Especially with the presidential election coming up, climate change has become a common topic. Personally, climate change is not a huge issue in my life and I do not believe that the United States is a cause for it. There are some things that should change, but electric vehicles (EVs) will not make a significant change. But this article is about how electric vehicles will just become a nuisance if that is all we can buy.

First of all, there are not many charging stations in the United States. There are over 148,000 gas stations across the U.S. but only about 138,000 charging stations, which is still a lot. However, most of the charging stations are found in California. In Corry, there are about five gas stations and there are zero charging stations. Depending on the type of electric vehicle you have, you have to have a specific charger. For example, Teslas cannot use other charging cables. For EVs to make sense in small areas like ours, there would need to be a sufficient amount of charging stations.

Electric vehicles are also not compatible with our climate. In northern areas like ours, where the temperature can sometimes get below freezing, EVs do not perform well. Research has shown that when it is below freezing, an EVs driving range is reduced by 70%. When it is cold, an EV’s battery takes longer to perform its chemical and physical reactions, which leads to less power given to the car to run. So EVs are not compatible with northern areas.

Electric vehicles’ driving range also decreases when driving up hills. While driving up hills, the motor has to work harder to get the car to go up, which decreases the battery life. This is another reason why EVs would be bad for living in this area, as it is very hilly.

I do not want to dissuade you from buying an electric vehicle as it is your own money. However, the government should not force them on us as in some areas, they would not survive. If you live somewhere warm and flat, that is perfect for an EV, but not for cold and hilly places. What also makes me mad is when the same people who try to push electric vehicles on us refuse to stop using their private jets, which let off way more greenhouse gasses than regular vehicles.

So are electric vehicles the right choice? I say that they are fine in southern areas, but not for areas like ours. I think the correct option other than gas cars are hybrid cars, which use half gas and half electricity. This way, the cars are more likely to last the winter and are better suitable for hills, while still being “green.”

To the people who want to force change on people without thinking of the consequences, I say take a step back in your own life and find changes that you can make. Your lifestyle should not be everyone else’s lifestyle.