BY DR. GLENN MOLLETTE 

Will you own an electric car? If you live long enough and that’s all that is being made, you probably will. Many of us will hold out for as long as possible. 

I’m all for electric cars, especially if someone else is buying them. If 20 percent of America’s driving population goes to the electric vehicle (EV), then surely gasoline will become cheaper. Fewer people buying gasoline will reduce the demand, and it should reduce the price. We hope. 

California will not allow the sale of gasoline cars by 2035.

This same state told EV drivers not to charge their electric cars during the past Labor Day weekend when the temperatures were expected to hit triple digits for millions of residents, putting a drain on the power grid.

This brings us to the same crisis every community will face. America’s power grids aren’t ready to accommodate millions of EVs plugging in for a recharge. The prospects of city and regional blackouts are alarming. You can forget charging your car. You won’t be able to charge your cellphone or have air conditioning or heat during a blackout.

I’m not opposed to electric cars. I am opposed to them being crammed down our throats. The manufacturers are being pushed to eventually eliminate all gasoline vehicles. We will see how this goes over the next 10 years.

Plan to spend some money. A local salesman talked to me about an electric Mustang stickered at $48,000, but they were asking $58,000 because, as he said, “We can get it.” I didn’t want the car to begin with but was curious about the car.

It sounds time-consuming to recharge an EV, although some EVs promise up to a 150-mile charge in a short amount of time.

EVs could mean fewer people on America’s Interstates. Currently, in most American communities, it’s much easier to go home to recharge at your own power station. Cross-country driving will be out of the question or very difficult in an EV for the next two or three years. Currently, an EV will go about 250 to 350 miles on a charge. This means you will always be searching for the next power station. This will be a major lifestyle change.

There are reports that Pilot and Flying J will have charging stations installed by 2025 and are spending a billion dollars to upgrade their facilities. They will also want to recoup their costs.

The car will cost you more money. You will spend anywhere from $2,000 (low minimum) to $6,000 to install a station at your home — and this is all variable. To keep your car charged at home will cost you about what you spend on your monthly electric bill now. So, figure your electric bill doubling if you’re lucky.

You may want something different in your life, and an EV may be just what you want. There is a lot to consider; on some level, they will eventually impact our lives.

Dr. Glenn Mollette is a graduate of numerous schools, including Georgetown College, Southern and Lexington Seminaries in Kentucky. He is the author of 13 books, including “Uncommon Sense,” “Grandpa’s Store,” “Minister’s Guidebook Insights from a Fellow Minister.” His column is published weekly in over 600 publications in all 50 states. Listen every weekday at 8:56 a.m. on XM radio 131, visit him online at glennmollette.com. “Grandpa’s Store” is a fun and adventure-filled story from the perspective of a child and young teen in the late 50s and early 70s, an era of simpler American small community life. Available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.