nborson

One Alaskan voter lets his U.S. Representative know he doesn't buy the oil and gas industry obfuscation and doubt that she is spreading about everything from electric vehicles to new oil and gas development.

I voted for fish, families, and freedom, but I am getting talking points and op-eds from the same fossil fuel industry that is causing global warming (and ocean acidification, threatening our salmon), killing 5 million people globally per year from air pollution (NOT good for families), and spending millions to deliberately deceive people and manipulate legislators — like you — in the name of “free” speech. Who says freedom's not for sale?! An example will help illustrate. You were quoted by KTOO as saying, “Here’s the thing: If you are paying 11 cents a kilowatt-hour, like you are in Juneau, it works really well. But if you’re paying 67 cents a kilowatt-hour and it’s generated by diesel, is that ultimately the right direction? If you live in a community that has affordable energy, electricity rates, and if that electricity is generated in a low-carbon way, then it makes sense. But if either one of those isn’t true, then it doesn’t make sense.” (https://www.ktoo.org/2023/09/11/national-political-fight-over-electric-vehicles-surfaces-in-alaska/). Please justify your statement. When I do the math, I find that an EV charged with diesel-generated electricity costing $0.67/kWh costs $0.27/mile to fuel. That's the same as a gasoline vehicle getting 22 mi/gal and paying $6 for gas. What am I getting wrong? https://1drv.ms/x/s!AiGpLPORPDaXjN4zr9QNfDNh5LOv2A?e=DKL7LE And that's just the fuel cost. I also found CO2 emissions are about half. And there are other costs of ownership. I've driven a Nissan LEAF in Gustavus for the past 7+ years (year-round, on bumpy dirt roads, where electricity is about to jump from $0.39 to $0.54/KWh). The only service I've had done is to rotate and change the tires. Not so much as an oil change, because there is none. That makes sense to me. We need to green our grids, including remote micro-grids, and electrify everything. Doing either justifies the other. Your words are standing in the way of starting the transition our rural communities need. Certainly, high energy costs in rural areas need to be addressed. Drill baby, drill is no longer the way to accomplish that (and it never was). We can differ in our opinions, but please get your facts straight — or correct mine. Sincerely, Nate

🫢 Correction: I miscalculated the fuel cost for a battery-electric vehicle using diesel-generated electricity. Before I corrected this blog, I said it was $0.20 per mile, comparable to a gasoline vehicle getting 30 mpg and paying $6/gallon. Correctly factoring in charging loss, it is $0.27 per mile, comparable to a gasoline vehicle getting 22 mpg.

Nathan Borson @[email protected]