Charging The Government Way
An article in the Washington Post caught my eye about how the Biden Administration promised to install thousands of EV charging stations but to date only 7 have been built.
It didn’t surprise me because the government is not very good at doing things the private sector is perfectly capable of performing when a need has arisen. The Federal Government believes that they could encourage more people to buy electric vehicles if consumers knew that there would be charging stations available.
They are right that many drivers have not taken the leap to an electric car because they are afraid that they won’t be able to drive long distances. The other factor is having to wait for the vehicle to charge while away from home. That is what has prevented me from looking at electric vehicles so far. I am one of those people who wait before buying products with new technologies, biding my time for the snags to be worked out.
Even if the Biden Administration could successfully build thousands of EV charging stations, people like me would probably wait a bit longer to embrace electric car technology. This is what the government never understands about trying to compete with the private sector. Companies and entrepreneurs innately understand when there is a critical mass and will then undertake investing in new technologies. It can’t be driven from the top down but from the bottom up.
About 10% of the population will embrace new technology products immediately. A guy like me would never stand in line to buy the newest model iPhone. My Android cell phone is five years old and still working fine. I will wait until it is on its last legs to buy another one. I don’t need the latest…only a working device. That is my philosophy.
There are not one size fits all consumers. That is what the government never comprehends. When they try to intrude in what the private sector should be doing, they are usually unsuccessful.
I have no doubt that the future is electric vehicles. At some point a critical mass of drivers will not only embrace the technology but make it economically feasible for private investment in commercial car chargers. There will never be as many charging stations as gas pumps. Most of us will continue to charge our vehicles at home and only use commercial chargers when we venture out on long drives.
If Biden and Congress want to stimulate demand, the way to do so is to continue and enhance income tax subsidies for electric vehicles. By doing so, the market for them will increase especially if they can become the same price or better yet cheaper than gasoline-powered vehicles. What the government does not need to do is become involved in the charging station business. The private market will do that.
