Th
e Southeast Metropolitan Planning Organization (SEMPO) Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan (EVRP) is extremely thorough, not just in identifying current and future trends and needs for the owners of electric vehicles, but also the problems in the overall system that will need to be overcome in order to provide the energy needed in this growing industry. Given the various car makers’ stated fleet goals, it is obvious that EVs will make up more and more of the vehicle market in the future. With that comes an increase in residential charging stations, and more stations will be needed throughout the city as people are driving around during the day, or traveling through the region for business or pleasure.
As EV numbers grow, we will need more dialogue locally and beyond regarding the political demands of the state and federal governments, the impact on our local electric grid and supply, future transportation funding issues, and national and global environmental impacts of the EV industry. The cleaner air resulting from an electric vehicle’s lack of emissions is rightly heralded, but there are other costs and impacts to consider. When I read that one super-fast charger’s maximum demand is roughly the same as that required to power 40 homes (as stated in the SEMPO report), my eyebrows were raised. Magnify that to multiple chargers—imagine a super-fast charging station the size of a normal gas station—and it becomes an issue city governments and power companies must consider in determining the effects on an aging grid or electricity needs to local neighborhoods and businesses. That work has certainly begun, as we have seen recently in the recent Ameren solar panel installation at the Show Me Center parking lot.
For those with climate change and environmental concerns, consider the impacts from mining needed for car battery materials, or the sheer volume in metals and plastics needed to create vast alternative energy resources such as wind turbines and solar panels. And for those loath to consider new taxes, new solutions will be needed to mitigate lost gas-tax revenue that contributes significantly to state and federal highway funds. We talk more and more of the beneficial outputs from electric vehicles, but rarely is there enough conversation about where our electricity is currently coming from, and if the supply is enough for even the present needs. I share here the sources I have read recently that discuss all this in better detail:
As we navigate the advances and challenges of providing enough power for future life and work, good ongoing communication and decision making will be needed among all stakeholders and providers. The SEMPO EV Readiness Plan is a great start in that dialog.