Are Montanans Ready To Embrace The Future And Electric Vehicles?

My Chiefs didn't make the Super Bowl this year, so I was able to watch the game and not be stressed out while monitoring my heart rate.  Because of this, I was able to focus on the commercials.

First, let me say how much I dislike the fact that they preview the Super Bowl commercials prior to the game.  I'm not a fan of this, so I avoid all of that prior to the game.

Second, there sure were a whole lot of commercials about electric vehicles.

Don't get me wrong, I try to take care of the planet.  I don't litter, heck, I even recycle a little bit.  However, an electric vehicle? I'm not sure I'm ready for such a thing.  It's not that I don't think electric vehicles are a good idea, I just don't know how practical they are here in Montana.

According to an article on EVBox.com, the average electric vehicle has a range of just under 200 miles per charge. I suppose that works in a more metropolitan area, but Montana isn't real metropolitan...yet.  Throw in the fact that we're the fourth largest state and that's a whole lot of miles to cover.  Don't get me wrong, I suppose if you wanted to just drive around town, an electric vehicle would be just fine for some.

However, it doesn't seem real practical for the average Montanan.

According to Libertyplugins.com, there are 64 public plug-ins across the state of Montana. Missoula leads the charge with 8, followed by Bozeman with 7, with Billings coming in third with 5.

Then of course there is the cold. Consumer Reports say that EV vehicles lose about 20 percent of their charge in cold weather. Oh and as far as the re-charging? Yea, that takes longer in colder weather as well according to the report.

While I have no doubt that electric vehicles are certainly going to become a bigger part of our lives going forward, it seems as of now, in places like Montana, gas and diesel are still King.

Credit: evbox.com, libertyplugins.com, consumer reports