Austin American-Statesman opinion piece explained why Texas lawmakers should act on electric vehicles, citing Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance’s report. Read excerpts below and full opinion here.

Electric vehicles are about to become the new way we get around. Why? Because they are cheaper to own, cooler to drive and better for the environment. By 2022, there will be over 200 EV models available in the U.S., including 10 pickup trucks, and prices will soon drop below fossil-fueled cousins. They are changing the transportation industry just like cellphones transformed the telephone industry, and the change is coming just as fast. EVs are predicted to be 15% of the cars on the road, and 41% of all new vehicles sold in Texas by 2030.

With this change comes questions the Texas Legislature will have to answer such as: What is a fair fee for an electric vehicle owner to pay to build and maintain roads and bridges? What consumer protections should be put in place? How can we ensure that electric vehicle batteries are reused or recycled? How do we guarantee that a border-to-border charging network is built along our major highways?

A proposed Electric Transportation Act has been drafted to answer these questions by the Texas Electric Transportation Resources Alliance (TxETRA), We expect the bill to be filed soon...

The Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance (TAEBA) released a report last month that revealed there are over 7,000 people involved in the Electric Transportation Supply Chain in Texas and that number is expected to grow dramatically.

Companies like HEB, PepsiCo, Amazon and dozens of others have already begun to electrify their fleets; it makes good business sense. For a heavy-duty truck driving 200 miles, the fossil-fuel cost is about $100 compared to just $23 for EV charging...

Read the full opinion piece here.