Electric Vehicles Face One Crucial Hurdle: Where To Plug In?

Now a new generation of drivers is set to embark on a similar kind of experiment. Until recently, most electric vehicles, or EVs as they are often known, have had a range of just a few dozen miles, limiting their usefulness and appeal. That's a big reason the long-talked-about era of electric vehicles has been, well, talked and talked about for so long with little real-world progress.

Read the whole story: Reuters

Comments

[tuberider]

02:22 PM on 09/13/2010

I think they should be asking themselves "Who's got the cash?"

[AirViceMarshalPark]

03:21 AM on 09/13/2010

Plug it into your neighbor's outdoor service plug. It ought to be near the side of the house and some houses have several plugs. Be sure to unplug it before dawn.

[Kenz300]

08:49 PM on 09/12/2010

If McDonald's or Wal-Mart got on the electric car bandwagon and put one or two
charging stations in every store parking lot people would love it.

Stop for a burger and charge your car.

Gas stations should be turned into fueling stations by offering a range of fueling options.
Gas, ethanol, diesel, biodiesel, CNG and electric charging stations.

It is time to end the oil monopoly on transportation fuels.

[tuberider]

02:24 PM on 09/13/2010

I'd prefer a George and Mabel's charge while you pig out kiosk nearby.

[GetAbike]

11:35 AM on 09/12/2010

No infrastructure? No problum!
A new business model for roadside service and towing companies will provide all the fresh batteries and towing that the "new" 'lectric cars will need- at a price of course, maybe covered by a service contract sold as an extra when you buy the car.

[JScott]

11:46 PM on 09/11/2010

Guess we could be like parts of Canada and N. Dakota that need engine block heaters and have plugs in the light standards in the parking lots.

[medialv]

09:52 PM on 09/11/2010

People who don't work posting propaganda for Big Oil could care less if this succeeds.

I laugh at the posters who post multiple times like their lives depended on winning the horrible bad idea electric car 'argument'.

If the electric car succeeds, most people won't think twice about it.

[samtee]

10:01 AM on 09/13/2010

Will you be buying the Volt for $40,000,00 to drive 40 miles man that was brilliant.

[Tom95134]

02:54 PM on 09/11/2010

Gee, What a surprise! Everybody is looking forward to how soon the electric car will be available except the public utilities.

If you buy into the story that people will charge these at home over night then you better take a close look at just how capable the electrical grid is of handling this high demand during hours when electrical companies plan for less demand. In addition, most residential areas, unless they are intermixed with R&D parks simply don't have the electrical capacity to support charging numbers of vehicles.

And then there is the cost. Until utilities come up with some kind of rate that recognizes the kilowatt hours needed to recharge a vehicle it may not be cost effective at residential rates.

Lots of questions but utility companies are in business to make money and not serve the public good.

[tekno2600]

10:52 PM on 09/11/2010

Electric cars pull as much current as a hair dryer. Did anyone ever say we should stop the production of hair dryer to consider the impact on the grid? No. Because grid stability is calculated on a system-wide basis, not based on a few devices that people may or may not buy in the next few years. Power grids are more than able to handle this, and in fact, states like Oregon and Michigan are announcing plans to add thousands of public quick charge stations within the next year. So, I think the fear about grid stability are greatly exaggerated.

[lcr999]

11:42 PM on 09/11/2010

Specs say you can charge a Chevy Volt, for example, in 8 hours on a regular 120 V circuit. That would be 15A. That is about $1 of electricity. And it is a mere 5% of so of the capacity of most household electrical services.

[McKeaton]

01:25 PM on 09/11/2010

728huey WROTE 2 hours ago (11:33 AM) 1 Fans
"
Not to discount batteries or electric charging stations, but what about more investment in public transportation? Instead of having thousands of cars on the road during rush hour every day, whether electric or gas based, shuttling people around, usually driving alone to work, why not have more trains and/or buses to get people where they need to go? Both trains and buses can be fitted to run on electricity or fuel cells, plus they save more energy in the long run. I'm not saying we should ditch electric vehicles at all, but we should consider all options. "

Excellent, but waht about BIG oil...?they kill everything in a "teabag" cup offered by the GOP.

[Lorianne]

01:13 PM on 09/11/2010

What fuel creates the electricity?

If you're plugging in to a source that burns coal or oil or natural gas, you are using a carbon based fuel for your car ... not any different than putting gasoline in your car.

[McKeaton]

01:16 PM on 09/11/2010

It is changing...but in CA the BIG polluters are fighting legislation to immpose renewable, clean energy sources to be mandated by law....We do need to chnge our habits.

[FunctioningBrain]

01:50 PM on 09/11/2010

It's not the ideal, but it does mean lowering our dependence on foreign oil. There will never be an entirely pollution-free energy source, because producing components of solar panels, wind turbines, et cetera will always generate pollution. However, every reduction helps. Alternative energy sources are becoming more common. If you've got solar panels mounted on your roof and you have an EV, then you've just wiped out a great portion of your carbon footprint.

Baby steps.

[McKeaton]

01:06 PM on 09/11/2010

It is another propaganda war initiated by the BIG oil....Electric, hybrids, and fuel-cells are the tomorrow only alternatives...and China already knows it....It just invested about 1 TRILLION $ in suvch things....

[kdlaiusa]

12:22 PM on 09/11/2010

The Nissan Leaf's 100 mile range is not practical. You don't want to be in panic mode when you are traveling farther. And the price is not cheap. How about using water?

[McKeaton]

01:10 PM on 09/11/2010

how much do you drive a day in hours? How many miles?( if you work , not more than 20-30 miles/day) and then you park and continue with other activities...Yes , the price , as always, is quite prohibitive...what you save on gas , and being an environmental friendly citizen, is not welcomed by the ignorants fueld with lies by BIG oligarchs...

[lcr999]

11:43 PM on 09/11/2010

Water is not a fuel.

[UNLVGOP]

12:19 PM on 09/11/2010

You mean people just started thinking about this? jeeze.

Here's a few problems.

1. Not everyone has a garage or even owns a house where they can plug it in. Apartments and condo's don't have that luxury
2. Do you really think employers will allow you to charge at work...why should they pay for your cars fuel? My previous employer flipped out when we charged our cell phones and rightfully so.
3. Nobody wants to be on the side of the road for 30 minutes charging their car to finish their commute.
4. Swapping batteries...can everyone do that themselves? Can the batteries be damaged by not using them correctly, who would want to buy a damaged batter that loses power faster than it should.
5. Where is all of this new eletricity going to come from? Are these cars really that green? We're just changing where the pollution is being generated, not by the cars..just the power plants creating the fuel.

[McKeaton]

01:12 PM on 09/11/2010

you can take a nice coffee break , enjoy some scenery, and have your batts rechrged in less than 20 min...I hope you can get out off your car...

[FunctioningBrain]

02:07 PM on 09/11/2010

1. True. These vehicles won't fit every need. But they will work for many of us.
2. Agreed. However, when EV technology becomes popular, parking decks will likely be outfitted with refueling docks.
3. That won't be necessary. A company called Better Place has developed battery switch stations. You simply drive up and sit in your car while a fully automated system exchanges the batteries. They're underneath the car, so it's easy access. Whole process takes about a minute.
4. No, they can't. See #3.
5. As progress is made, more and more electricity will come from alternative sources. Yes, the cars really are that green. Most companies are working towards using fully recyclable materials.

Will everything be perfect and rosy immediately? Of course not. This is a work in progress. Once upon a time, some farmers looked at the Model T and said, "Why would I want this rickety contraption when I have a horse and wagon?"

It's called progress. Innovation takes over and irons out the kinks. Oh, and this would do wonders for our economy. Imagine the jobs associated with this movement.

[hellboundtrain]

10:38 AM on 09/11/2010

Solar-powered charging on garages could be a good call. Charge batteries in the day while the car is in use, plug the car in at night for the transfer.

[UNLVGOP]

12:06 PM on 09/11/2010

Ok, and what about the poeple that rent, or live in cities that dont have garages!

[McKeaton]

01:13 PM on 09/11/2010

municipalities, cities should start building some in convinient and equitable numbers and places.

[FunctioningBrain]

01:33 PM on 09/11/2010

So, because *some* wouldn't be able to use an EV in the near future, *no one* should have access to them?

Realistically, cities are not going to drastically changed. We can't pull parking space out of a hat. Cities need to be investing in improved, more efficient transit.

[Quasi Libertarian]

06:43 AM on 09/11/2010

Until you can get 350-450 miles on a "charge" or whatever the refuling process is, and that process can be done in a few minutes, and you can build an engine the can carry a family of 4-6 people, have the strength to pull a payload of at least 2000 lbs I'll leave it up to you green beans to pay too much for a product that has limited fueling and payload capaicity........The funny thing about pioneers is that are frequently the one with the arrows in their backs......

Now I am going to take my 2006 F-150 4x4 Crew Cab out in a little while, stop across the street and fill it up in about 5 minutes, go get my gas powered boat the seats 6 comfortably and take the family out and have a grand time.......

While you are buzzing around in you little eco-boxes drinking cucumber shakes, I am going to have an all-american good time and when out on the water,....

One other thing...If this battery car takes of, you probably are going to have to build additional power plants if this becomes common place.  Will be coal, Nuclear or windmills?

[hellboundtrain]

10:43 AM on 09/11/2010

But, how often do you drive solo?
How often are you towing?
How often is the truck's box full of stuff that you gotta take somewhere?

[Quasi Libertarian]

12:15 PM on 09/11/2010

Enough....But even if it didn't, I am not a slave to the "movement".  I can come and go as I please and in the event of some type of disaster like a flood, hurricane, earthquake, attack, accident where a sizable amount of people are impacted, I am ready to go at a moments notice and I can carry at good number of people/victims, My vehcle can be used for emergency services, I can go off road if I need to get the heck out of dogde while people that rely onthe little eco-boxes will be seeking out people like me to help them out....maybe I will, maybe I wont....just depends....All my vehcile does is use a little extra fuel...I'll pay a the extra price for the exchange of what I get back....

[FunctioningBrain]

01:08 PM on 09/11/2010

It's a good thing no one is asking you to buy one, then.

Seriously, not everyone lives your life. Why begrudge someone a vehicle that fits their needs? I live about 15 miles from my college. The Chevy Volt would be fantastic for me. Shorter range (40 miles) but then it switches over to gas afterwards. On the few occasions I need a truck for something (moving furniture, going camping, etc), I already borrow my dad's.

My parents have a 3-year-old Ford Focus for everyday driving, a 10-year-old midsized SUV for family outings, and a beat-up, 25-year-old pickup truck for hauling. They bought every vehicle used, so they didn't spend a fortune on them. They use vehicles until it costs more to repair than to buy another used vehicle.

Everyone's got a different lifestyle. For example, just because you're a condescending "burly" man doesn't mean an EV wouldn't benefit you. And just because I'm a 30-something student/mom doesn't mean I don't need the use of a good truck now and then.

[mamacat]

10:22 PM on 09/10/2010

It can't be done! It's impossible! If that damn fool Columbus tries to sail across the ocean, he is going to fall off the edge of the world! Any damn fool can see that the Earth is flat! Can't be done, I tell you!

Nonsense! Any fool can plainly see that the Sun goes around the Earth, and besides, it says so in the Bible! If that damn fool Copernicus doesn't stop spreading such darn nonsense among our youth, we will just have to burn him at the stake!

There is skepticism, and there is irrational skepticism. We already know that our current transportation paradigm is unsustainable, so it is time to work on alternatives. Not every idea will work as desired on the first try, but eventually we will figure out something better than driving around in monstrosities that foul the air and depend on the dwindling remains of dinosaurs and Jurassic forests for fuel.