Publisher’s Pen: A Charged Issue

For this issue, we commissioned an award-winning mechanical engineer, Dr. Stuart Burgess, to research and write a feature article on a very specific “hot topic.” The article covers an intensely current and relevant aspect of alternative energy—and it’s excellent.

Annual reader surveys reveal that Answers magazine subscribers are much better educated than the average consumer today. That being the case, I think you will genuinely appreciate the information in Dr. Burgess’ article as a member of the Answers magazine family.

illustration by Viktor Miller-Gausa

Dale Mason
Publisher

Trending data and cultural changes indicate that—whether you currently desire it or not—your next car, or perhaps the car you buy in the next decade, will likely be an EV (electric vehicle). And while some people love that idea, others are convinced it’s a trend generated by partisan politics. Regardless, with all the excitement (and anxiety) related to that possibility, now is a strategic time to provide reasoned answers to questions that many people have, or soon will have, about these high-tech transporters.

Allow me to share a personal admission. Before I read Dr. Burgess’ article, “Charged,” I thought that the impetus for the increasing move from gasoline fuel to chemical-laden batteries was more emotional than analytical. After all, production of the necessary batteries requires a lot of heavy mining and toxic processing. And while an evolution-biased environmental concern greatly influenced many of the early adopters of EVs, the situation today is both emotional and analytical. Although environmental impacts behind both gasoline and EV batteries are real, there is a financially feasible niche for each. Assumptions born in the twentieth century must not be the sole guide to opinions in the twenty-first century.

In a highly readable style, Dr. Burgess explores both the advantages and disadvantages of EVs. That includes the realities behind pollution, C0₂ emissions, purchase price, running cost, travel range (and “range anxiety”), battery replacement vs. engine maintenance costs, fuel availability (electric charging vs. gasoline stations), and safety.

I also must admit that the century-plus history Burgess includes provided me with a few great facts to share with my family!

The bottom line is still a bit fuzzy, but much clearer than only a few years ago. There is a place for electric vehicles, and there is a place for gasoline vehicles. And for us as people called to steward both our environment and our finances, there is a place for “Charged.”