By BRETT DAVIS
THE CENTER SQUARE
(The Center Square) – Baruch Feigenbaum is not a fan of government’s plan to phase out gas-powered vehicles in the Evergreen State in eight years.
“Ugh, Jay Inslee seems to be focused on one thing, making life more expensive for folks under the guise of ‘environmental protection,’” Mr. Feigenbaum quipped in an email to The Center Square.
Washington state’s Gov. Inslee recently signed legislation that sets the legally binding goal of ending gas vehicle sales by 2030.
Mr. Feigenbaum, senior managing director of transportation policy at the free market Reason Foundation, said that a statewide transition from fossil fuel-powered vehicles to electric vehicles in less than a decade is simply not realistic.
“The year 2030 is not viable,” he said. “2035 could work, but it would still increase costs for working class commuters.”
As an example of how this would boost costs, he cited Tesla prices.
“The Model 3 is the cheapest electric vehicle and it costs well over $40,000,” Mr. Feigenbaum said of Tesla’s most affordable electric automobile.
He had some good words for electric vehicles but thinks the cost is an impediment to larger adoption.
“Electric cars can be fantastic,” Mr. Feigenbaum said. “The Lucid Air has a range of 500 miles but it costs over $100,000 and is not in my budget or that of most Washington residents.”
The Lucid Air is an electric car produced and sold by Newark, California-based Lucid Motors.
Still, Mr. Feigenbaum is optimistic prices will come down over time.
“The best approach would be to let the market decide,” he said. “The electric car industry has grown substantially over the last 3 years and if you have the money (again not me) you can buy an electric car that is faster, quieter, and cheaper to operate than a conventionally-powered vehicle.”
Electric car adoption in Washington is already amongst the highest in the country with registrations up to 17,140 as of November 2021, according to pro-electric vehicle website Recurrent.
EVadoption.com puts cumulative electric vehicles in the state between 2011 and September 2021 at 80,397, the fourth highest in the nation.
Another major headache with going all-in on electric vehicles is the limited driving range associated with electric vehicles, Mr. Feigenbaum pointed out, as well as the complication of locating charging stations.
“Charging stations are a problem,” he said. “There are several policies designed to increase charging stations, but I’m skeptical we will have enough stations in eight years for long-distance trips.
According to the Alternative Fuels Data Center, there are 3,796 electric vehicle charging ports at 1,570 locations in Washington.
Mr. Feigenbaum believes attempts by the government to impose a green economy on Washington residents will do more harm than good.
“And I think the benefits to the environment are exaggerated because people will hold onto their older cars with higher greenhouse gas emissions longer,” Mr. Feigenbaum said.
He elaborated on that last point, noting that the people most impacted by any sort of government pressure to switch to an electric vehicle would be middle- and working-class Washington residents.
“Many would be forced to buy used cars powered by combustion engines, and many folks would have to buy older used cars powered by combustion engines,” he said. “In that scenario I see very little greenhouse gas emission reductions. It would be another cash for clunkers program where the used vehicles wound up in Mexico where they produced just as many greenhouse gas emissions than if they were in the U.S.”
