BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - Many of us saw the Super Bowl ad in which Will Ferrell challenges the U.S. to out-EV Norway. In Norway, over half of all cars sold are electric.
General Motors and Ford are both committed to making electric cars the norm by 2035.
"The truth is, last year we sold about 15.5 million new cars. The year before was about 17 million. Less than 2% of all vehicles sold are electric," said Lauren Fix, The Car Coach.
Gasoline engines are not going away. "They're not going to eliminate them," said Fix. "They won't eliminate the choice of diesel, gas or electric." And she thinks we will see a combination of hybrid and hydrogen vehicles.
Norway is crushing us at EVs. That's crazy. We have to do better. Are you in? #EVerybodyIn #NoWayNorway pic.twitter.com/QH8kXRd4rp
— General Motors (@GM) February 3, 2021
There are some advantages with electric vehicles. Reduced emissions for one. It's low cost per mile, but Fix says Governor Andrew Cuomo is considering a per-mile charge. Maintenance is less, but not entirely eliminated with tires, wiper blades and rubber parts.
There are plenty of disadvantages. No more tax credits for one. "A $7500 dollar credit for GM and Tesla is gone," said Fix. "Plus there's range anxiety, limited choices, higher sticker prices, limitations on charging stations, especially here in Buffalo, and higher insurance rates."
Fix recalls driving a Mustang Mach-E that was delivered it to her in Buffalo. She remembers it was 22 degrees that day. "The driver told me there's a full charge on it; it should be good for 270 miles. I started it up, pushed a button and it was good for 190 miles. It continued to drop throughout the day because cold weather is the enemy of batteries." She says they don't like heat either. "If it's too hot or too cold, you're going to lose full distance, which puts you into range anxiety," she said.
What is in the future of Western New York auto plants? GM Powertrain in Tonawanda has been producing V6 and V8 engines. "You're not going to see the end of those, said Fix. But you may see a decrease. General Motors and Ford are investing billions of dollars into electric vehicles. But I don't think Mary Barra is still going to be the CEO in 2035. That's quite a distance and there will be a lot of changes before then.
