Electric Vehicles are on the Rise
(Editors Note: Thank you to supporter Josh Caldwell for insight on this article.)
An Anecdotal Story
The local car market for those who care about the environment is changing, but we are not at a gas-free panacea yet. Electric Vehicles (EV) in Monroe County are still a market with potential, and your local government can help.
In the late summer of 2021, a car navigated through a blocked intersection but did not see the Prius, driven by my wife. The accident happened quickly, but thankfully no one was hurt. The car fared worse, deemed totaled.
What did occur was that we spent the summer and fall with just one car in a family with two young kids. Now, I enjoy cycling to work and taking Bloomington Transit. But when family obligations occur, a bike or a bus didn't fit our lifestyle.
So, as car prices remain high, we were car shopping. Like many of you, we use a budget. I wanted a used EV, but challenges soon arose. There are few available locally, new EVs are cost-prohibitive, and there is still EV range anxiety. So, we replaced a used Prius with a used Prius, thinking our next vehicle could be an EV.
The EV market is growing. Globally, we see a trend that will soon make it to the MidWest and Monroe County. As Nat Bullard reported for Bloomberg, “In the first quarter of 2010, 395 EVs were sold worldwide. Last quarter, more than 1.7 million were sold — of those, more than 935,000 sold in Asia”. He also talked at length about this market growth on a recent episode of the podcast Odd Lots. Another thought leader in this space Robinson Meyer at The Atlantic wrote a prescient article about how EVs will be sold in the future.
It is important that we, in Monroe County, embrace this coming change as increased EV is a part of the Climate Crisis resiliency plan. The problem locally is that transportation makes up a sizeable portion (27.3%) of greenhouse gas emissions, according to page 20 of the most recent Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory. And, locally, we are driving more; miles traveled on local streets increased 11.5% from 2011 to 2018, according to the same source.
How can the public sector incentivize resiliency for a society reliant on cars?
First, thanks to Democrats, funding for EV expansion exists.
At the Federal level, the 2021 IIJA (Infrastructure bill) allocated $7.5 billion for Electric Vehicle charging solutions. Federal Tax Credits for New All-Electric and Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles are also available.
Local funds could be available to similarly expand the EV market in Monroe County. Funding could take the place of continued General Obligation bonding or potentially part of how we think about the Local Income Tax.
The private sector is already active locally. Three publicly available charging stations exist in Monroe County. A Tesla supercharging station sits on the westside. A Chargepoint charging station exists on the east side of Monroe County, and various EV Connect Charging Stations are in the downtown area. This charging station market is expected to continue to grow. The public sector in Indiana needs to take note, as so many others around the country are.
Of course, this does not account for charging stations in residential settings. The technology improves with each passing year, and demand continues to grow.
Second, the public sector should act.
Community Charging Stations should be a part of planning processes so we meet demand. Charging stations in parking structures make sense, but shouldn’t be the only office.
Indiana should pass a Clean Vehicle Rebate Program.
Rebate program for all households to install charging stations. Include connection fees or insurance premium increases with a focus on equity.
Local solar incentives (BGHIP) should be bundled with EV promotions to increase resilience and decrease the burden on the grid. Thus, providing an opportunity to develop a cleaner grid.
Indiana should upgrade the tax code to modernize the Gas Tax. As taxes paid at gas stations diminish, changes should be made to ensure our local roads continue to be paved. Technology is already happening with pavement technology which charges EV pavement that charges an EV as it drives over it.
