Sustainable Braintree President Switches To Electric Vehicle

From Sustainable Braintree: A few weeks ago, I did something I have been meaning to do for a long time, something that made sense for me and my family, and also for my position as President of Sustainable Braintree. I did what Bob Dylan did over 50 years ago: I went electric.

Electric vehicles (EVs) have been around for nearly 20 years now in one form or another, but only in the past few years have the technology, incentives, and will of the manufacturers collided to make sense for the average consumer to actually acquire one. While EVs still make up a small percentage of cars on the road, that percentage is growing. Despite all of the backwards momentum flowing through the federal government on environmental efforts (or lack thereof), the growing demand for clean, renewable energy has not slowed, and that’s apparent in the EV market.

Still, there are many people who either aren’t aware of the many benefits to driving electric, or have heard misleading myths. I’d like to address this because, for the vast majority of Braintree residents, electric vehicles are not only viable, but an easy way to do your part for the environment.

The two biggest environmental myths I hear are: 1) Mining and manufacturing EV batteries is terrible for the environment, so EVs are actually worse than gasoline-powered cars; and 2) Because EVs run on electricity instead of gas, and electricity is still largely powered by fossil fuels, the carbon savings aren’t significant, if they even exist at all. Both of these statements are grounded in truth but are misleading as they hardly tell the whole story.

Firstly, yes, similar to other mining operations, the extraction of metals for EV batteries involves processes that can pollute the land and water near the mining site. The industry absolutely needs to improve on that front and has been making progress. However, once the initial environmental cost is paid, it’s paid for good. Over the lifespan of the car, the lack of tailpipe emissions cuts the overall carbon cost in half. Sometimes you have to spend in order to save, and that’s certainly true here. Moreover, once the car has reached the end of its life or the battery no longer maintains the expected charge (a decade or more after initial use), the battery is recyclable, meaning the mining costs need not be re-spent. While the methods of mining and battery manufacture can and should be improved, taking action against climate change cannot take a back seat.

Secondly, while it is certainly true that the fuel source moves from the pump to...whatever your local energy provider uses as fuel, the carbon savings are still substantial. Take our local municipal utility, Braintree Electric Light Department (BELD)’s fuel mix. About 12% of the electricity they delivered to the town in 2016 came from renewable energy. Another 19% came from hydro and another 34% came from nuclear, which are far from perfect, but still carbon neutral. Only 1% came from coal or oil, the biggest carbon culprits. Moving from gasoline to grids like BELD is a massive improvement. These improvements will continue to grow as more carbon-free solar and wind generation comes on line.

What about range? Well, it’s important to distinguish between the two types of plug-in electric vehicles. There are all-electric cars like my 2017 Chevy Bolt, which can go 240 miles (the EPA range) or more on a single charge. There are also plug-in hybrids, which will go much less, 20 to 50 miles usually, before a backup gas engine kicks in and allows for hundreds of miles more.

For the three quarters of Braintree residents who have short commutes, those plug-in hybrids are a great way to drive electric almost all the time. If you drive more than your usual amount, you have the gas engine to back you up. At the end of the day, both EV options are far more preferable than all-gas cars.

Lastly, there is cost. Beyond the fact that EVs are as affordable to purchase as gasoline-powered vehicles, the real savings come with fueling. Charging your car in Braintree is about the same as paying $1.10-1.40 for gas, and the price doesn’t fluctuate at the whim of foreign powers. It costs roughly $500/year, or $42/month, for the average driver to charge at home on BELD’s grid. This is compared to about $1,100/year, or $92/month, to fill up the average car with gasoline. Put another way, over the life of a 3-year lease, you save $1,800 with an EV instead of a gas car.

Transportation amounts to more than half of Braintree’s residential carbon footprint. Switching to electric vehicles is affordable, easy, and most important to me, one of the most immediate changes that we can make as everyday citizens to have a positive impact on the environment. I made the decision to switch to electric with help from Braintree Drives Electric, a local program that is educating Braintree residents about EVs, and encouraging them to switch to a greener, cheaper way to drive. It’s a fantastic way to make Braintree truly sustainable.

Image Via Pixabay