To the editor:
The May 26 MinnCentral Currents podcast features an interview with an automotive engineer giving the pros and cons of electric vehicles. Given the current conflict in the legislature – Senate Republicans threatening to close state parks if the “clean cars rule” is not overturned – this 42-minute episode provides great background. It addresses so many of the myths around electric vehicles.
It can be found at this site:
https://minncentralcurrents.org/2021/05/26/episode-9-im-in-love-with-my-car/
Alexandria’s own Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen is the leader of a group of Republicans who want to deny consumers the choice of an electric vehicle – a choice that won’t go into effect until January 1, 2024, more than two years from now! I thought that this brief interview might provide information that would be helpful in assessing the senator’s position.
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The rule only requires that dealers make vehicles available around the state, giving greater Minnesota dealers some of the business currently only going to the metro.
And no Minnesotan is required to buy an EV. But manufacturers have made the decision that they are ending manufacture of gas powered vehicles within the next 14 years.
Based on the fact that European sales of electric vehicles more than doubled when all manufacturers made models available in 2020, demand is there. (And in Norway – a climate like Minnesota – electric vehicles made up 3/4 of new sales in December 2020.)
Our series strives to educate, not advocate. We focus on how to address the needs of people in our communities and to empower individuals to make a difference in their lives. Among topics covered this spring were health care, water quality, organic farming, mental health concerns of rural Minnesota, and electric vehicles.
Bruce Anderson
St. Cloud, MN
