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[deleted] t1_j6p7rt9 wrote

Reply to comment by degggendorf in A team of people studying noise pollution in Providence says the city is inordinately loud for its size – a problem that impacts public health as well as the environment. by GoxBoxSocks

Mufflers will disappear with the deprecation of internal combustion cars. The more the state does to facilitate easy EV charging and make gas car ownership difficult, the faster that transition will happen.

An end to permits for new gas stations, and a sunsetting of gas station permits as the owners decommission them would help. So would a significant annual increase in the gas and diesel tax over the next decade.

RI is ideal as a pioneering EV state because of our small size and tilt towards green energy under state law. Reduced surface street noise pollution would be a welcome outcome of such an approach.

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degggendorf t1_j6p8kn3 wrote

Absolutely! The natural (as opposed to forced) proliferation of electrified vehicles can't come soon enough! We are improving, but I think we especially need to support cheaper EVs for lower income people. It's a rich-get-richer kind of situation where the wealthy person is saving money on gas after buying an expensive EV, while the less well off person is getting drained at the pump.

I appreciate our commitment to green energy generation as well, and again feel like we can and should be doing even better.

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[deleted] t1_j6p9dy1 wrote

These days an EV isn’t any more expensive than a new gas car.

A Chevy Bolt costs about as much a a gas powered Malibu. A Ford Mach E costs the same as an Edge or Explorer. And things will only get more affordable as GM and others launch new vehicles like the pending $30K Equinox EV.

The time to get started is now, IMO. The more obnoxious straight-pipe mods we get off the streets, the quieter they’ll be.

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degggendorf t1_j6pa4hp wrote

> These days an EV isn’t any more expensive than a new gas car.

I'm not sure that's true, but also......toooons of people can't afford a new gas car either.

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[deleted] t1_j6pa8s6 wrote

Used car prices need to come down, yes. But EVs cost about what a comparable gas car costs, new.

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degggendorf t1_j6pbr2o wrote

I don't mean to argue, but that's just not true. Look at the list you gave...

A Bolt is a compact hatch, while a Malibu is a full size sedan but still $1k cheaper.

A Mach-E starts at $46,000 after a price reduction last week. An Explorer starts at $36k, and an Edge starts just under $38k (which is interesting, I would have thought an Explorer would be more expensive).

The hypothetical $30k Equinox is more than the $26k gas Equinox.

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[deleted] t1_j6pck0o wrote

You’re comparing base retail prices.

Go look at the cars that are actually for sale. Compare prices at Tasca Ford for an Edge or Explorer with the price for a Mach E.

Same is true with the Malibu. Check out and compare the prices for vehicles on the lots at a Chevy dealer.

You’re also ignoring the $7,500 income tax credit that comes with the EVs. For the average buyer, they’re significantly cheaper after the credit than a comparable ICE vehicle — even if you manage to find the rare strippo base model ICE machines you’re pricing out there.

For example, you won’t find that base $26K Equinox gas anywhere in RI at any dealer lot. You will find a $30K Equinox EV when it launches — and with the tax credit it will be a $23,500 Equinox EV.

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degggendorf t1_j6ph9i4 wrote

>You’re also ignoring the $7,500 income tax credit that comes with the EVs.

You mean the one half the manufacturers aren't eligible for? The one that still requires someone to front the money, and have a federal tax liability high enough to claim the credit against? Those are significant stumbling blocks for a lot of folks.

>You will find a $30K Equinox EV when it launches

I don't believe it.

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