Let's Go Electric!

I recently flew into LA on a connecting flight. I have never been to California, but have some friends from there and have naturally heard a lot about the state. Nothing prepared me for what I saw, however.

It was a clear, sunny day. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky – perfect flying weather. However, as the plane approached the LA airport, I had a great view from my window seat of the ocean and city. It was interesting (aka appalling) to view the changes of colors in the ocean water as it came closer to shore. The water gradually changed from deep ocean blue to lighter shades of blue, then green, then a nasty brown. Yuck. Then I noticed the haze. Even without clouds in the sky, the city seemed dim. It really saddened me to see that. At the same time, I was happy I was just transferring flights in LA, rather than staying. I don’t want to breathe that stuff!

That experience deepened my desire for people to understand the benefits of electric cars. Few people realize that fully electric cars used to be produced and leased in California in the 1990’s and early 2000’s. However, for a variety of reasons, the car production was stopped and all the cars were destroyed. Some say it was a big conspiracy. I just call it unfortunate. Electric cars ran completely on electricity, using no oil at all. If such technology was resurrected in America, it would GREATLY reduce our dependency on foreign oil, and perhaps someday even halt it altogether. Sure, the cars still needed to be charged, but studies proved that the energy produced to charge an electric car had far less environmental impact than that of gasoline cars.

Sure, there are concerns from people such as, “I don’t like the limited range of electric cars.” However, calculations state that the vast majority of commuters would be able to use the limited charge of an electric car every day for work and still have plenty of charge left over for typical errands, etc. It’s true: Perhaps the electric car isn’t for everyone. However, it probably still would meet the needs of at least 75% of American commuters.

When California started making the electric car, Japan got scared thinking America would have better auto technology than them. So, Japan scrambled to make them too. Today, you won’t see electric cars on the road in America. However, they’re driving all over in Japan. Who’s more advanced in the automotive industry now? America: Let’s stop driving backwards into the future!

Especially the hazy state of California should definitely re-embrace this technology, since electric cars are zero-emissions. Ideally, the power of the sun should be harnessed using solar technology in order to produce energy for electric cars. This would result in a form of transportation that is virtually emissions-free.

We have the technology of solar panels, which is getting better every year. We have the technology to produce decent, safe, and practical electric cars.

What are we waiting for???