5 First Challenges for Adoption of Electric Vehicles
Living in Boulder, Colorado, I expect we’ll see quite a few Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt and even converted Honda Prius on the road soon. We already have a Tesla dealership. Boulder is one of those communities that expects to embrace electric vehicles – EVs. We’re supposed to be Smart Grid City, so we’re theoretically ready, right?
Not so much. Auto manufacturers and vendors of batteries and charging stations, as well as utilities, have honed in on eight cities for the ChargePoint America project. Boulder’s not on the list, unfortunately, but these eight cities will be test beds for EV adoption, public reaction and the impact on local utilities.
- Austin TX
- Detroit MI
- Los Angeles CA
- New York NY
- Orlando FL
- Sacramento CA
- San Jose / San Francisco CA
- Redmond WA
- Washington DC
Overall, what will it take for the general public to significantly change their driving habits and even their love affair with the internal combustion automobile?
To be clear, my own predictions are for a long and gradual adoption period. For many years EV owners are likely to use that car for errands or short commutes, while keeping the SUV in the garage (hopefully a hybrid). For two-car families, however, it would be a huge cultural change if a large percentage of those second cars were EVs.
What are the first five challenges to be met toward significant market adoption?
1. Consumer education
Many drivers hold onto myths about EVs or perceptions that are now out-of-date. We need some hard-hitting public debate on television news programs, newspapers and general-interest blogs. We need leaders in social media to push an EV brand image with success stories from those eight cities. We need the discussion of EVs to move from the greens and geeks to drivers who only care about cost and performance.
2. Range anxiety
Have you noticed the competition for getting the most miles per gallon from a hybrid Prius? There will likely be competitions for the most miles per charge for EVs. When you think of it, a lot of drivers probably travel less than 60 miles in any normal day. Recharging in the garage each night will handle that. And as charging stations become more common in cities, parking garages and workplaces, drivers will be able to plug in for a fast charge to “top off the tank.” Definitely, this infrastructure will need to build out as the cars become available for purchase.
3. Price
Purchasers of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and all-electric vehicles are eligible for a tax credit of up to $7,500. According to an excellent article by Chris Woodyard, published in USA Today on November 8, 2010, there will be sticker shock, even with generous tax credits.
- Tesla Roadster – $109,000
- Tesla Sedan (2012) – $50,000
- Coda – $44,900
- Chevrolet Volt – $41,000
- Nissan Leaf – $32,780
4. Charging convenience
Got a 240v outlet in your garage? Thought not. Most of us will need a garage outlet upgrade for a dedicated EV-charging outlet. Those of us with garages, that is. What about apartment dwellers? And no one will purchase an EV without first checking the location of charging stations. Of course, there’s an App for that, too. (Note: not all electric vehicles will require a 240v circuit; hybrid EVs can adequately charge overnight on a 120v circuit, called Level 1 charging.)
5. Utility infrastructure
By the way, your utility isn’t exactly ready for you to purchase an EV. All the major California utilities have worked with the state commission to adopt special EV electricity rates. The deal is, however, that the consumer must notify the utility when they are purchasing an EV, so the utility can monitor its load on their neighborhood transformer. Utilities are rightly concerned that once one EV comes to the neighborhood, soon others will follow.
The utilities aren’t worried about the overall effect of many EVs on their system, just worried about the location and timing of charging. That is, your distribution transformer may not be sized to handle multiple EVs charging at the same time. And certainly charging at peak demand time (generally late afternoon) could be more demand than the utility system is prepared to deliver.
Note that on the CA state web site for EV and other clean car guidelines, Step 4 in setting up home charging includes: “Ask [the utility] for an assessment of the transformer and service capacity to your home.”
I hope manufacturers and utilities are figuring all this out for me. Next year I’d like to get a green loan at a favorable rate to purchase an EV, then be able to bring it home and plug it in. And plug it in again at the office the next day.
Are you planning to purchase an electric vehicle?
