Final Thoughts

Final thoughts

Written by Ethan Bernard

January 18, 2024

This time of year my thoughts often turn to the weather. Specifically yesterday, heat cranked up, as I sped to a café because of an Internet service outage. It was cold here in Austin, Texas. Might’ve even dipped down into the teens in the last couple of days. And while the folks in the Midwest and Northeast may scoff at such balmy temperatures, it hits different here. The city sends out text messages telling you to stock up on vital supplies and prepare for the apocalypse.

Of course, a main worry is the electrical grid. When that goes down, all bets are off. People’s minds turn to the great Snowmageddon of the winter of 2021, which left nearly 10 million people without power, mostly in Texas. The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) called it The Great Texas Freeze. THE NCEI said water pipes burst and “boil water advisories” were issued in many counties. Of course, following Murphy’s Law, this all took place during the Covid-19 pandemic.

While grid failure could represent a Category 5 for a household or business, other problems exist as the mercury plunges. With the latest cold snap occurring here in the US, managing your electric vehicle (EV) seems to be rocketing up the list of concerns.

Here’s a sample of headlines within the last 24 hours:

  • EV drivers wrestle with cold weather sapping their battery range – NBC News
  •  Tesla owners say EV batteries won’t charge as brutally cold temperatures hit Chicago – USA Today
  • Electric car owners confront a harsh foe: Cold Weather – New York Times

I think we can all agree that the great brains who have pioneered EV development did not imagine their vehicles only being driven in south Florida. (Though how to charge your EV as a hurricane approaches could be another issue.)

Still, as a corollary to what is termed “range anxiety” regarding EVs, we can perhaps add something new: Winter Worry? Or for the acronym minded: Cold-Activated Battery Syndrome (CABS). Because you’re worried you might need to hail one if your EV goes out? Well, let’s face it, you’d probably get an Uber.

With automotive a key market for steel, it’s important to put things in perspective. While there could be hiccups along the way, the overall trend is towards electrification of the fleet. In my recent conversation with Worthington Steel Geoff Gilmore, he was upbeat on the trendline of EVs. He said that even though the growth wouldn’t be a “straight line,” EVs seem to be the where market is heading.

Whatever happens in the presidential election this year, infrastructure is sure to remain a focus. The US is going to be busy strengthening the grid. We don’t really have a choice. And innovators in EVs will be tinkering with those batteries.

If cell phones can go from the size of a briefcase to that smartphone in your pocket, surely the engineers can figure out a recipe to beat the wintry frost? As for me, it’s supposed to climb to 70F as I write this in the early afternoon on Thursday, according to KVUE. Sure, it may be 36F tonight, and 47F tomorrow. But for today, here in Texas, I could be faced with that age-old issue of survival: I really hope my air conditioning works.

Ethan Bernard

Ethan Bernard is a reporter and editor for Steel Market Update. He previously worked for American Metal Market as a copy editor in the New York office for two years starting in 2008. Later, he copy edited AMM’s monthly magazine on a freelance basis from 2015 until 2017. With experience in financial copywriting and textbook publishing, he holds a BA in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, and an MFA. in Creative Writing from New York University. He can be reached at ethan@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7871.

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