Right in the centre - In due course
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- Published on Friday, August 2, 2019
By Ken Waddell
Neepawa Banner & Press
I read this morning that, after decades of effort to convert the world away from oil based fuels, little has changed in spite of a reported $1 trillion invested in alternatives to oil. The amount of energy derived from oil remains at 81 per cent.
I am encouraged by cities making it a goal to convert to electric buses. It sounds like a great step forward. In spite of how progressive and modern it sounds, it鈥檚 actually a step back to 50 years ago, when buses in cities, like Winnipeg, ran on electricity. In the 1960s, they did away with the almost silent, clean running electric buses and converted to noisy, stinky, diesel powered buses. It seemed dumb at the time and it鈥檚 still dumb in hindsight.
All our vehicles 鈥渟hould鈥� be electric, but there is one small problem. Actually, there鈥檚 two small problems. Electric vehicles are often still more expensive than diesel and the travel range of electric vehicles is limited. I will quite happily buy and drive an electric van or truck, if it is at or near the price of an gas-powered vehicle and if it would get me to where I need to go, when I need to go. I need to make a few two hour trips, four hours return, each week and occasionally an 8-12 hour trip. Electricity isn鈥檛 there yet and certainly not at a price that comes close to gas-powered vehicles. Price is further complicated by the fact that I, and many others, don鈥檛 usually buy a new vehicle. New, reliable electric vehicles are still rare, but good used ones are almost non-existent.
The change from oil to electricity is slow, very slow, in ground vehicles such as cars, trucks and vans. It is, as yet, almost impossible in ships and planes.
So, no matter how much we might 鈥渓ike鈥� to switch away from oil, nor how much we would 鈥渓ike鈥� to get into electric cars, vans, trucks, buses and trains, the technology isn鈥檛 quite there. It鈥檚 mechanically feasible, but not for longer distances or for cold climates. Few people have the time or patience to wait for a re-charge. As one man, who is very familiar with government policy, told me this past week, electric cars are fine if you only have a short commute within the city. The irony of that fact is that if you only have a short commute and don鈥檛 need your car while you work, you should probably be taking the electric bus to work. Oops! The electric buses all were sent to the scrapyard in the 鈥�60s, to be melted down to make diesel-powered buses.
The whole point is that electric powered vehicles will be a real thing some day for a lot of applications. Oil use will likely diminish and use of electricity will rise. If it is water driven turbines that generate the electricity, it will be good for 水果视频, both environmentally and economically. If it takes more oil or coal fired generation, then perhaps it won鈥檛 be so good for a particular region.
We must not get swept up by all the environmental alarmists who are claiming impending doom will fall on all our heads. Ironically, the alarmists don鈥檛 mind driving or flying to their rallies of righteousness to inform us of our impending doom. The switch to electricity will come, in due course, and in its own logical economic path. We will likely get there, but we must not bankrupt our personal, nor national finances to do so.
Disclaimer: The writer serves as a volunteer president of the 水果视频 Community Newspaper Association. The views expressed in this column are the writer鈥檚 personal views and are not to be taken as being the view of the MCNA board or Banner & Press staff.
