Flying J Building EV Charging Station

The Jamestown, New Mexico Flying J Travel Center is adding an electric vehicle charging station.

The construction is almost done. Unfortunately, we lost many parking spots where they decided to put it.

Here's what it looked like yesterday:

 

Study: 1.1 Million Americans Joining RV Lifestyle, Including EV Owners

If there was one thing we learned (or already should have) during this winter season is that electric vehicles (EV) are useless (and even potentially deadly). There have been numerous reports over the past few weeks that cold temperatures are not good or EV batteries and charging stations.

Despite this, some RV owners are saying they plan on buying an electric vehicle or even already one one, according to a recent study. Others are planning on joining the "RV lifestyle".

RV Travel has posted an article on this study.

They begin it with:

A recent study commissioned by the RV Industry Association (RVIA) concerning electric vehicles (EVs) and EV owners revealed the following:

• 30% of leisure travelers who have used an RV already own an electric vehicle.
• An astonishing 17% of leisure travelers who have used an RV plan to buy an electric vehicle within a year.
• An additional 16% of RV users plan to purchase an electric vehicle sometime in the future.
• 50% of leisure travelers who own an electric vehicle intend to tow an RV with it.
• Remarkably, 22% of current electric vehicle owners and 30% of those planning to buy an electric vehicle are considering purchasing an electric motorhome.

Per the study, “Leisure travelers are defined as any U.S. residents who has taken some type of leisure trip in the past 12 months.”

To read more, go here. 

New Mexico Republican Party: Grisham's EV Mandate Sucks

 The Republican Party of New Mexico emailed the following:

Did you know? Gov. MLG’s unelected board passes highly unpopular rule forcing EV’s on New Mexicans. It’s about to get really hard to buy a gas car in New Mexico. On Thursday, the Environmental Improvement Board (EIB) passed a very controversial and highly opposed rule that will require 43% of all new cars and light-duty trucks imported to be sold in NM be electric vehicles (EVs) starting in 2026. That percentage increases to 82% percent by 2032.  Hypocritically, Gov. Lujan Grisham celebrated the decision by saying, “The adoption of these rules is a victory for customer choice.” This rule does the absolute opposite of what the governor says and strips away choice from New Mexico families. Senator Gregg Schmedes (R-Tijeras) blasted the rule passing despite thousands of New Mexicans, including family-owned auto dealerships, small businesses, and every Republican member of the Legislature submitting comments in opposition. “The unelected EIB has stripped the right of New Mexicans to make the best decision for their families' transportation needs. With this rule in place, New Mexicans will flock to surrounding states to buy affordable and reliable vehicles, harming our local dealers and businesses.” Schmedes said. “Today was further proof that this administration has no interest in acting in the best interest of the people of our state. Instead, they only serve to further the political aspirations of this lame-duck governor.” He’s absolutely right, and sadly, small car dealerships, hard-working low-income families, and rural New Mexicans will be hit the hardest by this new rule. Larry Behrens of “Power the Future” an advocacy group for American energy workers, hit the nail on the head in a statement on the ruling, “If New Mexicans want an electric vehicle today, they are free to buy one. Yet, because of their high price tag and unreliability, they make up less than 1 percent of cars in the state. New Mexicans are rejecting the Governor’s EVs, so she has no choice but to force them on us." Their statement goes on to point out that only 0.8 percent of the cars in New Mexico are electric with the highest percentage of ownership centering around Santa Fe and Northeast Albuquerque. In Gov. MLG fashion of “rules for thee but not for me,” public documents reveal that state employees drove EVs for less than 1 percent of their travel. The Albuquerque Journal blasted the proposed rule bringing up some very valid points that it appears Gov. MLG and her unelected board have no interest in addressing. In an editorial titled, “EV mandates would limit choices and decimate NM auto dealerships,” it reads, “What we don’t hear is about there being only one public EV charging station in Española, at the local electric cooperative, that’s available only during business hours on weekdays. We don’t hear about the limited range of EVs, especially in mountainous areas. We don’t hear about the high propensity of current EV owners who also own a standard vehicle and use it more often than their virtue-signaling EV parked in their two-car garage until the next trip to the country club. We don’t hear about how state law prohibits direct-to-consumer car sales and how Tesla had to locate dealerships on the Nambé and Santa Ana pueblos to sell its EVs. And we haven’t heard a peep about the governor’s motorcade fleet transitioning to electric vehicles. That would seem like a good place to start.” They continue, “Until EVs are good enough for our governor for something other than a photo-op at a news conference, they shouldn’t be crammed down the throats of the other 99.999953% of us.” Once again, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham is bypassing her legislature, bypassing the voices of New Mexicans, and finding ways to dictate her will. It’s nothing new for this governor, but it’s important to realize her actions are very much ignored by the Democratic Party in New Mexico. This proves it will not end with her term, and progressives are taking notes on how to continue these violations of your freedoms. We must elect Republicans up and down the ballot in 2024 because New Mexico, you deserve better.

Winnebago’s Electric RV Prototype

Above, the Winnebago eRV2 camper van. Photo by Winnebago Industries.

With the automotive industry introducing more and more electric vehicles (EV), it was inevitable that RV manufacturers would follow suit.

But is an electric RV practical? I have serious doubts, considering EV technology as it now stands.

Outside magazine's website (Outsideonline.com) has a review of Winnebago's new electric Class B RV, the eRV2. Writer Robert Annis took it out for a test drive (five day's worth) and gives his opinion.

He starts with:

Minutes after Winnebago introduced their electric concept camper van in 2022, I began hounding the company to let me take it for a spin. Thankfully, after unveiling their latest prototype, called the eRV2, earlier this year, they finally relented and agreed to let me borrow it for a five-day test drive in California.

The state has the most charging stations of any other in the country, so I chose to test the eRV2—which will likely be available to consumers early next year—north of the Bay Area, believing it would likely have the best ratio of chargers to gorgeous scenery. I wanted to test the range of the vehicle, the amenities, and the overall comfort to see if it was a practical vehicle for both weekend road trips and extended jaunts. Here’s what I found out.

To read more, go here. 

Lujan Grisham's EV and Gasoline Price Hike Scheme

Above, the future if Lujan Grisham gets her way.

The idiocy of the far-left is astounding. 

They think of themselves as our "lords and masters" and can decree anything they want on the citizenry. The latest is lunatic New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's scheme to force people into electric vehicles. (Where is she going to get the power for recharging stations that currently don't exist? Does the San Juan Generating Station closure ring a bell?) She also wants to hike gasoline prices by over 50 cents per gallon.

She is trying to "Californicate" New Mexico. (Notice how people in Commiefornia are fleeing the state in droves?) Gasoline prices are over $5.00/gallon in Los Angeles. It is currently around $3.19/gallon for unleaded regular in New Mexico.

Some snippets from the Piñon Post:

In her latest act to reach her so-called “climate change” goals, far-left Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham wants to mandate that nearly half of all cars sold in New Mexico be electric vehicles by 2027 (43 percent), she announced on Monday.

The proposed mandate would make the percentage increase to 82 percent by 2032.

The average cost of an electric vehicle is $64,000, while the average cost of a new vehicle in the U.S. is $48,000 — which is 33 percent higher for an electric vehicle.

Also on Monday, the governor demanded the state Legislature pass the extremist “clean fuel standard,” which would hike gas prices by over 50 cents per gallon, according to estimates. The bill has died three years in a row and is unlikely to get through with the makeup of the current New Mexico House and Senate. 

Larry Behrens of the pro-energy group Power The Future wrote of Lujan Grisham’s proposal, “This is another misguided proposal that begs the question if the governor’s electric vehicles are so popular,” adding, “why does she have to force them on us?"

Everyone needs to contact their state representatives and tell them to oppose these radical extremist proposals.

To read the full article (be sure to read the article's comments), go here. 

Congress May Make Automakers Keep AM Radio

Ever since Rush Limbaugh passed away on February 17, 2021, I have not listened to anything on AM radio. Despite that, if I were to buy a new car, I would not want a radio in it that doesn't include the AM band.

AM radio is a vital source for news, weather reports and emergencies. 

But some automakers are dropping the AM band on new EV and some fossil fuel vehicles. This is prompting a, surprisingly, bipartisan response in congress.

From NOLA.com:

WASHINGTON – Reception was scratchy until the AM knob was tuned precisely, but for truckers all over the country in the 1970s and 1980s, WWL’s Charlie Douglas kept them company throughout the night from New Orleans.

The soundtrack for workers on oil rigs off Louisiana’s shore came out of KLEB in Golden Meadow.

Terrestrial radio communication based on "amplitude modulation" was the first national media and came into wide use at the same time as the light bulb. As technology improved, AM evolved to become the primary player of rock and roll, country music and the blues in the 1950s and 1960s.

The latest evolution towards internet streaming and satellite technology poses a fatal risk to AM, and broadcasters are looking for a congressional solution.

Some makers of electric vehicles have stopped including AM radio. A bunch of other manufacturers plan to remove in-dash AM access, even in fossil fuel cars.

WWL and other radio stations around the nation are asking listeners to “take two minutes” to inform Congress of their support for AM radio. Broadcasters this month are on Capitol Hill lobbying for the “AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2023,” or S.1169, which would require installation of AM broadcast radio in cars without cost to the consumer.

Even in a fractured Congress, the bill by Sen. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, has found common ground among usual ideological foes from Texas Sen. Ted Cruz to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

To read more, go here. 

Wyoming Introduces Bill To Ban All New Electric Car Sales

One state is pushing back against California's ban on new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. The ban was adopted by the state's one-party left-wing government.

The state senate of Wyoming has introduced a bill banning the sale of new electric vehicles by 2035. It is the exact opposite of California's law. The "Cowboy State" relies heavily on natural resource extraction and the energy sector for their economy.

No, this isn't from the Babylon Bee.

The California Globe reported:

A new bill introduced in the Wyoming Senate earlier this week proposes to ban the sale of new electric cars by 2035, serving as a direct opposite law, and push back against California’s own law to ban the sale of new gas powered vehicles starting in 2035.

First brought forward as an executive order by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2020, then later formally approved last year, the 2035 law aims to drastically cut back emissions in California as well other states that have passed near carbon-copy laws following California, including Washington State, Massachusetts, and New York. With a growing fleet of electric vehicles, along with more renewable energy sources to help power them, the overall goal is to phase out fossil fuel needs in the coming decades due to climate change and environmental issues.

However, in Wyoming, the state heavily relies on natural resource extraction and the energy sector for their economy. The bill is said to “ensure the stability” of its oil and gas industry.

15.7% of Wyoming’s workforce is tied to the energy sector, with a major disruption, such as California’s 2035 electric car phase out plan and lessening their reliance on fossil fuels, standing the severely cripple the state’s economy in the coming years. Even worse for Wyoming, 59% of Wyoming’s in-state revenue comes from fossil fuels, meaning that the 2035 law and ones similar to it can not only sink Wyoming’s economy, they can also potentially halve Wyoming’s sources of income.

Good for Wyoming! I hope the bill passes and is signed into law.

To read more, go here. 

Vote Out Every Democrat Who Supports The Clean Car Rule

Did you know that New Mexico depends on the oil & gas industry for 35% of the state budget? That's $2.9 billion dollars!

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and the lunatic Democrats in the state legislature want to "phase out" new gasoline and diesel-fueled vehicles starting in 2026.

• New Mexico: Last month the state’s Clean Car Rule became the standard. The state will start phasing out gas engine powered cars, trucks, and SUVs in 2026. (Source: RV Travel)

That's only four years away! New Mexico is not a rich state. There's a lot of poverty here. How are people going to afford electric vehicles, especially those in tribes? For starters (pardon the pun), how are people going to afford to replace EV batteries? 

According to Auto Week:

In 2016, studies found that the cost of a typical EV battery replacement could reach $10,000 or more.

Also, where is the state going to make up the lost revenue? They would have to hike property taxes. Property owners would have to hike rents to compensate for the tax hike. People charging their electric vehicles would also have to pay an additional tax at the charging station (if they can find one). The sales tax would have to be hiked. 

Being forced to buy something you don't want (electric vehicles) is not freedom, folks!

We are already seeing the chaos these kinds of policies are causing in California. Last week, Californians were asked not to charge their EVs so not to strain the state's power grid. This will happen in New Mexico!

You can stop this Leftist lunacy this November by voting out every Democrat who supports this. That starts with Lujan Grisham on down. Elect a Republican governor and legislative candidates who pledge to repeal the Clean Car Rule. (By the way, where does Republican nominee Mark Ronchetti stand on this?)

Pass this on!

California's New Vehicle Engine Rules and RVs

Above, well, at least it's a Jeep.

The lunacy that dominates many state governments in voting to phase out gasoline vehicles to deal with climate change is running rampant, predominantly in blue (or Democrat) states. Welcome to the new socialism!

California's unelected California Air Enforcement Board has enacted new rules that will ban the sale of new gas-fueled vehicles by 2035. That's only 13 years away, folks. The only way to stop this craziness is to vote out every damn Democrat!

RV Travel takes a look at how this affects RVs.

They begin with:

Earlier this week, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) enacted new rules with huge implications. Come 2035, with few exceptions, only new “zero emissions” cars and pickups can be sold in the Golden State. That will include many Class C motorhomes. It’s expected that another 15 states will follow California’s lead.

By 2045, most Class A motorhome sales will see the same fate. The only “gas burning” engine vehicles exempted from the ban will be “plug-in hybrid” units that will still be allowed under the 2035 ban. What will happen to RVers? What about other related services that could have a deep impact under the new regulations?

As for my own state of New Mexico, the lunacy is as follows:

• New Mexico: Last month the state’s Clean Car Rule became the standard. The state will start phasing out gas engine powered cars, trucks, and SUVs in 2026.

That's only four years away! New Mexico is not a rich state. There's a lot of poverty here. How are people going to afford electric vehicles, especially those in tribes? For starters (pardon the pun), how are people going to afford to replace EV batteries? 

Here's an example (and this is for a current hybrid vehicle):

We can start fighting against this insanity by voting out Michelle Lujan Grisham and every Democrat legislator in November!

To read the full article, go here.

National Parks To Get EV Charging Stations

Above, a Sinclair gasoline pump at Yellowstone National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Charging stations for electric vehicles (EV) will be installed at 100 locations in U.S. national parks.

According to The Drive:

BMW is teaming up with the National Park Service and the Department of Energy to expand America’s EV charging network. Out of America’s 417 national parks, up to 100 new charging stations are going to be installed. BMW says these stations will be compatible with every electric car sold in America. 

Ludwig Willisch, the head of BMW Group Region Americas said in a press conference, “I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the next 100 years of both the BMW Group and National Park Service than by making America’s national parks more accessible to drivers of electric vehicles.”

Specific sites are still to be determined. They will be taking a look at all 417 national parks and figure out where charging stations "make the most sense."

I would guess that Yellowstone National Park would be a logical national park to have charging stations, considering its size and that it has gasoline stations (Sinclair Oil Co.) in the park. Another park, Grand Canyon National Park, would be another logical choice for the same reasons.

To read more, go here.