Maybe they should have thought this through a bit more…

When a natural disaster hits, what’s usually the first thing to go during the emergency? The electricity of course.

I thought of this today when I walked by the Dona Ana County County Office of Emergency Management’s official vehicle. It is a Chevrolet plug-in electric car.

So when the power goes out and you haven’t fully charged your emergency vehicle, what do you do? Maybe you could just carry one of those portable generators in your back seat and hope it can charge you up enough after six hours to get you a few blocks down the road. Maybe just wait until the emergency is over? Or maybe borrow the neighbor’s monstrous four-wheel-drive Ford F-150 that can slog through anything thrown at you in a natural disaster emergency.

Now I’m not against electric vehicles. Our new car is even identified as a “mild” hybrid vehicle which uses electric power to boost performance and range. It does not, however, have to be plugged into an electrical circuit to continue to function.

And although I’d strongly consider one for buzzing around a major urban area, I don’t think electric vehicles are a good fit for much of the rural landscape that defines New Mexico. For example, I’m thinking about what resources I might find to charge up my Tesla Cybertruck in Reserve, Pie Town, Amalia, Grenville, Antelope Wells or a hundred other towns in the Land of Enchantment that might have a gas station but no EV charging point.

I’m sure the county agency had the best of intentions, but I think at this time, a reliable (but polluting) internal combustion heavy duty truck might be the best alternative.

And speaking of alternatives, I ran across another “What were the thinking” moment on my morning drive today.

Sitting forlornly at an intersection miles from any major population location, I spotted this food truck selling burritos. Truth be told, I almost considered ordering one of their culinary delights, but I could see no evidence of life or movement inside the cafe on wheels. Anyway, I don’t think this location was the best alternative for a robust burrito selling business.

I also have to report that at this same intersection last week, I spotted a woman sitting under a canopy shade with a sign advertising pies for sale. I didn’t see her on this trip, so I assume she quickly figured out that the location was a bust for hawking food — even for what might have been award winning pies.