Is There An EV Backlash In CT? Patch Poll Results

CONNECTICUT — At last count, nine states are planning to ban new gasoline-powered vehicle sales by 2035. Should Connecticut be among them?

Connecticut Patch readers weighed in on the topic in a recent survey, and were decidedly against the climate-friendly legal initiative, which originated in California. Just under 12 percent of the 1,933 readers who took the Connecticut Patch Poll favored the idea.

In December, Gov. Ned Lamont withdrew regulations that would have seen Connecticut jump on the combustion engine sales ban-wagon, but the matter is back for discussion in the current legislative session. House Bill 5485 would establish the 40-member Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Coordinating Council. That body would take the pulse of not only the EV industry, but the state's power grid and infrastructure. Opponents of the bill called it a Trojan horse for an EV mandate.

Other states implementing a plan to hit the goal of selling zero new gas-powered vehicles by 2035 include neighboring New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, as well as New Jersey, Washington, Oregon, Delaware and Maryland.

None of the states' new regulations prevent residents from owning or using gas-powered cars, nor do they force motorists to buy electric vehicles. Dealerships can still sell used internal combustion engine-powered cars and purchase them in other states, provided they meet certain emissions criteria.

But many Patch readers are clearly opposed to any new regulations just on principle, preferring the fate of EVs be left to the marketplace, without a government thumb tipping the scales:

"If a product is a better choice, then people will buy it," a Berlin reader commented. "Electric vehicles have their place but can't replace ICE vehicles for now and most households will not buy one … People will buy what works for them best, be it electric or gas."

For most Patch readers who took the survey, the timing of the phase-in was unimportant. A resounding 74 percent of the Patch poll-takers chose the option "Not in a million years" when answering the question about when they might start warming up to the notion of an EV in their garage.

Among the nays for whom owning an EV was not out-of-the-gate against their religion ("I will never buy an EV period!!!!"), infrastructure was the main concern.

A Somers reader pointed out how "The grid fails in the hot summer," and a Clinton reader reckoned that "…the electric grid in CT is not prepared to power up all of the charging stations required to replace gas powered vehicles with electric vehicles."

A Patch reader in Bloomfield said they would "be ok with a partial ban that still allows hybrids or at least plug-in hybrids. EVs don't have the range that I need when I'm driving up to Vermont, NH, or Maine to see family or go skiing."

None of this is to say that EVs and a ban on gasoline-powered vehicles don't have fans among Connecticut Patch readership.

A Bridgeport reader, who advocates the state transition to all electric vehicles by 2028 or earlier, was adamant: "We MUST do all we can to save our planet. Time’s a wasting."

The whole debate is a "no-brainer" for one Trumbull reader: "I love my electric vehicle. I do not have any regrets and frankly would never go back to a combustion engine. No range anxiety. Ability to charge at home overnight."

One West Haven resident, a recent transplant to Connecticut, said they just can't believe what they're seeing outside their windshield:

"Having just moved to the state, I was thunderstruck at how much Connecticut roads are choked with climate destroying autos today. We should have gotten serious about the problem long ago. Now even catch-up will not clean up completely. All we can hope for is minimization of the future impact and hope our envied environment will at least cease degrading."

And to be fair, 2035 is still a long ways away, as one Tolland reader posted:

"We put a man on the moon in less than 10 years. This is more than enough time to work out any issues. All the technology needed to make this happen is already created. We just need to pick the ones to go with. In ten years, they will be way cheaper than gas powered cars."

Remember what happened to the horse-and-carriage? One Enfield reader does:

"…and they said cars would never replace horses. Too expensive. No gas stations. Not enough paved roads."

Good for the Goose?

A Sandy Hook reader is on board with a move away from combustion engines, but believes it makes more sense to start with the larger people-movers: "Make all public and transportation systems electric first, they are the biggest polluters. Then integrate everyone else. Improve recycling efforts across the state, and fine companies, schools, and residents that don't."

Other readers took the Patch EV Survey as an opportunity to engage in a favorite Connecticut pastime: public utility bashing. A South Windsor reader wondered, "Eversource had proven that they cannot maintain and repair our existing infrastructure even following minor storms, what happens when people rely on electricity for cars?"

Reliable or not, the cost of Connecticut juice makes EVs a non-starter for one Meriden reader:

"With Connecticut being the second-smallest state in the US but having the second-highest cost of electricity, I can’t support this. You MUST get the cost of electricity down first. WAY down!"

Of course, it would not be a proper CT Patch Poll without at least one new, eye-blinking conspiracy theory. An EV-wary reader from Guilford did the honors this time around:

"If they want to control the population, they can selectively cut the power grid and you'll go nowhere."