U.S. Rep. Bob Latta wants to ensure Ohioans can buy and drive whatever car they want.
Mr. Latta (R., Bowling Green) sponsors the Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act, which would prevent any state from setting a stricter emission standard than the national standard.
The bill targets California, which has announced plans to phase out internal combustion engines by 2035. Because California and the 17 states that follow its vehicle standards account for 40 percent of the new car market, a ban there would effectively be a national ban.
“No industry would continue to spend resources to manufacture and sell a product they would be restricted from accessing 40 percent of the market,” Mr. Latta said.
“California could dictate to really the rest of the country what we are going to drive, and I do not believe that is correct,” Mr. Latta said. “We want to make sure that Americans drive what they believe is best for them.”
He isn’t opposed to the progress toward electric vehicles but has several concerns.
“An EV costs much more than a standard combustion engine vehicle, so you are going to deprive a lot of Americans of the ability to drive a vehicle,” Mr. Latta said. “I want to make sure the consumers have that choice that you can buy and drive whatever you want.”
Toledo-area and Ohio residents are buying electric vehicles at less than half the pace as the nation on average, a fact that auto dealers and analysts chalk up to consumer price sensitivity, hit-and-miss charging infrastructure, and vehicle availability.
An EV can cost $10,000 to $15,000 more than a traditional internal combustion engine.
Additionally, Mr. Latta doesn’t believe the electric infrastructure can support mass adoptions of EVs at this time, recalling how days after California’s announcement, residents were asked not to charge their EVs because of the high demand caused by a heat wave.
“You have all these factors, and when they think there is a panacea that is going to happen in less than 12 years, that’s impossible,” Mr. Latta. “We have to have more power production.”
He said the still growing charging network and cold-weather conditions that zap battery range are too restrictive.
“The American people want the convenience to get out there and go where they want to,” Mr. Latta said. “I am concerned how a de facto ban on internal combustion engine vehicles will impact grid reliability and what it will mean for our energy needs.”
He said that various studies have predicted that the United States would need anywhere from 4 percent to 50 percent more electricity to support an all-EV fleet.
That range and lack of certainty on what will be needed are concerns, Mr. Latta said.
“It would behoove policymakers both at the state and federal levels to make sure they have their numbers straight and understand what is really possible to accomplish on the power generation front before mandating these types of policies that are based on ideological desires.”
PJM is a regional transmission organization that coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity in all or parts of 13 states and the District of Columbia, including Ohio.
PJM spokesman Dan Lockwood said the growth of plug-in electric vehicles, driven by both state and federal policy, will most likely impact the pattern of peak-day energy demand and drive moderate increases in peak energy consumption.
“PJM and other grid operators must plan and prepare for peak load — that is, the time when energy use is at its highest,” he said. “The impact of EVs on peak load may be minimized if state and federal policies incentivize consumer behavior that shifts charging to off-peak periods.”
Based on PJM’s 2023 load forecast report, PEVs account for about 134 MW of summer peak load today. In 15 years, that number is expected to rise to approximately 1,700 MW.
While it is a sharp increase over the time period due to broader PEV adoption, in context, this is only about 1 percent of PJM’s total summer peak load, Mr. Lockwood said.
The bill, which is also sponsored by U.S. Reps. John Joyce (R., Pa.), Gus Bilirakis (R, Fla.), and Jay Obernolte (R., Calif.), passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and it awaits consideration by the full House.
First Published August 20, 2023, 6:23 p.m.
