About two-thirds of the greenhouse gases emitted in the United States come from transportation and buildings, with the rest coming from industry and agriculture. The largest single use of energy by industry comes from the production of concrete.
Imagine a typical day, pre-pandemic. You leave your (at least partly) concrete home where you have most of your meals; drive on concrete roads and bridges; enter the office building where you work; and on the way home, you stop at Whole Foods, CVS, and to pick up your kids from school. Are you concerned about greenhouse gas emissions and their effect on our climate, such as increased drought and wildfires? What can you do?
Some of the emissions are out of your immediate control, such as concrete production, the lights and refrigerators at Whole Foods, and agricultural policy. But you can make your house an emissions "dribbler" rather than a "gusher" by making it energy efficient and counting on green energy from solar and other renewable sources, like MCE, to power your HVAC, applications, and electronics.
And, flush from rebates and tax credits, you can make your next car an electric car. President Biden signed an Executive Order requiring that half of new vehicles be zero-emitting by 2030, including all-electric, plug-in hybrids, and fuel cell vehicles. The electric cars you’ve probably seen the most on roads and highways in the past several years were Teslas, Nissan Leafs, and Chevy Bolts. But our choices are expanding with traditional car companies like Volkswagen and Audie offering all-electric vehicles. Last year we had 40 models from which to choose. Battery costs are dropping, and vehicle range is increasing.
Part of President Biden’s $3.5 trillion proposed legislation will make significant rebates available to electric car buyers. Total tax credits could total $12,500—for cars and batteries made in the United States by union labor. That’s the plan, but who knows what will come out of Congress in the end. Stay tuned.
Help is also available locally—the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s (BAAQMD’s) Clean Cars for All program. Eligibility depends on location, income, and the type and age of the vehicle you trade in. Only people living within zip codes most affected by pollution can apply. Incomes need to be less than 400% of the local median, and cars to turn in must be built before 2005. Grants range from $5,000 to $9,500. Only certain new car outlets offer the grants, and you must take your old car to an accredited demolition site for inspection, and later, for demolition. You can also apply for $2,000 to cover the cost of a home charging system!
A local nonprofit dedicated to reducing carbon emissions through electrification, Drive Clean Bay Area, is also smoothing the way for you to purchase electric and plug-in electric vehicles through its EV Discount Campaign, which runs through October 15th. The campaign offers discounts on 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 and 2022 Audie e-tron electric vehicles and the 2022 BMW xDrive45e plug-in electric vehicle. Discounts include a federal tax credit of $7,500, a California Clean Fuel Rebate of $1,500, and a home charging tax credit of $1,000. All three cars have MSRPs over $40,000, and because of auto parts shortages due to the COVID-19m epidemic, customers are paying as much as $3,000 over MSRP. Remember, you need to apply to the EV Discount Campaign by October 15, so get on it!
The abundance of electric cars on the market and the significant tax credits and grants available are indeed—someone, please call the Pun Police—electrifying!
(Photo by Charlotte Stowe on Unsplash)
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