EV Caused Infrastructure Deficit

Podcast Episode: 0197
How EV's are adding to our growing Infrastructure Deficit

    Why are our roads getting worse, if more people are riding the bus?  AutoLooks takes a look at the reason why our roads are getting worse, as we transition to an EV future.  They may seem good for the environment, but not for our pocketbooks and tax system.

    You have probably notice by now how your roads seem to be getting worse every year.  A lack in proper funding along with a long run of dismal maintenance could be to blame, but what about those pesky potholes.   Most of them never seem to go away as just after you fill them up, they are back again.  Why is this constantly happening, as it never seemed to be that way?

    Weight plays a key contributor here, as our vehicles over the past decade have gotten heavier.  But all of this cannot be contributed by a few extra trucks and SUV's, can it?  It sure can, along with a massive influx of battery powered vehicles which way a lot more than their combustion counterparts.

    If you have ever changed the battery in your combustion vehicle, you may have noticed how heavy it is.  Unlike your starter or alternator, the battery is one of the heaviest parts of your vehicle, considering its overall size.  Compared to your block, the battery is a lot heavier for its size and thus adds more weight to your vehicle.  But what can we do to save weight here?

     Over the years we have tried to reduce the overall size of our batteries to help bring down their weight, but this has only gone so far.  Requiring a battery to help power specific systems, there is only so much you can reduce.  This is true when it comes to battery powered vehicles, as the overall weight due to the size of their required batteries makes this one part the heaviest part of the vehicle.  

​     Energy is heavy, especially when its that dense and when you require to go even further, then your weight increases to a point where you are the heaviest object on the road.  With all that added weight on the road, our current run of EV's are adding more stress to our already underfunded infrastructure system.  And without a decrease in sight, this problem is only going to get worse.

    Today a few companies are looking at ways to reduce the overall weight of batteries while maintaining the overall power density of the battery.  This will bode well for our future infrastructure, but what can we do about our EV created deficit from today?

    AutoLooks has a few answers to that question and maybe if some higher up people start to listen to us, then maybe the rest of us won't have to pay for their mistakes.  So, follow us as we take a look at the infrastructure deficit which is spiraling out of control, thanks to our overweight green future.  Let's just hope someone listens and makes some changes now, as we will all feel the pinch in the future if they don't.

Everett J.
​#autolooks