News — Electrical vehicle enthusiasts foresee a rosy future in which all cars and trucks are powered by electricity. However, little attention has been given to the likely collapse of medical services within a few hours if a region’s central power plant fails, is hacked, or is destroyed by natural disasters or attackers, says Leslie Norins, MD, PhD, FIDSA, editor of , an independent web forum.
He says that’s why the Russians first targeted Kyiv’s power plant when they attacked Ukraine. Prior examples he cites of significant power interruptions in the U.S. include the blackout in New York of 1977, the Northeast blackouts of 1965 and 2003, and the 17-day Texas power crisis of 2021.
Current heatwaves are straining electric grids. Susceptibility of the U.S. power grid to hackers and malware is frequently discussed in the media.
Once the central power plant is compromised, the few hours’ electricity stored in vehicle batteries will be exhausted Dr. Norins says. As charging stations will receive no power, no “refills” will be available.
Electric ambulance services will cease. Physicians, nurses, and patients will be unable to drive to hospitals and medical offices.
Electric medical supply trucks won’t be able to deliver critical items to healthcare facilities. Pharmacies will be unable to restock. Hospitals have emergency generators for vital areas, so for a few hours they might provide limited services.
Nor can backup fossil fuel generators bridge the crisis These are comparatively few and are usually not mobile. Moreover, after a few hours their fuel supply will be exhausted, and stalled electric tanker trucks cannot replenish it.
With firetrucks and police cars immobilized similarly, he says, there will be no “first responders” to assist sick patients or those injured in accidents or attacks. Hospital surgeries will be greatly curtailed, with likely just one operating room open, and flashlights used for illumination.
Dr. Norins says that as far as he can tell, neither civil defense nor disaster preparedness authorities have discussed this eventuality, let alone planned for it. “If any such preparations exist, they are a well-kept secret.”
He theorizes planning for this contingency might be “off limits” to government officials because it could slow the headlong rush to electric transport. Dr. Norins suggests hybrid emergency vehicles might alleviate some of the problems.
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