My family and I oppose any mandates regarding electric vehicles (“Maine board wants to hand decision on electric vehicle mandate to Legislature,” Dec. 27). Options are great; mandates are not. It’s a terrible plan. There are far too many variables for this to be a mandate. Maine is primarily a rural state, with freezing temperatures, weather events with power outages, and long commute times for many. Mandating that most new cars sold are electric is just not practical for all rural Mainers.
The mandate would be a burden to taxpayers as hundreds of charging stations would have to be installed across the state. A mandate of this magnitude will bring additional unknown costs and issues. It’s impossible to predict the chaos that could ensue. There are so many unanswered questions. What about existing gas stations? What about existing car repair facilities? Will this create or destroy jobs, or both? What about the cost of replacing batteries? How environmentally sound are EV batteries? Where and how is the lithium sourced? How much copper is needed to equip one EV car? How is this sourced? What other risks and dangers are involved? How much better for the environment are EVs when you include all factors?
Instead of forcing this mandate on car dealers, let the process happen organically, meaning let people come to this decision on their own as seen fit for their needs and preferences. Probably more people will choose to purchase an EV when this becomes a more viable option. Also, Maine is amongst the highest taxed states in the nation, but we are far from the highest polluters. Don’t put an additional cost and burden on Mainers for a questionable and controversial issue.
Angela Corbin
Hallowell
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