By Sophie Foster
Opinion Editor
When you ask the average Maryland resident what they feel the biggest infrastructural problem is in the state, “not enough electric vehicles” will probably not be their response.
The most pressing concerns of the public, however, are apparently not aligned with those of the state’s public servants, who announced this month that $15 million in federal funding will be directed toward the implementation of more EV charging stations, according to WBAL. Though construction is still several months away, the goal is to contribute to President Joe Biden’s aspiration of having at least 500,000 EV charging stations nationwide by 2030.
This funding comes from a larger grant of $600 million spread out by the federal government across the country to build these stations.
To the Biden and Wes Moore administrations’ credit, these new stations will create approximately 600 new jobs for electricians and will intentionally include locations in disadvantaged communities with multi-family housing.
The baffling element of that intention is the apparent overlap of governmental awareness of systemic issues embedded in Maryland’s infrastructure with a lack of attention to the actual realities that underpin it.
“You know who gets hurt most by the climate crisis?” Moore said, according to The Baltimore Fishbowl. “It’s oftentimes the people who get hurt in the whole series of crises that we deal with…the same communities that continue to be left behind.”
This is, inarguably, the truth — but a handful of charging stations slipped into these communities is not a solution. Marylanders living in poverty today need immediate support, not a long-term investment into a possibly brighter future.
This plan calls for 58 new EV charging stations over the next few years — adding to the current thousand-or-so — in a state with a population of more than six million, according to the latest census data. Of course, not every one of those more-than-six-million owns and operates a vehicle — but that is the other side of that problem.
Expecting low-income Marylanders to be desirous of EV charging stations is assuming they have the financial mobility to purchase a vehicle that, on average, costs several thousand dollars more than a gas-powered vehicle, according to Kelley Blue Book.
While a federal tax credit for those willing to purchase an EV is an appealing touch, this does not change the fact that the cheapest EV produced by Hyundai is more than $30,000, whereas their cheapest gasoline-powered vehicle can be purchased new for less than $20,000. Chevrolet’s cheapest EV is nearly $60,000, and Kia’s and Nissan’s both are close to $30,000.
This is all assuming most consumers are buying their cars new, which is, of course, not the case. Many Americans in working class households are buying used cars for less than $10,000 — sometimes even only a couple thousand.
Regardless of intent or plans for future investment, the contemporary reality is clear: EVs are only cars for, at minimum, the financially comfortable. These new charging station placements are symbolic at best and taunting at worst.
If the concern is environmentally friendly alternatives to gas-powered vehicles, the answer in Maryland is more than evident, and has been for several years. Baltimore is one of many unlucky metropolitan areas in the United States that lacks reliable public transit, with buses that run late and still no rail system. A far more feasible and universally practical attack on the climate crisis would be a heightened focus on plans to establish the red line, which, according to previous Elm coverage, was supposed to be a public transportation focus of Gov. Moore.
According to Green Guides, travel via train “is more sustainable and better for the environment than any other form of transport.”
Trains emit minimal carbon, consume far less energy, cause a lower amount of noise pollution, and use less space while transporting more people. Additionally, Europe now boasts 50 percent of its trains running on electricity, according to Green Guides. If electric travel is what the government is seeking, this could be in the future for North America, as well.
This would not only benefit Maryland’s low-income communities, home to many without any car or vehicle of their own in the first place. An expansive rail system in the state would increase Maryland residents’ access to jobs and nearby commercial areas such as Philadelphia, New York City, and Washington, D.C.
If the goal is to wean Marylanders off of gas-powered vehicles in the name of environmentalism, EVs are not the most efficient way to achieve that ambition — and in a time where each year that passes hits a new record-low for temperatures, efficiency is key. There is no time for bold futures when the climate crisis is already impacting the present.
Plainly, until there are substantially more charging stations nationwide, EVs are functionally far less useful than their gas-powered siblings, especially when it is so difficult to predict when they may need to be charged. According to Geotab, factors as simple as temperature change or passenger load can impact battery life, making these vehicles unreliable for anyone operating in strict time constraints like a nine-to-five job.
While a likely contender for climate improvements in the somewhat distant future and a potentially compelling alternative for those with the economic ability and time flexibility, EV distributors are not the environmental Hercules many would like to pretend they are.
Elected representatives owe it to their constituents to be considerate of current needs, not out-of-reach idyllic futures.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Photo caption: EV chargers are appearing in parking lots across the world, sparking conversations about these vehicles’ true value.