Lummis lauds new electric vehicle’s ability to ‘fit the lifestyles of regular Americans’ - Oil City News

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CASPER, Wyo. — Wyoming’s U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis said on Facebook on Wednesday that she had the opportunity to experience a new Ford electric truck last week.

“Not only did it look cool, but I learned it could act as a generator and power a house for THREE DAYS,” Lummis said. “I’m impressed that Ford is working to make electric vehicles that fit the lifestyles of regular Americans.”

Ford’s 2022 F-150 Lightning truck is the company’s first all-electric, gasoline-free vehicle.

The roughly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal being worked on in the U.S. Congress proposes $7.5 billion for electric vehicle charging stations, according to Reuters.

This spring, the Wyoming Department of Transportation said it was conducting a survey gauging Wyomingites’ desire to add electric vehicle infrastructure in the state.

In some of the final days in his time on the Casper City Council, former Council member Bob Hopkins said that he thinks the city needs to start preparing for a surge in electric vehicle purchases.

Hopkins described the 800-volt charging systems which some new high-end electric vehicles are implementing. Such systems are intended to speed up the rate at which electric car batteries can be charged.

“We simply don’t have enough power available in our power system to allow everybody to buy an electric car that is going to want one,” Hopkins said.

While Forbes reports that global sales of electric vehicles rose 65% from 2017 to 2018 and remained steady in 2019, electric vehicle sales saw a 25% decline during the first quarter of 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Despite these setbacks, EV demand is again expected to rise according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), which sees improved batteries, more readily available charging infrastructure, new markets, and price parity with internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles as major drivers,” Forbes contributor Ariel Cohen writes. “The study finds that EVs hit 10% of global passenger vehicle sales by 2025, rising to 28% in 2030 and 58% in 2040.”