WEST GARDINER, Maine — A daily gallon of gasoline was nonetheless priced at $4.14 on the Maine Turnpike relaxation cease in West Gardiner on Saturday.
However whereas dozens of automobiles pulled via the Citgo station over a couple of hours, the close by electrical automobile charging station sat empty.
Excessive gas prices in latest months have additional highlighted the attraction of electrical automobiles, which had already seen rising demand in Maine for a number of years. With the transportation sector accounting for greater than half of greenhouse gasoline emissions right here, broad adoption of electrical automobiles can also be central to the state’s local weather objectives.
Beneath Gov. Janet Mills, the state has set bold targets together with having 219,000 electrical passenger automobiles on the street by 2030 as a part of an effort to cut back emissions 45 %. Electrical automobile gross sales have shot up lately because the state has upped monetary incentives and put in charging infrastructure.
However latest international provide chain issues have additionally compelled Mainers into lengthy waits for each plug-in hybrid and battery-electric automobiles, in addition to conventional gas-powered automobiles. That’s an annoyance for patrons, but additionally poses a broader problem because the state seems to be to extend the variety of electrical automobiles on the street right here sixfold within the subsequent few years.
“We’re in a extremely attention-grabbing and difficult dilemma in that we have now these very aggressive EV and local weather objectives, and we have now inflation and excessive gasoline costs, which might usually make EVs very engaging,” mentioned Jeff Marks, senior coverage advocate on the Acadia Heart, an environmental nonprofit. “However then you will have these provide stock points which can be actually holding issues again.”
The variety of electrical automobiles registered in Maine greater than doubled from 2018 to 2021, state knowledge present. However the present whole, round 6,000 automobiles, continues to be a far cry from the state’s 2025 purpose of getting 41,000 such automobiles on the street.
Electrical automobile purchases in Maine rose quickly within the first half of 2021, accounting for roughly 3.7 % of recent passenger automobile gross sales from January via June, up from 1.5 % in 2020. However gross sales slowed within the second half of the yr because of decreased stock.
“There aren’t sufficient automobiles,” mentioned Adam Lee, chairman of the board at Lee Auto Malls who’s himself an electrical automobile proprietor. “It doesn’t matter how many individuals need to purchase them if we will’t provide the automobiles.”
The issue isn’t distinctive to Maine. World demand for electrical automobiles has pushed up the prices of key minerals, similar to nickel and lithium. President Joe Biden invoked a federal legislation month to boost domestic production of minerals wanted for automobile batteries, however the results of that order will take time.
When the provision chain points are resolved is “anyone’s guess,” mentioned Molly Siegel, program director for Effectivity Maine, the quasi-state company that oversees packages geared toward decreasing greenhouse gasoline emissions.
“It’s very difficult, as a result of the provision chain consists of battery supplies, minerals [and] chips, so it’s actually arduous to say when that may let up,” Siegel mentioned. “It’s going to finally let up, however we don’t know if that’s going to be six months, or a yr, or two years.”
Whereas provide chain challenges are largely out of the state’s management, Effectivity Maine has been working to put in charging stations on key journey corridors and providing grants to assist companies, municipalities and multi-family dwelling items arrange charging stations. On Friday, Mills introduced that Bangor will receive $50,000 to put in extra public charging stations as a part of a smattering of Earth Day grants to municipalities.
Effectivity Maine additionally provides rebates for purchases of recent electrical automobiles, decreasing automobile prices by as much as $2,000 for many shoppers, $5,500 for low-income households and $7,500 for municipalities and nonprofits.
Though provide chain points might mute the short-term impact of those packages on electrical automobile gross sales, the better charging availability might make electrical automobile adoption simpler for shoppers down the road. Such packages additionally purpose to make entry to electrical automobiles extra equitable.
Electrical automobile purchases have largely been concentrated in wealthier components of the state. Amongst municipalities with at the least 1,000 individuals, the cities of Cape Elizabeth and Cumberland had the best focus of electrical automobiles as of 2020, state knowledge present.
Serving to low- and middle-income Mainers set up house charging programs will probably be key to broader electrical automobile adoption, mentioned Jonathan Rubin, an economics professor on the College of Maine whose analysis focuses on power and transportation points. He famous that Maine usually has an previous housing inventory, with many houses not geared up for speedy charging.
Bettering entry to electrical automobiles for Mainers in different components of the state would additionally assist with the state’s local weather objectives, as a result of rural residents are even much less prone to have entry to public transportation, he famous.
Rubin received a battery electrical automobile of his personal, a Volkswagen ID.4, a couple of months in the past. It shipped from Germany eight months after he had ordered it.
“We’re making good progress,” he mentioned. “However to get 200,000 automobiles in eight years is a giant problem.”
