California Governor Newsom has signed an executive order to require the state air resources board to ban new gasoline powered cars within 15 years. We need to create an environment for this action to succeed.
One of the immediate criticisms is the lack of infrastructure for widespread use of electric vehicles. We need enough charging stations to make electric vehicles a viable alternative to gas powered vehicles. Gas powered vehicles already have a “charging” station infrastructure. They are called gas stations. They will become uneconomic if there are no gas powered cars, but they could have a new life if they add electric charging stations.
Oil companies are run by people, many of whom are quite aware of the dangers of AGW. At the same time, they are business people. I inherited a small amount of Chevron stock, and I have read their stock-holder reports. Chevron, and I assume other oil companies as well, have business plans to try to make a profit under various oil use scenarios. They will make more profit if oil use is stable or grows. This shows in Chevron’s plans; they discuss following social pressure to reduce oil consumption, and while they describe efforts to reduce waste and improve efficiency within the company, there is no plan to push for a reduction consumer demand. Chevron’s profits are highly weighted towards their upstream (production and exploration) portion of their business. They have transition plans to increase renewables, invest in “breakthrough” technologies, and test electric vehicle chargers at stations, but they do not appear to be in huge hurry to reduce their profits from their upstream business. Left alone, by 2050 they may actually start to look like an energy and chemical company instead of an oil company, but that is too long.
Most gas stations are independently owned. Branded gas stations benefit from national advertising, but still have to pay their own bills. A few “test” charging stations in the few stations actually owned by an oil company are not going to make any difference. If oil companies want to continue in business by making the transition to being energy companies then one possible strategy is to capitalize now on their existing refueling infrastructure. If they do not capitalize on this infrastructure they will likely be displaced by other players in the market. The oil companies have the capital. They can install and lease solar panels and charging platforms to their branded dealers. In fact, if they are avaricious enough, they can offer them to their competitor’s dealers and possibly gain gasoline sales on a temporary basis..
Newsom’s order gives us a chance to accelerate the transition of oil companies to being energy and chemical companies. It gives individuals an avenue to press for action by the companies, and to press the state to produce an environment which makes company action good business. If you own stock in an oil company write a letter to the board asking them to set aside funding and develop a business plan with an actual time table to install electric charging stations at their current branded gas station locations. On September 23 the SEC proposed a change for the rules for stockholder proposals that will raise the threshold for stock ownership 60 days after publication in the federal register. Currently if you own $2,000 in stock for more than a year you may submit a shareholder proposal. Please consider it.
If you are a Californian, you can contact the California ARB:
(800) 242-4450 | helpline@arb.ca.gov
1001 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
P.O. Box 2815, Sacramento, CA 95812
Request them to require that gas stations install an electric charging station, and request that they set a time-table to get this done in advance of 2035. Contact your local building department to develop procedures to ease and speed the installation solar panels and charging stations at gas stations. Contact your congressperson to consider tax incentives for gas stations that install solar panels and/or charging stations. These efforts will affect unbranded gas stations as well as branded ones.
Act now. The time is late.