Following the lead of California, the New York state legislature has decided to ban the sale of all new internal combustion-engined cars, light trucks, and off-road vehicles by 2035. The legislation also requires all heavy- and medium-duty trucks to be zero-emission vehicles by 2045, meaning electric, hybrid, or fuel cell vehicles.
While the media likes to play up the legislation as a boost to manufacturers of electric cars, the reality is that this is yet another step backward for US consumers and businesses. While China continues its use of fossil fuels and becomes the world’s largest polluter, US government officials are doing everything they can to place a stranglehold on US citizens and US industry.
It doesn’t matter whether you want an internal combustion engine or not. After 2035 you won’t be able to buy new internal combustion engine vehicles in New York, you’ll be forced into electric or fuel cell vehicles. What governments are betting is that electric and fuel cell technology will advance far enough by that time that they’ll be able to overcome all their disadvantages. But that’s wishful thinking.
Electric vehicles just don’t have the range right now to make themselves an effective option for many Americans. If you’re only driving a few miles a day, in heavy traffic, and running short errands, then an electric vehicle might make sense. But if you have to travel long distances or have to haul a lot of people or cargo, you’ll soon find out that your electric vehicle is going to have to get charged a lot more often than you thought.
Then there’s the little problem of requiring electricity. Just imagine what would happen in the event of a hurricane or major storm that knocked out electricity. Today you can just hop into your car and get to where you need to go, assuming you have a tank full of gas. But with electric cars, you’re stuck once your battery runs out of juice.
During normal times, you’ll find difficulty charging too. The reality is that the electrical grid couldn’t handle the demand if every household tried to recharge an electric vehicle overnight. Already in some areas authorities are shutting down the ability to charge electric vehicles at various times of day, in order to moderate demand and keep the grid from going down. That’s something that the electric vehicle mandaters haven’t thought about.
This mandate should be fought just as hard as any other heavy-handed government mandate. It’s destructive to the economy, destructive to the well-being of New Yorkers, and will do nothing to help the environment. It’s typical virtue signaling BS that is intended to help but in reality will only do harm.
