Electric vehicle owners tout benefits
Jun 2 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Meredith Cohn The Baltimore
Sun
John Alder's 1991 Suzuki GSX 600 Katana motorcycle barely made a sound
as it pulled out of his driveway Monday. That's because the Catonsville
man converted it to run on electricity.
But lack of noise is just one benefit, he says. Even better, there are
fewer climate-warming emissions, and dependence on gasoline is
eliminated. Alder charges the bike at home in his garage at night.
The front-yard demonstration was part of an effort by local
electric-vehicle owners and environmentalists to draw attention to the
positive impact of switching our car-loving nation to less-polluting
options.
"I thought electric vehicles would be something we'd have by now," Alder
said, explaining why he converted his bike, at a total cost of about
$3,500, including the motorcycle. "It's just not happening."
Alder and others called on Congress to pass energy legislation
that would promote the greener technology. The House of Representatives
has passed a bill, but the effort has stalled in the Senate.
Environment Maryland, hosts of the Monday event, called on Maryland
senators to urge the leadership to take a vote. The group also released
a report called "Charging Ahead: Curbing Oil Consumption with Plug-In
Cars" that outlines the potential benefits and how the switch would
work.
The report says the current electric grid could fuel up to 73 percent of
U.S. vehicles without building another power plant if the vehicles were
charged at night or solar energy was used during the day.
Brad Heavner, state director of the environmental group, noted that many
carmakers are beginning to roll out plug-in hybrids or fully electric
cars, including the Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt and Toyota Prius. Operating
costs are likely to be about 5 cents a mile, the report says.
But more federal backing is needed to push change faster, Heavner said.
"The catastrophe of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is making it
more clear than ever that we need to work harder to reduce our
dependence on oil," he said. "The U.S. Senate must pass a comprehensive
global warming bill that caps emissions and invests in clean energy
options, including electric vehicle technology."
He was backed by the Maryland League of Conservation Voters and the
Sierra Club, as well as state Dels. James E. Malone Jr. and Steven J.
DeBoy Sr., Baltimore County Democrats. The lawmakers plan to work with
homeowners associations on legislation in the next year to allow
residents without garages to use extension cords to plug in electric
cars -- one of the logistical issues associated with the plug-ins. Other
issues include the relatively high price to buy the vehicles, lack of a
network of charging stations and the limits of their batteries.
Robert Neighbour of Laurel, who in January traded in his Pontiac Fiero
that he had converted to battery power for a manufacturer-produced
all-electric Toyota RAV4, said such vehicles still have speed and
distance limitations. He and Alder said they expect that to change as
the technology advances.
"But I haven't bought a tank of gas since October of last year,"
Neighbour said.
meredith.cohn@baltsun.com
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