MICHIGAN, USA — Electric vehicles have been around for several years but have not reached the mainstream of the American auto industry. With Earth Day nearing, ABC's Chief Meteorologist, Ginger Zee, is setting off on a week-long electric vehicle road trip to show its sustainability from big cities to small-town USA.
Meteorologist Blake Hansen spoke to Ginger one on one about the trip and its purpose.
QUESTION: Why should consumers in the public, in general, care about electric vehicles now more than ever?
GINGER: “It has. And you know, globally, we are way behind 6.6 million electric vehicles were sold last year, only 4% of that was in America. So China and Europe, they're buying electric vehicles, they've got the infrastructure, and they're way ahead, they're already saving.”
“You have to think about the benefits of the planet. Our personal transportation makes up some of the biggest, more than a quarter of, greenhouse gas emissions from transportation and personal vehicles is half of that. We can make a big dent if we make a change.”
QUESTION: What do you think are some misconceptions about electric vehicles?
GINGER: “I get the same response every time I post anything about it. And that is, ‘well what about those batteries? Where did those go when they're done?’ There's a company called Redwood Materials out of Utah, and they are going to make money off of this. So the moment somebody makes money off of recycling a battery, don't worry about the batteries, they're going to be taken care of.”
QUESTION: How is the auto industry adapting here in the United States? And what do you hope to see the big three do in the near and long term future to lead the charge and electric vehicles?
GINGER: “The Big Three is changing the game. Ford F-150, that Silverado coming on the market. When you start to add trucks and SUVs, things that Americans want and you make them electric, now you're talking. No longer are these concept vehicles. No longer are they just tiny things driving around San Francisco.”
“That's the beauty of this is that we're seeing the body of these change, but they still have the power, they still have all of these - I was in one the other day, they're gorgeous - and the price point will keep coming down.”
QUESTION: What are you hoping to achieve on this road trip?
GINGER: “I think everyone's aware that you would save money if you would, especially right now with gas.”
“We’re also going to be stopping, not just at Ford and showing off Detroit’s rebirth of the automobile but going to Tennessee where thousands of jobs are piling on because they’re trying to be the next Detroit kind of. Where they want the Evie capital fleet to be right there in Chattanooga and surrounding areas. We’re going to go through Georgia to a small city where charging stations have sprung up everywhere to show that it’s not just on highways. And then eventually we’ll make it to Miami.”
“I want to show people you can do it but there are going to be challenges.”
The road trip includes stops in Detroit, Michigan, Chattanooga, Tennessee, Tifton, Georgia, and finishing in Miami, Florida.
You can catch Ginger Zee and her electric vehicle road trip all week long on Good Morning America after 13 ON YOUR SIDE Mornings.
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