Things To Do In SW Florida

By MATTHEW DALY and LINLEY SANDERS (Associated Press)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Many Americans still aren’t sold on going electric for their next car purchase. High prices and a lack of easy-to-find charging stations are major sticking points, a new poll shows.

About 4 in 10 U.S. adults say they would be at least somewhat likely to buy an EV the next time they buy a car, according to the poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago, while 46% say they are not too likely or not at all likely to purchase one.

The poll results, which echo an AP-NORC poll from last year, show that President Joe Biden’s election-year plan to dramatically raise EV sales is running into resistance from American drivers. Only 13% of U.S. adults say they or someone in their household owns or leases a gas-hybrid car, and just 9% own or lease an electric vehicle.

Caleb Jud of Cincinnati said he’s considering an EV, but may end up with a plug-in hybrid — if he goes electric. While Cincinnati winters aren’t extremely cold, “the thought of getting stuck in the driveway with an EV that won’t run is worrisome, and I know it wouldn’t be an issue with a plug-in hybrid,″ he said. Freezing temperatures can slow chemical reactions in EV batteries, depleting power and reducing driving range. read more

A pair of NASA astronauts will be at it again Wednesday morning trying to take a ride on Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner making its first-ever human spaceflight.

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have already suited up and climbed on board the spacecraft twice in the last month, but will try for a third time with a launch attempt set for 10:52 a.m. atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41.

Space Launch Delta 45’s weather squadron forecasts a 90% chance for good conditions.

The most recent attempt on Saturday came within four minutes of liftoff, but an issue with ULA’s computer system at the launch pad forced the scrub.

“The disappointment lasts for about three seconds,” said ULA President and CEO Tory Bruno after the scrub. “We’ve been at this a long time and you just immediately get busy and do your job, and we’ll be back.”

Teams have since replaced the launch computer hardware setting up the latest attempt. A May 6 attempt was scrubbed because of a fluttering valve on the ULA rocket’s upper Centaur stage, also since replaced while Boeing and NASA had to sign off on the safety of a small helium leak on Starliner’s propulsion module that they ultimately decided not to fix. read more