EVs: so what?

Image: Nutdanai Apikhomboonwaroot

Electric Vehicles (EVs) are here, to stay? Nissan delivered the first Leaf to a San Francisco Bay Area resident in December. The first one in Texas arrived in January. Chevrolet delivered the first Volt to a New Jersey resident in December and to the SF Bay Area later that same month.

I remember the Chevy EV1 and the claims GM “killed” the electric car. I think the world was not ready back in the early 90s. Gas was cheaper, tax loopholes subsidized car purchases for small businesses, the economy was better. Infrastructure: we have gas stations at every corner, but how do we charge our cars away from home? Lots of changes have come since then: gas costs more, tougher economy, better batteries, better charging technology, more experience with industrial EVs, and now the smart grid.

But does that all mean the market is there?  I say yes mostly, but also no a little bit. The yes is easy: interest is high, and providers are working to meet the demand. The no is more complicated and it comes in three arguments: limited infrastructure, which is tied to “range anxiety,” and consumer awareness (which needs to be improved to sort truth from hype).

I firmly believe EVs are here to stay; the market will mature. The benefits, not only to owners, but to the environment are too strongly believed by the market. I say it that way because there is still debate on many issues. In general I agree with the belief, but some of it is the hype. For example a dottribes blog article gives us hope, but there are points to discuss (the torque matter bears some examination).

And the “no” that I called small? Infrastructure is still a concern, but there is the EV Project, a nation-wide study to develop knowledge and processes to best plan and distribute infrastructure.  So the horse/cart relationship will be cleared up. That should further reduce “range anxiety.” But the idea that people are afraid they will get stuck because they run out of juice is a red herring to me. I think the word anxiety is too loaded. I do not remember any reports of problems from the early EV1 owners. It is the same as driving a regular car: you use the vehicle appropriately given your needs and the infrastructure that exists. If you need more than the Leaf can provide in a day, you don’t buy it. EV1 owners just didn’t drive it beyond its range. Seriously how often do you run out of gas? It isn’t because there are so many gas stations; it is because you know where they are and how far you can go in relationship to them. Same issue with EV’s, just fewer places to get juice. But again…that is changing.

So yes, they are here to stay. I, for one, am glad of it. They will improve the environment, reduce our need for oil, stimulate innovation, and create jobs. They may not comes as fast as we expect, the benefits may come slower or faster, there will be issues to deal with and new questions to answer. But the market will mature and expand.

So if you are interested, do some research into the cars and your own needs. If you have an iPhone, get the app that simulates an EV to let you know what you need. Coming soon to Android.