is a viable supplement, but not a replacement for a gasoline-fueled car.

Duffy Brelsford

Port Washington