An electric vehicle is one way to save big as gas prices rise. These issues limit who can benefit

THAN ONE PENNY EACH THESE DAYS. >> AND WITH NO CLEAR IDEA OF WHEN GAS PRICES MAY OPDR AGAIN, PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR CHEAPER WAYS TO GET AROUND BOTH IN THE SHORT TERM AND THE LONG TERM. >> FOR SOME, THAT COULD MEANS SHOPPING FOR AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE. KCRA 3 METEOORLOGIST HEATHER WALDMAN JOINS US N.OW HEATHER, RUNNING THAT EV MAY BE A LOT CHEAPER, BUT THERE ARE MORE THINGS TO CONSIDER HERE TOO, R?IG >> AND WE WANT TO MAKE PHONE PRICES IN CALIFORNIA, A GAS POWERED CAR COSTS $.21 PER MILE. AN EV IS AROUND NINE CENTS PER MILE. WE ASK YOU ON SOCIAL MEDIA IF THE PRICE DIFFERENCE ALONE WAS LEADING YOU TO CONSIDER A HYBRID OR EV. SOME OF YOU SAID YES OR SAID YOU HAD ALREADY MADE THE SWITCH, BUT MANY MORE WON’TE, B CITING WORRIES ABOUT THE POWER GRID, THE COST OF THE CAR ITSF,EL ACCESS TO CHARGING, AS WELL AS ENERGY COSTS. >> THE PRICE OF ELECTRICITY IS GOING UP AND THE PRICE OF GASOLINE IS GOING UP. THE PRICE OF ELECTRICITY IS MUCH MORE STABLE THAN THE PRICE OF GASOLINE. >> THE PRICE OF RUNNING THE CAR IS NOT THE ONLYON CSIDERATION YOU NEED. YOU ALSO NEED CONVENIENT ACCESS TO A CHARGER SO DEMAND FOR HOME CHARGERS IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE. THAT MEANS NEW CHALLENGES FOR THE ENERGY SUPPLY. >> IF ME, MY NEIGHBOR, AND A NEIGHBOR'’ NEIGHBOR, WE ALL GET ELECTRIC CARS AND EACH ONE OF US AT SOME POINT, THERE’S GOING TO BE TWO ELECTRIC CARS PER HOME, WE NEED TO FIND A WAY TO CHARGE THEM WITH CLEAN ENERGY, TO CHARGE THEM WHENEVER WE CHOOSE TO CHARGE THEM, AND WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO DO IT ECONOMICALLY. >> EVEN WITH ENOUGH SUPPLY FOR HOME CHARTERS, NOT EVERY HOME IS SET UP TO ACCOMMODATE THEM. EARLIER THIS YEAR, THE KCRA INVESTIGATES TEAM FOUND THAT MANY AREAS THROUGHOUT THE TYCI OF SACRAMENTO AND THE SURROUNDING REGIONS ARE ADDE ZONES FOR EV CHARGING. THAT’S A HUGE INFRASTRUCTURE NEED THAT WOULD NEED TO BE MET, ESPECIALLY IF CALIFORNIA IS GOING TO BE ABLE TO MEETHE T GOAL OF HAVING NO NEW GAS POWERED VEHICLE SALES BY 2

With gas prices rising and no clear idea on when they may stabilize, many people in the U.S. are searching for ways to save on commuting. According to Dr. Joshua Rhodes, an energy researcher at the University of Texas in Austin, a gas-powered vehicle is currently five times more expensive to run than an EV. Those numbers may be enough for someone who had been considering switching to an electric vehicle in the past to make that switch sooner rather than later. But of course, that change involves a major up-front investment and there are other obstacles to owning and consistently running an EV. One of those challenges is having reliable access to fast charging systems.Installing a home charger is one option. But that incurs additional costs. Still, demand for home charging methods will eventually increase as states around the country, like California, New York and Massachusetts, move closer to their goal of ending the sale of new gas-powered cars. Enphase Energy, which operates a charging station production facility in California, says that meeting this demand is going to take a collective approach."If me, my neighbor and my neighbor’s neighbor, we all get electric cars…and each one of us at some point, there’s gonna be two electric cars per home, we need to find a way to charge them with clean energy," says Enphase Energy CPO Raghu Belur. "We need to be able to charge them whenever we choose to charge them, and we need to be able to do it economically."But of course, a lot of homes and apartment units simply can't install a home charging unit. So if electric vehicles are going to be seen as a long-term solution to achieving energy independence, there is a lot of work that still needs to be done to make the technology affordable and accessible. "This isn’t going to happen overnight," Rhodes said. "It’s going to happen over time. and as that demand evolves so will the grid evolve with it."

With gas prices rising and no clear idea on when they may stabilize, many people in the U.S. are searching for ways to save on commuting.

According to Dr. Joshua Rhodes, an energy researcher at the University of Texas in Austin, a gas-powered vehicle is currently five times more expensive to run than an EV.

Driving an EV is now about 5 times cheaper per mile than driving a gasoline car.
— Joshua D. Rhodes (@joshdr83)

Those numbers may be enough for someone who had been considering switching to an electric vehicle in the past to make that switch sooner rather than later.

But of course, that change involves a major up-front investment and there are other obstacles to owning and consistently running an EV. One of those challenges is having reliable access to fast charging systems.

Installing a home charger is one option. But that incurs additional costs. Still, demand for home charging methods will eventually increase as states around the country, like California, New York and Massachusetts, move closer to their goal of ending the sale of new gas-powered cars.

Enphase Energy, which operates a charging station production facility in California, says that meeting this demand is going to take a collective approach.

"If me, my neighbor and my neighbor’s neighbor, we all get electric cars…and each one of us at some point, there’s gonna be two electric cars per home, we need to find a way to charge them with clean energy," says Enphase Energy CPO Raghu Belur. "We need to be able to charge them whenever we choose to charge them, and we need to be able to do it economically."

But of course, a lot of homes and apartment units simply can't install a home charging unit. So if electric vehicles are going to be seen as a long-term solution to achieving energy independence, there is a lot of work that still needs to be done to make the technology affordable and accessible.

"This isn’t going to happen overnight," Rhodes said. "It’s going to happen over time. and as that demand evolves so will the grid evolve with it."

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