Catch 22,  was a novel, eventually made into a movie, by American author Joseph Heller. The name refers to a circumstance or rule that denies a solution.

Okay, that brings us to the word Energy. So, what came first, gasoline, or the automobile? Obviously an early derivative gasoline had come first, otherwise what would we have to power the early autos? But wait, the need for more refined gasoline was created to power the coming mass increase in automobiles.

Then what created the early gas station outlets need to power the autos? My guess - since we needed gas stations - was wagons pulled by horses, real horsepower.

Combustion engines work with fossil fuels, gasoline produced from oil, produced by living matter that has decayed over millions of years.

Another fossil fuel - coal - produces energy that supplies energy. So does another offshoot - natural gas.

No question the burning of fossil fuels creates a bad build up of carbon dioxide, proven to cause massive changes on earth, in the form of polluted air and climate change.

Okay, we have gotten through the fossil fuel scenario, let’s move on.

Decades ago, major companies and too often denying politicians, saw first minor, then major changers in the atmosphere. Alternatives to fossil fuels, an undeniable end to their stainability would come.

Big corporations, making Billions PER DAY, often fought the news of climate change. So did politicians lining their pockets with big bucks to survive power grabs.

Alternative energy sources had to be found and implemented. The sun? Sure, early technology showed we could harness the rays and turn it into electricity, so could wind turbines, geothermal, nuclear, hydroelectric, biomass and several others.

But fossil fuels are easy, cheaper. They keep gasoline, drillers, miners and convenient store employment high. They also keep cash flowing to mega-giants. 

Alas, we are at the new ‘Catch 22’. Tooling for new technology takes time. Meanwhile employment will suffer.  (But not really due to new technology jobs). Some of the new energy sources still have some pollution problems, but they are being addressed, by a demanding buying public.

The roar of the engine and the smell of burning fuel is a high, a high I will never surrender. The tug and pull from old fossil fuels to newer changes is scary.

Now for an update. Yes, there are solutions to even recycling the newer batteries and forms of energy. Progress is being made daily. Yes, the costs are higher to some in the present, but just like comparing a horse to an early auto, prices are dropping. More ‘service’ locations, just like in the early days, is building on a daily basis.

So, are battery powered vehicles the end all to fossil fuel? Absolutely not. Go back to the 1980s. Scientists and manufacturers were already working on turning abundant, non-polluting hydrogen into a clean energy source. That evolving science is continuing.

Just like the transformation from fossil to battery, change takes time. The near future power sources will eventually obliterate the long dead dinosaurs and vegetation that became oil and coal.

Personally, as I have reported before,  the Holdrakers have two electric vehicles, all battery powered tools, a new fully battery operated lawn tractor and solar panels to provide solar  energy. We also recycle to the max.

The prices are dropping rapidly and government entities now are pushing electric and solar investments with tax advantages that bring in price comparisons to older technologies.

Basically, every auto maker is changing production lines from combustion engines to electric over the next decade, some even sooner.

We have estimated our investments in solar panels have a payback of three years. The electric vehicles require no gas, or oil to produce energy and our current models run 259 miles between charges. The average American vehicle travels about 50 miles, or less per day.

The newer models coming up can  travel up to 600 miles, or more on a charge. There are few moving parts and the only service call I ever had was for a radio problem.

Medium and larger trucks are rolling out, replacing the old fossil fueled  service and 18 wheeler cargo haulers. 

The new energy sources are here and the acceptance will improve when production gears up, prices drop, along with the fast growing number of charger stations and charging times.

As for the NEVER ELECTRIC...Some people still ride horses.