Electric vehicles are more common now in the United States than ever before, but the U.S. still lags far behind other countries in adopting these cleaner technological marvels.
EVs are more popular in China and countries throughout Europe, and EnergySage — a leading, independent authority on renewable energy, particularly solar — spoke to energy experts to determine why.
There is no single answer, the experts said. Instead, a combination of forces, including unfriendly policies and misinformation, has put the U.S. in this position.
For policies, look no further than the elimination of the federal EV tax credit. Axed earlier this year as part of the Congressional budget bill, the credit expired at the end of September. It led to a small rush of consumers buying EVs before that date, but EV expert Tom Moloughney said that trend will now likely reverse.
"There's no way around it," Moloughney told EnergySage. "Vehicles are going to become more expensive … and it's going to slow down electric vehicle sales."
With that said, EV owners who want to save money can do so by avoiding public charging stations and instead charging at home — a service that Qmerit can help with.
Misinformation also plays a key role. Many critics point to the lithium mining needed for EV batteries, and the electricity used to charge those batteries, as proof that EVs are no better for the environment than gas-powered cars.
In reality, numerous studies have shown that the mining needed for EV batteries does a fraction of the environmental damage of fossil-fuel mining and that EVs are considerably cleaner for the planet.
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EnergySage also points out that charging infrastructure keeps some buyers away from EVs, as they simply don't have enough convenient, affordable public stations in their areas.
Fortunately, Qmerit can help solve that last issue. It asks homeowners a few simple questions about their electrical panel and garage setup, and then offers homeowners free estimates for Level 2 charger installations.
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Should the government provide incentives to buy EVs?
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Absolutely 💯 And for those who want to make their EV charging even cheaper and cleaner, doing so with energy generated by rooftop solar panels will accomplish that very feat. In fact, solar panels can help bring EV charging costs down to nearly nothing. To find out what options are available in your area, check out EnergySage's free tools, which provide homeowners with quick estimates, making it easy to compare installation costs and options.
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