Two things are happening this week. Vermont is preparing to sign onto the California Clean Cars II program, which will phase out and ultimately ban internal combustion engine vehicle sales by 2035, requiring that 100% of new cars sold be Zero Emission Vehicles. And Vermont electric utilities are asking Vermonters not to charge their electric cars so as not to overload our electrical grid during the current heatwave. (VBM)

There are only about 5000 electric vehicles on Vermont roads today, and the grid can’t handle charging them all during a week of high but not unprecedented summer heat.

The Climate Action Plan put forward by the Climate Council under the Global Warming Solutions Act passed by the legislature calls for increasing the number of EVs on Vermont roads from that 5000 to 42,000 by 2025 – that’s just three years away – and to 170,000 by 2030.

Does anyone else see a problem here?

If the charging needs of 5000 EVs can overwhelm the electric grid during a week of July weather, what do these people think 42,000 of such vehicles will do? Even on a nice fall day? And then, 170,000 of them? Plus at the same time they’re pushing us to change out our oil and gas furnaces for electric heat pumps, etc. and so on?

Is there a plan in place to increase energy production and build up the grid by 2025 to accommodate the explosion of electricity demand they are orchestrating? No. There is not.  

I don’t want to be harsh, but this is unbelievably stupid and callously dangerous.

These people believe that due to climate change we are all going to be facing more extreme temperatures (hotter hots and colder colds) and their “solution” is forcing us to adopt technologies, like EVs, heat pumps, wind and solar electric generation, that either become increasingly unreliable or don’t work at all as weather conditions become more extreme. 

You can’t make this up. 

It’s a self-inflicted policy disaster that is going to get people killed – overheating in summer, freezing in winter, and not being able to escape extreme conditions because you can’t charge the car the government forced you to buy. 

The Vermont Climate Council has scheduled a series of public meetings to discuss these policies. Plan to participate and give them an earful. 

SCHEDULE In-person, 6:00-8:00pm, doors open at 5:30pm for tabling and food

Sept. 7 – Manchester Park House

Sept. 8 – Newport Gateway Center

Sept. 14 – Burlington Old North End Community Center

Sept. 15 – Bellows Falls Lower Theatre

Sept. 22 – Barre Alumni Hall

Sept. 23 – Virtual, noon