The Future Is Now

The war in Ukraine reminds us that Russia is one of the world’s biggest suppliers of oil and gas, and our economy is somewhat tied to its demonic, murderous leader.

Yes, shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in late February, gas stations across America immediately began raising their prices.

Fortunately for us, President Biden ordered the release of millions of gallons of oil from our Strategic Oil Reserve, helping to somewhat contain that pain at the pump.

At least for a while.

Even so, the cost of a gallon of gas has jumped a dollar or more in many parts of the nation, reminding us that using gasoline to power our vehicles can put us at the mercy of a despotic maniac’s whims.

The way I see it, there are at least three things we must do: 1) In the near term, find and develop new sources of oil and gas right here in America. 2) Purchase the most fuel-efficient vehicles available and walk away from low-mileage SUVs and gargantuan oversized pickups.

And 3) Go electric.

With global warming and climate change beginning to ravage the world and get worse every year, why wouldn’t we want to ditch gasoline — one of the main causes of GW — and drive an electric vehicle instead?

I’ve thought about going electric for years, but have always held back because the new tech vehicles were very expensive, and publicly-available electric charging stations were scarce and took too long to “fuel up.”

But things are rapidly changing in Electric Car World.

New advancements in battery technology have made electric vehicles much more appealing, now with ranges of up to 400 miles or more between charges.

With nearly 100 different electric/hybrid vehicle types now available to the consumer who wants to reduce their dependence on foreign oil — and make a contribution toward turning back global warming — there is obviously a huge market out there waiting to be served.

Prices for these vehicles have been coming down, and so has the availability of public charging stations along with faster-charging times.

Face it: Filling up at gas station usually takes less than 5 minutes and you’re on your way. But the fastest-charging electric vehicle still takes at least 10 minutes to charge.

That’s a HUGE CHANGE to embrace.

Americans are almost always in a hurry. Even a 5-minute gas-fill annoys some drivers. And looking for a charging station out in the world — even with an app on your phone to guide you — can be a worrisome thing.

Drivers love the convenience of having access to gas stations that are virtually everywhere in every city and burg across America. To help even the playing field, electric charger manufacturers are busy building “electric stations,” with thousands built and thousands more on the way.

Of course, home charging stations — which can run up to $700 or much more to install — are the best way to keep your electric vehicle ready to go after a night of charging.

But what about apartment dwellers? They would need landlords willing to invest in charging stations for those folks.

Good luck with that.

But progress is being made in many areas when it comes to electric charging out in the world.

For example, Walmart — and other stores — are building charging stations in their parking lots so shoppers can charge their vehicles while they shop.

What a great idea!

Look: Moving from a gasoline-vehicle present to an electric-vehicle future was never going to be quick or easy. And keep in mind: The electricity created to power electric vehicles predominantly comes from burning natural gas. Rhode Island, for example, makes 88 percent of its electricity from natural gas.

But reducing our dependence on foreign oil and gas from unreliable sources — and creating a cleaner world — is going to be one of the biggest challenges we all will face in the future.

And the future is now.