Page 68 - Summer2020final

Technology as Servant

THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE REVOLUTION: FALLACY AND REALITY

By James Kirkpatrick

In order to As the Romans were fond of saying, beware Daimler Chrysler, GM and Ford Motor Com-
displace oil politicians offering panaceas. The latest meta- pany combined.
The broad-scale endorsement of a global
trend to catch hold of the collective conscious-
for electricity ness is the electric vehicle revolution. Unless transition from ICE vehicle transportation to
in you’ve been living under a rock or in a proper electric vehicle (EV) transportation is being
accelerated by a diverse collection of political
passenger nuclear quarantine bunker, the age of the inter-
nal combustion engine (ICE) or more broadly and social trends, typically involving some
vehicles, the age of combustion, is rapidly drawing to a combination of the following:
the world close. Age of Combustion (1775-2020) R.I.P. • Almost universal endorsement of “green”
The world of tomorrow is here today, so
would need they say. Gone are the noisy internal combus- initiatives or mindset by the Hollywood
to increase tion engines of yesteryear, replaced by the silent and media elite. This includes the cel-
the amount effortless humming of the electric fuel cell and ebratizing of a new generation of climate
warriors and the painting of fossil fuels
battery. Gone are the greenhouse-gas-causing
of electricity fossil fuels (namely, coal, oil and natural gas) as toxic or dirty. I personally take um-
generated by of our forebears, replaced by a limitless supply brage with this slandering, as “dirty” is
a relative term. As compared to what?
of clean electricity.
just over 150 Look no further then the current stock Combustion practices of the 1800s and
quads per market for evidence supporting the above state- 1900s? Or in comparison to the primary
year. ments. Tesla, the most recognized electric car form of work energy prior to the Age of
company, is now the second largest car company
Combustion. . . forced human labor (liv-
in the world, trailing only Toyota (which makes ing in smoky cottages heated by wood
a mix of electric, hybrid and ICE vehicles), or coal)? I and many others respectfully
and boasts a market capitalization (stock price disagree.
multiplied by total shares outstanding) of one • Tax and fiduciary initiatives that subsi-
hundred fifty-five billion U.S. dollars. Based on dize purchase and ownership of electric
this measure, Tesla is larger than Volkswagen, vehicles or the production of electricity

FIGURE 1: Global Energy Mix

Source:
XOM 2019 Annual Energy Report

66 Wise Traditions SUMMER 2020