Kia and Hyundai to build EVs in Mexico

I've been accused of being a tree-hugger for many years. Our house is highly energy-efficient, with solar electricity generation and water heating. We recycle what we can. It takes a 50-mile drive to do so, but we combine that with our weekly shopping trip to Missoula. There are no public vehicle charging stations in our area, that I'm aware of. When I first heard of electric vehicles, charging took several hours. Presumably, that has gotten better. In Montana about half the electricity is generated by fossil fuels. While I'm keenly aware of our climate problems, when it became time to replace our old car. we opted for a hybrid Honda CRV, which gets around 40 miles per gallon of gas. My truck, used as little as possible, gets around half that. Am I in love with the Honda? Not particularly. All that electronic stuff is a pain for an old fart but, all in all, it helps us do our little bit for the climate. Bottom line: there are many things to consider before getting that new vehicle.

I still struggle to understand where the electricity comes from that powers electric vehicles. Here in Oregon, we used to get much of our electricity from hydro power, but dams are being removed so that source is disappearing as it was also damaging to the environment. Is there really enough electricity being produced by solar and wind to remove fossil fuels as a source for powering electric vehicles? Until I'm convinced that's the case, I'll hold off purchasing an electric-only vehicle. In 2005 I bought a 2003 Honda Civic hybrid and loved the gas mileage, although I do very little highway driving so didn't see the full benefit. Bought a Subaru Impreza in 2017 and sold the Civic to my sister who is still driving it and loving her gas mileage. My gas mileage isn't as good but I love the weight and handling capability of my Subaru. Since I only drive about 3,000 miles per year my carbon footprint is smaller than most. I would love to not having to deal with gas stations, however.