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Electric and hybrid electric vehicles are in the fast lane to wider adoption, according to a new study by University of Michigan researchers.
The researchers analyzed the present status of electric vehicles in the U.S., their life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions, and progress toward lifting barriers to broader acceptance. The study is a literature and technical review that synthesizes and analyzes recent findings from many sources.
"We feel that within the next decade, electric vehicles are positioned to be more suitable for most drivers to use on a daily basis," said Brandon Schoettle, project manager at the U-M Transportation Research Institute. "That's due to recent improvements such as longer driving ranges, faster recharging times and lower vehicle prices."
[...] Schoettle and colleague Michael Sivak, a research professor at UMTRI, found that sales of plug-in electric vehicles in the U.S. have increased by more than 700 percent since 2011.
[...] Other key findings include:
- Availability: The number of individual electric vehicle models that consumers can choose from has increased rapidly, nearly doubling from 13 in model year 2016 to 23 in 2017. Recent price trends make plug-in hybrid vehicles more affordable and more similar in price to the average internal combustion engine vehicle.
- Charging infrastructure: The number of public charging stations has grown rapidly since 2010, with approximately 16,000 now available across the U.S., supplying approximately 35,000 individual connections (for comparison, there are roughly 112,000 gas stations).
- Driving range: The driving distance between charges of battery electric vehicles continues to improve. The range of all electric vehicles has increased to an average of 110 miles. Several studies the researchers cite estimate that a range of 120 miles can cover 99 percent of household vehicle trips.
- Fuel prices Compared to gasoline, electricity prices have been low and stable over the past decade or more, and they're projected to remain that way over the next several decades.
Getting Americans to give up their cars for public transportation may be a tough sell, but if the study is right getting them to switch to electric cars won't be.
(Score: 2) by wonkey_monkey on Saturday June 24 2017, @05:11PM (5 children)
Right, so still too long to be anywhere near as convenient as a gas station. It's all very well saying how great an electric car is if you happen to use one in such a manner that leaving it somewhere you can charge it is convenient, but "saying you won't have an EV because you can't charge at your house" is, as of this moment, still a perfectly reasonble thing for people to say.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Sunday June 25 2017, @12:36AM (4 children)
I disagree, because i see people plugging in their iphones every chance they get. It's the same muscle memory for plugging in a car. Spend more than 30 minutes in walmart when you go? Probably, so why not plug in if you're there? When you eat at Chick Fil-a do you spend more than 30 mins there? Why not plug in?
I think a lot of people are getting hung up on charging because they're trying to use an ICE model. The smartphone model is, i believe, closer to what it will be.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 25 2017, @12:58AM
How long before Walmart has charging points at_every_parking_space? The substation required for this kind of electric power will eat up a significant part of the parking lot. And the Walmart lot around here is often quite full (with gas powered cars).
One false comparison that is being made lately is comparing number of gas stations with number of charging points. The comparison needs to include the number of gas_pumps (here in the 'burbs there are often 16 or more pumps at one station). At peak times the pumps are all in use. Our single local Tesla Supercharger has 8 slots, more like a smaller rural gas station.
If electric charging also has peak times (very likely, people all tend to drive at the same times), then there will need to be many more charging points, because the "filling time" is longer by 3x (or 10x) at the electric charging point.
(Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Sunday June 25 2017, @05:56AM
There's one huge convenience of an EV -- I always leave home with a full tank and don't have to try to fit in a gas station stop when I'm trying to get somewhere.
(Score: 2) by wonkey_monkey on Sunday June 25 2017, @10:50AM
Some people do, some people don't. What if they're running low and not anywhere near a Walmart?
But not what it is yet.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk
(Score: 2) by urza9814 on Monday June 26 2017, @01:20PM
That argument actually makes EVs sound far, far worse IMO.
"The smartphone model" is buying chargers literally by the dozen. Chargers in every room, chargers in the car, chargers at work, chargers stuffed in the bottom of every bag I've ever used. It's having a small collection of battery banks for whenever I need to actually go anywhere that I haven't pre-populated with multiple strategically placed chargers. At work I've got a charger in the wall, a couple brand new still sealed chargers in the drawer, plain USB cables that I can use to charge off my laptop, a battery bank in my bag, and extra chargers in my car. There's nothing there I haven't used, it actually does take ALL OF THOSE to ensure my phone never dies. I can't even spend one hour at the beach without thinking about how I'm going to keep the phone charged so I have enough battery for the GPS on the way home. "The smartphone model" means either my phone is plugged in or I'm looking for a plug. I'm either charging or I'm worried.
I've seen the size and cost of EV chargers. I don't want to have to buy those in bulk, and I don't want to think about bringing one with me everywhere I go. And I CERTAINLY don't want to consider what a battery bank for an EV would look like... ;) (Although actually...you probably *could* fit a fair bit of extra range in a suitcase...)
Of course, the biggest issue though, is that my phone is mostly only unplugged when I'm in transit. I go to work and I plug in at my desk. I go home and I plug in at my coffee table. I go to bed and I plug in at the nightstand. I go out, I stay plugged in to a battery bank or a car charger. But I can't really keep my EV plugged in while I'm using it....