Electric vehicles can help get through power outages like Helene

“Resilience” could be 2025’s word of the year. Many Western North Carolinians are thinking seriously about strategies to make the next big storm less disruptive than Tropical Storm Helene. Electric vehicles (EVs) can play a major role, especially if coupled with appropriately-designed solar photovoltaic (PV) systems.Unlike food stockpiles and whole house generators, EVs and PV earn their keep on a daily basis, even in the absence of disaster. An EV can replace a gasoline car, saving its owner money and maintenance hassle in the process. There are now electric options in virtually every light duty vehicle market niche, with more hitting the streets every day. Solar can provide significant amounts of electricity, that would otherwise have to be purchased from the power company. Unlike a gasoline, diesel, or methane gas generator, PV involves no fuel cost or routine maintenance, so it makes sense to use its output in non-emergency…