It’s been nearly a year since we placed our order for the RT1 electric pickup truck…..and our test drive was way back in June.
Our mission is to ride our ebikes across the old mining passes and wander through these historic sites reflecting on what it might have been like in the late 1800s. Or maybe just to get out and ride. Yeah, probably that one.
When our predecessors traveled across these same paths looking for gold and a new life they had mules and wagons, we have batteries and charging stations. Meanwhile, the earth yawns. But getting to-and-from our appointed rounds in the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness we pioneers have been dependent upon the technology of the day to get us there. And you know what they say about pioneers? “They’re the ones who get the arrows”.
So with electrik bikes and an electrik truck we shall ride on a steady stream of electrons next to the past with a new perspective from which to opine and reflect.
While waiting for delivery of the last instrument of our orkestra (the EV), we’ve been to Lake City, ridden Boreas Pass, explored Clark and the Steamboat Springs/Stagecoach area, driven to Sun Valley, explored the backside of the Collegiate Peaks, and completed the famous Mineral Trail around Leadville. We’ve put about 300 miles on our ebikes, all above 8500 feet, but nothing gets us as high as the thought of that Rivian truck taking us into the new frontier of electric vehicles.
Rivian keeps us in the loop with emails on when to expect the RT1 and we’re now penciling in the December/January window for a mellow-yellow, 4 door, 5 passenger 860HP, quad motor truck with 316 miles of range. That’s a lot of bells, and I’ve got ringing in my head. But enough of that. We’ve made the leap into the future and we’re not coming back. To the future.
Time Keeps on Tickin’
According to some scientists, the world has about 9 years before climactic disasters become a “regular” part of the routine. In World War II, when faced with an existential threat from an overwhelming and powerful enemy on the move against them, Great Britain, led by a visionary and charismatic leader, was able to mobilize as an entire country into a singularly focused effort to survive, defend, and finally, to overcome those imminent and incredible odds.
Within a year, the English channeled their collective efforts into a force that changed the history of the world. And probably saved civilization (as was known at the time), at least for the following half century, or so. So here we are again, looking into the abyss.
The threat from der Fuhrer was pretty obvious and tangible. The threat from climate change has been like watching glaciers grow, or recede, but inexorably and equally consequential. Undeniably, D Day is coming, sooner or later and without an appropriate response on a very large scale, we’re going to lose this planetary war. The key to Great Britain’s success in WWII was a planned response and determined execution lead by a inspirational visionary.
Where are we going?
In the absence of a Winston Churchill, hero, and A. Hitler, villain, and that dynamic which created a clear and dramatic backdrop for social and governmental action, perhaps we need to take our own steps and be our own visionaries. Each of us. Perhaps, by finishing with the fossil fuel phenomenon on a personal basis and electrifying our own vehicles, as fast and as many as practically possible is a part of the solution. At least its an action that we can individually take. And who amongst us doesn’t like to be empowered? Electrically or otherwise…..that’s one small step for man….
There is corollary evidence that even the relatively small number of EVs currently in the world (2.2%), the US and China both registered a decline in the amount of carbon pumped into the atmosphere over the last 2 years. Without doing the math it seems intuitively clear we need to increase the rate of conversion from ff to ev before we’re 86’d in the next 9 years. Even if the numbers are wrong, it seems like the right thing to do. We can’t continue to act as if Winston isn’t warning us from his distant purchase, to get on our electrik bikes and load up the electrik trucks and ditch the dirty dinosaurs, while the climate is still on our side.
