Will you own an electric car? If you live long enough and that’s all that is being made, you probably will. Many of us we’ll hold out for as long as possible.
I’m all for electric cars especially if someone else is buying them. If 20 percent of America’s driving population goes to the electric vehicle, EV, then surely gasoline will become cheaper. Less people buying gasoline will reduce the demand and it should reduce the price. We hope.
California will not allow the sale of gasoline cars by 2035.
This same state told EV drivers not to charge their electric cars during the past Labor Day weekend when the temperatures were expected to hit triple digits for millions of residents putting a drain on the power grid.
This brings us to the same crisis every community will face. America’s power grids aren’t ready to accommodate millions of EVs plugging in a for a recharge. The prospects of city and regional blackouts are alarming. You can forget charging your car. You won’t be able to charge your cell phone or have air conditioning or heat during a blackout.
I’m not opposed to electric cars. I am opposed to them being crammed down our throats. The manufacturers are being pushed to eventually eliminate all gasoline vehicles. We will see how this goes over the next ten years.
Plan to spend some money. A local salesman talked to me about an electric Mustang. Stickered at $48,000 but they were asking $58,000 because as he said, “We can get it.” I didn’t want the car to begin with but was curious about the car.
It sounds time consuming to recharge an EV, although some EVs are promising up to 150-mile charge in a short amount of time.
EVs could mean fewer people on America’s Interstates. Currently in most American communities its much easier to go home to recharge at your own power station. Cross country driving will be out of the question or very difficult in an EV for the next two or three years. Currently an EV will go about 250 to 350 miles on a charge. This means you will always be searching for the next power station. This will be a major lifestyle change.
There are reports that Pilot and Flying J will have charging stations installed by 2025 and are spending a billion dollars to upgrade their facilities. They will also want to recoup their costs.
The car will cost you more money. You will spend anywhere from $20,000 (low minimum) to $6,000 to install a station at your home and this is all variable. To keep your car charged at home will cost you about what you spend on your monthly electric bill now. So, figure your electric bill doubling, if you’re lucky.
You may be wanting something different in your life and an EV may be just what you want. There is a lot to consider and on some level they will impact all our lives, eventually.
Dr. Glenn Mollette is a syndicated American columnist and author of Grandpa's Store, American Issues, and ten other books. He is read in all 50 states. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization.
This article is the sole opinions of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of The Sentinel. We welcome comments and views from our readers. Submit your letters to the editor or commentary on a current event 24/7 to editor@oursentinel.com.
"People in the winter time, particularly in northern, far northern latitudes or far southern latitudes, farther away from the equator will tend to get kind of sluggish and maybe depressed, they start to have carbohydrate cravings, and it may be enough that it’s really a significant problem for them," explains Dr. Scott Hamilton, a psychiatrist with OSF HealthCare Behavioral Health in Bloomington.
As a behavioral health psychiatrist, Dr. Hamilton works with people suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder. He says there’s a difference between SAD and a case of the occasional winter blahs. If you find your mind and mood are impacting your relationships, ability to work, or social activities, it’s something that needs to be addressed.
There are a number of treatment opportunities for Seasonal Affective Disorder. Dr. Hamilton says one of the most effective is bright light therapy.
"These have a UV shield, full spectrum light, 30 minutes in the morning is how most studies were done with pretty good results. Pretty uniformly positive results in people that have wintertime depression, and people that don’t have winter depression, they do sometimes still help, but they’re not as likely to be helpful."
Dr. Hamilton says these light boxes are available online, often for less than $50. He also says that simple behavior modification can help with SAD symptoms. He says eating well and exercise can have a tremendous effect on depression symptoms, but if a person is having a tough time functioning on a day-to-day basis, he or she might want to see a therapist for professional help.
"I think trying that and getting more exercise and doing some healthy things first does make sense," said Dr. Hamilton. "If they get to the point where they can’t function or they get suicidal thoughts, things like that, then they ought to talk to somebody. Those would be the real red flags."
Learn more about Seasonal Affective Disorder 
