I think we are talking about two different grids in two very different countries. We are going to have to spend an incredible amount of money here to make the required changes. This is on top of everything else, water supply and sewage system also must be upgraded. Basic things that will cost an enormous amount of money. You see, this should have been done years ago. But it was put off again and again. The people in charge handed the problem over to the next group of people in charge. And they handed it over to the next group, no one actually did anything.
This is not as simple as it may sound, it's not just about buying a new car. This transition to electric cars must be financed, it will be extremely expensive and it will be financed mostly with tax money. Right now we already have problems here, everything is more expensive than it was just 5 years ago. Just the price of food is up 20-30%. Bankruptices are up over 20% so far this year and it will get worse. We already pay 60-80% tax total and we can't just keep taking on more expenses all the time. But the taxes will go up now, again. I'm paying until I bleed these days, it's not fun.
So we are being squeezed every day, it's hard times. This is much more complex than just buying a new car, this will affect everyone, not just car buyers. Simply put, the authorities are running us into the ground. What we the people need or want seem to not matter much. There has been no voting or anything like that about this, no one asked us what we want or need. We're just told what to do these days. And now they are telling us we have to finance this project and that they will decide what cars we can buy.
The US and Norway really aren't that far off in some of this. Our infrastructure in most small to medium-sized communities are 50-100 years old in terms of plumbing and electricity (with minor local improvements). Grid outages in rural communities are common, and most homes in these areas have generator backup, because it can be out for several days. Bridges and roads are crumbling, and even if repairs are done, it's with the cheapest materials from the cheapest company bid. They don't last long and within 10 years they're pot hole ridden and "bumpity, bumpity" down the road beating up your vehicle. We don't have smooth roads in the northern half of the country. Temperature changes create cracks in the materials, water seeps in, and they erode quickly. It's never ending construction zones in cities as soon as the snow melts. Prices of everyday things, groceries, petrol, homes, vehicles (EVs dropped in price), and pretty much everything have increased about the same rate in the US as Norway (I did a little research). Small-medium-sized businesses were crushed during and post the pandemic. Our Federal reserve bank increased rates significantly, hurting the economy across the board. Our personal tax rates in the US are on a sliding scale, depending upon income, but can be as high as 37%. Personally, I am at 24%, then another 7% or so for Social Security/Medicare, then my retirement contribution is an additional 28% (employee adjustable), so I am basically taking home about 30% of my Gross. In our situation, my wife and I have got it balanced so that we end up with about the same balance in the checking account after groceries, etc. each 2 weeks pay period. We run a "tight ship" and are pretty disciplined. So, if you are in that 60-80% total taxes in Norway, you and I are about the same, plus-minus.
The differences perhaps, what has happened the past 10 years or so, is the electric utility providers have decommissioned many of the old coal plants, initially with natural gas and wind, and then the past 2-3 years solar and battery. I am not sure how much extra capacity was built into the system. The EV charging network has expanded quite quickly in the past 10 years, and is now filling in to those more rural, "off-the-beaten path" areas slowly. There are places in northern Michigan (I live in the southern Michigan) where high-speed EV chargers are so far apart, they are essentially useless, and if I wish to travel there, I need to rent a petrol-fueled vehicle. We don't have any
federal mandates regarding the people to purchase EVs, but rather it's putting the "thumb screws" to the legacy auto makers to meet emissions and mileage standards, which they really are unable to do unless they transition to electrified drivetrains. California and a few other
states have mandates beginning in 2030-2035 for cars and light-duty trucks. Furthermore, the average cost of a new EV is currently, in 2024, at or even slightly below the average cost of a new ICE vehicle. Many of the used EVs are significantly lower in price than a used ICE vehicle. Tesla's mission is to continuously drop the prices of their vehicles as their production costs drop, which owners like myself, if we get in an auto wreck, our insurance will only give us the money of what it is currently worth, which might not cover the cost of the original auto loan when the car was more expensive years ago. It's an interesting situation when people like me paid $10,000+ more then, than what a new one is now.
We don't have the power grid or charging stations needed for that and the cost of electric car repair is amazingly high here. It's going to suck so much.
Forcing us to drive electric and selling lots of oil.
