Know the Truth About EVs

A while back in MTD, l debunked my top 10 electric vehicle (EV) myths. Over the years, technicians, tire store owners, and others have given me some pushback during and after an Automotive Career Development Center (ACDC) EV class. I expect that, so I work hard to separate fact from fiction.

Here is my latest installment. Keep an open mind to see if you have been subjected to myths, falsehoods, and pure fabrications. These are in no particular order:

1. Salt water and lithium-ion (li-ion) packs will explode. Mostly false. If you are discussing pure EVs, the high voltage li-ion battery packs are sealed and mounted under the vehicle. Salt water, or any water, is kept away from the cells in the pack. Once you repair a pack, a test is done to ensure the pack has no leaks. Since 2013 most hybrids (except Toyota) and all plug-in hybrids changed the chemistry from nickel metal hydride (NiMH) — non-flammable — to a li-ion based chemistry. There's more risk in a flood when the packs are not sealed. Many hybrids' packs are not sealed.
2. Re-charging takes all day. Mostly false. The ACDC Tesla charges at about 200 kW on a Tesla Super Charger. My company's Kia Niro EV is a shade under 100 kW using a CCS fast charger. The Nissan Leaf is 50 kW using a CHAdeMO. From the highest to lowest charge rate, you will add 50 miles in anywhere from four minutes to 30 minutes.
3. All direct current fast chargers (DCFC) are powered by diesel generators. This is laughable. Not true. None are powered by generators. The big box next to the chargers are housing the alternating current (AC) from the grid and converting it to DC.
4. EVs pay no road tax. Was true, but now less true. Gasoline and diesel federal and state taxes are used to build and maintain the roads and bridges we drive on. The more fuel you use, the more you pay. Simple, easy to manage and somewhat fair. As we move to “electrical fuel,” no road tax is collected. It's not easy to make it fair. We are in the beginning stages of creating a new system. No good ideas have been put in place yet.
5. Only Democrats drive EVs. False. My close Republican friend just traded in his Tesla for a Lucid. EVs make sense for many people and businesses. 
6. Class 8 over-the-road EV trucks will never work. This depends on how broadly you define an electric heavy duty truck. If you include fuel cell technology added to a Class 8 truck, the answer is yes, they will work. Fuel cells have come a long way in the last 10 years, as have li-ion battery packs. The fuel is the remaining large issue. Fuel cells recharge the heavy duty system's battery as you drive and produce electricity and water. 
7. EVs pollute more than gas cars False. In the worst-case scenario, they are the same up to about 35,000 miles of driving — and then the EV is producing less carbon-dioxide. The electrical power grid is getting greener every year, so EVs are too.
8. EV motorcycles are not possible. False. Harley Davidson sold an electric motorcycle a few years back to compete with Zero, a California-based EV startup. Both companies are growing. Honda will have an EV two wheeler soon. They are “torque monsters,” says one rider. Full disclosure: I own a Zero SR/F.
9. We will run out of lithium Toss-up. Lithium, an alkali metal, is used in the cells of an EV and is naturally found where there is salt. We have enough in the U.S. but extracting it with less water than we presently use is an issue. Lithium-ion batteries contain lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese, and about 95% of the battery can be recycled. The recycling is proven to work. 
10. Americans do not want EVs. Partly true. We love our big trucks and SUVs, but U.S. sales of EVs grew nearly 5% in the second quarter of 2024 compared to a year earlier, and compared to a 0.6% drop in U.S. sales of ICE vehicles.

There are more myths than ever before. 2024 is an election year and so that is to be expected. I understand that this is a huge change and many would like the internal combustion systems we have in place to stay the same, but they won’t. Staying away from EVs may feel good until you realize you are losing customers. EVs have problems and engineers will solve them and you will too, in your bays.

We are in a new mobility era. As we all welcome the world around us, it will seem less scary. FEAR stands for False Evidence Appearing Real. We can all do this.