“California Dreamin’”
How best to get electric vehicles here in Middle America and parts East
Call me “Electric vehicle (EV)-curious.”
I’m rarely in the market for a car. But I’ve been itching to get an EV since 1980, when I rashly bet my father $50 that, within ten years, 10 percent of cars sold in the United States would be electric-powered. (He gracefully waited an extra ten years before nudging me to pay up.)
Six years ago, my family’s two old cars died, or were deemed unacceptable death traps. My wife and I took a look at some EVs, even taking a test drive in one. At the time, there were no $35,000 Tesla 3s, Leafs or Volts, so the upfront cost was simply too much for us. We settled for a Toyota Prius and a Honda Fit.
We’ve been pretty happy with the cars.
But when I was at my Honda dealership last week to replace a recalled airbag, I instinctively wandered up to the showroom to check out their electric cars.
Alas, there weren’t any pure EVs.
There were hybrids and plug-in hybrids. That’s great, but they’re not the real thing.
It’s not as if Honda doesn’t care about EVs or thinks nobody wants to buy them. After all, placed prominently in their showroom was a lovely 20-page booklet titled “Honda Hybrid & Electric Vehicles.”
It had all of the standard features of car porn: beautiful people driving stylish cars in pretty city and rural settings. It had all of the come-on language you expect from car dealers: “Looking sharp never felt so smart.” “Refinement and function unite.” “Step into pure comfort.”
It even had slogans aimed directly at bolstering the ego and assuaging the fears of the EV-curious: “No gasoline, no compromise.” “The car of tomorrow.” “Confidence on the road.”
So, where then, I asked myself, was the Clarity Electric car the booklet had me drooling over?
It turns out the answer was in plain sight, albeit in the tiniest print on page 15: “Available in select California and Oregon dealerships.”
I suppose I could move back to my old home in Los Angeles to buy a Clarity, but then it would be the living space I couldn’t afford. Or I could head to a Left Coast dealer and drive the Clarity back to Colorado. The thought of zooming in an EV to Vegas or past Arches National Park is strangely enticing, though the recollection of the “No Services Next 100 Miles” signs on I-70 in central Utah gives me a case of range anxiety.
But that can’t be the most efficient — or environmentally-friendly — way to get an EV.
I could also order a Tesla (or get a used one; maybe my brother will give me his…hint, hint) or buy a Chevy Volt or a Nissan Leaf. All great options, for sure. But, call me greedy, I want more choices.
That’s why I’m happy that, in one of his last acts in office, former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper issued an executive order to tie the state’s vehicle emission standards to the much tougher ones now in place in California. That means that, as of 2025, new vehicles sold in Colorado must average 36 miles per gallon — a 10 mpg increase over today’s average.
Building on that, the first executive order signed by Jared Polis, Hickenlooper’s successor, directed his administration to adopt more of California’s measures to promote Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV).
“Despite the fact that Colorado has some of the highest consumer preference for electric vehicles,” Polis observed, “still many manufacturers don’t sell all of their models here, and instead offer them in states that have adopted the ZEV standard.”
Hickenlooper’s and Polis’ actions are a model for those of us in Middle America and parts East. There’s no need for each state to take the time and energy to develop its own standards, when California has already done the heavy lifting.
Of course, it would be even better if the entire country adhered to one strong standard. That’s where we were headed, starting in 2012, when the Obama Administration, California and the nation’s automakers agreed to use California’s “36 mpg by 2025” rule as the national benchmark.
But the Trump administration wants to drive the country in the opposite direction by setting a weak national standard.
It has already started to soften the 2012 nationwide rules. Worse yet, it wants to dash the dreams of states that want to adopt tougher standards, including California. To do that, the administration is attempting to revoke or radically reduce California’s right, under the Clean Air Act of 1972, to set its own air pollution rules.
Let me tell you from personal experience: California’s rules make a big difference. When I moved to Los Angeles in 1990, the greater Los Angeles area averaged about 200 “smog days” per year. That figure dropped to about 120 during 2015–16.
However, emissions are no longer declining. In fact, they’re going up — not just in California, but nationwide. A recent study found that carbon dioxide emissions rose 3.4 percent across the country in 2018. While individual cars, planes and generators are cleaner than ever, there are more people than ever…and that means more driving, more flying, and more demand for electricity by manufacturers.
Now is the time to double down on strong gas mileage standards, not roll them back.
The administration’s plans are under attack in the courts, in the form of lawsuits brought by California and 20 other states. There have also been behind-the-scenes negotiations between the administration and California to develop a mutually-acceptable standard, though the administration just pulled out of the discussions.
For now, the real progress is going to happen in the states and at your local car dealerships.
I’m writing to Gov. Polis to urge him to keep on California dreaming. You can do the same to your governor.
Then join me in indulging your EV curiosity. Go to your nearby car showrooms. Ask to see and test drive their electric vehicles. If they don’t have any, ask the salesperson why and when they’ll be available. Make that old “supply and demand” formula work for you and the environment.
Who knows? Maybe you’ll come out of it with a great deal, driving home a new car, waving goodbye and good riddance to all of the gas stations along the way.
And you know what they say: Once you’ve gone EV, you’ll never go gasoline again.
