Jim Bates: The EV party is over

A woman charges her Kia Niro EV car at a Charge Point charging station in the Olive Street Parking Garage in Greenfield.

A woman charges her Kia Niro EV car at a Charge Point charging station in the Olive Street Parking Garage in Greenfield. STAFF FILE PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ

Published: 02-15-2024 7:31 PM

The climate activists in our valley have been partying like it’s 1999, RIP Prince. Our illustrious new governor recently announced $50 million to built EV charging infrastructure across the state. 

What’s wrong with this picture?

State revenues fell for the last six months, adding up to a budget deficit of $1 billion, prompting Gov. Maura Healey to propose closing a state prison and cutting the budgets of fire departments across the state. Brilliant!

I don’t get it, do you?

Recent headlines from across the internet — Volvo, an early electric car adopter, cuts off funding for its EV affiliate; Ford Motor Co. is slashing production of its F-150 Lightning EV truck; Hertz decides to sell 20,000 EVs, or about one-third of its electric fleet; and General Motors last month told its Chevrolet dealers to stop selling its electric Blazer SUV.

Activists can’t see the forest through the trees. The EV party is over, why throw good money after bad?

Why do you keep electing liberal Democrats for local and state elections over and over? This trend must change.

Jim Bates

Gill