What happens when a state is having trouble generating electricity because of all their “green” energy projects while doing away with reliable, affordable, dependable energy sources?
‘It’s crazy’: How soaring PG&E rates are impacting California’s electric car owners
California wants residents to buy electric vehicles to fight climate change, to the point of ending the sale of new gasoline-fueled cars in 2035.
But after a 20% rate hike this year by Pacific Gas and Electric Co., charging a car — one of the single biggest items on electric bills — just got more expensive. And the trend is unlikely to let up anytime soon: State regulators are considering further rate increases for PG&E this year.
“It’s crazy,” said Austin Ball, a Walnut Creek engineer and Tesla Model 3 driver whose PG&E bill more than doubled this year.
In Petaluma, Davinder Banger said he’s paying about $20 per charge at a Supercharger this year, compared with between $10 and $14 previously to charge his Tesla Model Y. Banger, 48, said he’s still saving money on his commute to Contra Costa County compared with what he’d be paying for gasoline.
Saving now. What about when electricity costs continue to go up due to relying on wind and solar? What happens when they see surge pricing at certain times?
Electrification proponents worry that rising rates will cause people to balk at giving up their gasoline cars for electric ones at a time when the state needs them to make the switch.
It costs about $73 to fill the tank of a Toyota Camry and travel about 506 miles, said Jack Conness, an electrification policy analyst with Energy Innovation, a Bay Area-based, nonpartisan climate policy think tank. Using data from PG&E and the U.S. Energy Information Administration, he estimated that traveling the same distance in a Tesla Model 3 costs about $32 for charging, while the Chevrolet Bolt would cost $43.
Yeah, but that is due to the skyhigh cost of gas in the People’s Republik Of California. If that same Camry filled up here they’d pay about $45. And could be filled in 5 minutes and on their way. Exactly like I filled up my Civic Monday night at $3.21 a gallon.
A new electric car costs about $2,039 more on average than a conventional gas-powered car as of January, according to a Cox Automotive study. But e-vehicles have lower costs to maintain, repair and fuel up. Rising electricity prices run the risk of scaring potential new owners concerned about their bills, said Severin Borenstein, an economist and professor at UC Berkeley’s Energy Institute at Haas.
Horse fritters! They play a lot of math games to get to that number, factoring in tax breaks and all sorts of weird things, but, few people are going to own one long enough to be equal to or less than a gas vehicle, especially since the average length of ownership is 4 years. Anyhow, it’s always going to be something in the PRC.
Cue Hairy: But EV drivers charge at night when rates are cheaper.
And…
“It’s only $x.xx extra dollars per charge, that isn’t going to break anyone”.
Cue Jeff: Teach complains when people don’t buy EV’s, then complains when they do.
See? Niether of those commenters are needed here. We all already know what they are going to write on every subject.
Ha ha ha ha ha. Provo professor Hale! You completed in four sentences the entirety of everything that those two whack jobs would have written.
I’m shocked, shocked! that sparktricity rates are going up.
I’ll be even more shocked when, as the Pyrite State forces more and more new car sales to be EVs, California finds new ways to tax EVs, because they aren’t paying gasoline taxes.
California is a commuter state, and there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Drivers are going to have to pay for getting from point A to point B, one way or another. With EVs being heavier than a normal car, roads are going to deteriorate faster, which means more frequent and expensive road work.
“…electricity prices run the risk of scaring potential new owners…”
But for some reason, creating environmental and humanitarian disasters from mining, .gov shoving not ready for market tech down our throats through subsidies (kickbacks) and by mandating unattainable, impossible goals for EV use, and an electric grid that is already antiquated, overburdened and vulnerable doesn’t scare anyone?
I guess we’ll just have to subsidize the charging too.
We’re doomed.
my old man just dumped his Mercedes SUVE after only six months and I can tell you from personal experience that sentence is a lie. Now of course that doesn’t mean that in the future charging stations for EV’s won’t be easier to find but I don’t believe the price is going to go down I believe the price of electricity is gonna go up and it’s gonna go up for everything because of EV’s it’s gonna cost you more to use the electricity in your home and every food item and everything’s gonna go up because business electricity rates are gonna go up. When you have more demand for a product the price goes up I realize that’s a hard concept for leftist to understand maybe they should go back and read Free To Choose by Milton Friedman and take a break from opening their mouths and rather fill their minds.
“It’s crazy,” said Austin Ball, a Walnut Creek engineer and Tesla Model 3 driver whose PG&E bill more than doubled this year
Somehow I doubt that Ball is an engineer, or at the most is a very bad engineer, if he didn’t know that electricity prices would rise, and will more, as demand stretches the supply and new less efficient sources must be found.
Then there is the matter of states starting to charge more registration fees to make up for the lost gasoline tax revenue.
Truly, stupid is as stupid does.