LETTER TO THE

E DITOR Transition to electric vehicles

Gas at the pump got you down? Shell Oil, the largest oil producer in the world just tripled its profits last quarter. They painlessly wrote off $4 billion in forgone Russian sales and continue to profit royally on our dependence on fossil fuels. I remember 1973 when the Arabs and OPEC stifled oil supplies at a time when the U.S. had low production. Gas pumps went dry, and the fights broke out for the last gas. The American auto industry changed after it was decimated by more efficient imported vehicles. There was talk about energy independence, but all was forgotten ten years later, and we went back to gas guzzling vehicles.

We will become energy independent only if we are smart about our choices. If you are driving 40 miles or more a day in a low mileage vehicle, you are feeling the pain as those $100 bills leave your wallet. Unlike 1973 you do have options.

This week all electric pickups are rolling off the line. Too expensive? Look at the total cost of ownership and the high resale for current used vehicles and you may see a way to go electric and realize savings now. Electricity is a smart fuel because oil is bought and sold in a world market while electricity is generated locally. The money stays here.

Replacing low mileage vehicles should be a priority for rebates to make the transition available to rural users. Our political representatives need to be smarter about issues such as regulation, rebates and changing market conditions. They won’t be unless you make the choice. There was a cigarette ad around the time of the embargo with the slogan, “I’d rather fight than switch.”

I hear the same about electric vehicles, but even Shell is buying up all the electric charging stations it can get its hands on – that should tell you something.

Roger Aiken Bayfield