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Around the world, support is growing for electric cars. Automakers are delivering more electric models with longer range and lower prices, such as the Chevrolet Bolt and the Tesla Model 3. China has set aggressive targets for electric vehicle sales to curb pollution; some European countries aim to be all-electric by 2040 or sooner.
Those lofty ambitions face numerous challenges, including one practical consideration for consumers: If they buy electric cars, where will they charge them?
[...] Mr. Romano says there's no exact ratio of the number of chargers needed per car. But he says workplaces should have around 2.5 chargers for every employee and retail stores need one for every 20 electric cars. Highways need one every 50 to 75 miles, he says. That suggests a lot of gaps still need to be filled.
Automakers and governments are pushing to fill them. The number of publicly available, global charging spots grew 72 percent to more than 322,000 last year, the International Energy Agency said. Navigant Research expects that to grow to more than 2.2 million by 2026; more than one-third of those will be in China.
Tesla Inc. – which figured out years ago that people wouldn't buy its cars without roadside charging – is doubling its global network of Supercharger stations to 10,000 this year. BMW, Daimler, Volkswagen, and Ford are building 400 fast-charging stations in Europe. Volkswagen is building hundreds of stations across the United States as part of its settlement for selling polluting diesel engines. Even oil-rich Dubai, which just got its first Tesla showroom, has more than 50 locations to charge electric cars.
If range anxiety and the availability of charging stations remain a barrier to EV adoption, then for Tesla it seems like it's nearly a solved problem. Will a reliable supply of batteries or the self-driving features piggy-backing on EV platforms like the Teslas or the Nissan Leaf prove the real differentiators in the market?
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Thursday September 07 2017, @01:08PM (4 children)
A majority of American households do have 2 cars now, so the combination of one EV and one ICE is feasible. My brother has a BMW i3 EV and a subaru wagon and does exactly what you describe: the i3 takes care of 99% of the driving he does on his commute from Ypsilanti to Dearborn, MI. The Subaru is the roadtrip car.
That said you would do fine with a Tesla these days on a roadtrip. The supercharger network is extensive and recharging takes 30 minutes. Most people stop that long with ICEs now to grab a meal or stretch their legs, it's just that they don't pay attention to that because it's not relevant to the range of their car. In addition to the supercharger network there are RV parks, which is where the first Model S owners recharged while camping in the early days before the superchargers were widely available.
Beyond the range and recharging considerations, you'd really want to use a Tesla for a road trip because of the autonomous driving features. They take the suck out of long drives, because they keep you in your lane and maintain a constant distance between you and the car ahead of you. The indications are that as the self-driving software is perfected and ready for primetime it will be made available to Tesla owners via an Over-The-Air (OTA) update. Picture how awesome it would be to sit back and relax while the car drives you through Monument Valley, and all you have to do is listen to your tunes, drink your soda, and watch the scenery roll by through your fully glass roof.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by theluggage on Thursday September 07 2017, @04:02PM (2 children)
Oh, if someone gave me a Tesla with 300+mile range I certainly wouldn't kick it out of bed. But that is kinda the minimum range you need for long trips once you've allowed for margins or error, needing lights+heaters+wipers for the whole trip (or A/C, but I'm in the UK so that's a luxury rather than a necessity), the possibility of a charging station being in use/out of order, having sufficient power left when you arrive to find a charger etc. So, basically, I'd be buying a lot more car than I need day-to-day just for the sake of a few long trips every year. Meanwhile, my Mini is highly practical and economical for commuting and shopping, but I could hop in it right now and drive 500 miles without sparing a thought as to range or refuelling stops... Now, Minis aren't cheap but I could still get a brand new one with all the trimmings for a lot less than the cost of a base model Tesla, or even something like an i3 (the version with the gas range-extender could probably do a 300 mile trip with a couple of stops - but I've looked into the cost and, erk!)
Yeah, that's what the last guy was thinking just before the big rig that the Autopilot had mistaken for a piece of sky took his head off. Now, maybe for everybody that Autopilot kills it will save 10 more by being more consistent and cautious than a human - but the public (& their lawyers) won't be so rational after a few more highly-publicised fatalities - so don't hold your breath for that OTA upgrade or the insurance policy that will let you use it.
I can get behind the idea of an Autopilot watching my back in case I miss something, but getting to the point where you could safely kick back and forget about driving is still, I think, a long way off.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Phoenix666 on Thursday September 07 2017, @04:20PM (1 child)
My brother bought his i3 used for under $10K. Certified, Pre-Owned Tesla Model S's can be had for $30-40K. Used Leafs can be had cheaper than either. My brother-in-law leases a new i3 for about $120/mo.
The Tesla Model 3 is imminent, but why spend the same amount for a new one when you can get a bigger, better car from them for the same price, plus that has free access to the superchargers and are ready for the autonomous driving?
As an aside, isn't it notable that one car crashes and it's a big deal, but tens of thousands of other car models wreck every year and nobody bats an eyelash?
But yeah, that guy was warned by the car 7 times before the crash to put his hands on the wheel but he didn't. So it's not ready for 100% self-driving, but it sure will be nice when it is and I bet Tesla will get there first as a brand.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by theluggage on Friday September 08 2017, @02:03PM
Gas-burners can also be bought used for a fraction of the price of the new car, so there's still a premium if you compare like-with-like. New prices are just a convenient comparison point. I'm also aware that some lucky people have found ridiculous leasing deals on i3s, probably because BMW were trying to hit some compliance quota in their state. If I saw one of those where I live, I might grab it (and if that includes the BMW rental deal...)
True, but are you expecting the media and general public to suddenly start acting rationally? As autonomous cars start to roll out, every fatality will be international headline news for a while, and politicians and lawyers will jump on the bandwagon. It's stupid, but self-drive will have to be damn-near infallible to get off the ground.
(I do think Tesla tried to run before they could walk with Autopilot, though - it doesn't take much foresight to realise that as soon as people can take their hands off the wheel, they will, and that having a human monitoring an AI for brainfarts is exactly the wrong way around.)
Also - there's a real issue with getting insurance and liability sorted out - I'm not kicking back and letting an AI drive if I'm liable for its mistakes (although, as I said, I'd quite like an AI that watched my back). Another hurdle: a lot of any improved safety (not to mention any hope of legal indemnification) will come from cars following the rules (not just the laws) - driving around at 5% under the posted limit, not pulling out until it is 100% safe, waiting forever at a 4-way stop, not overtaking until there's enough clear straight road to land a space shuttle and refusing to start if the windscreen washer fluid is less than 1/3 full. However morally unimpeachable that is, real-world drivers are going to find it really, really frustrating.
I hope the concepts of EVs and self-drive don't get too entangled - I'd like to see them both succeed.
(Score: 2) by requerdanos on Thursday September 07 2017, @06:26PM
Alas, though we have two cars, we rent in an apartment complex (100 apartments in an area with a fitness room, a pool, etc.) that has no provision for charging. I asked the office about installing chargers and their reply was a "no" in the form of saying that they had heard that maybe Walmart stores were putting chargers into their parking lots soon, and there is a Walmart down the road.
Parking at the Walmart down the road for the charging therefound could be an option, I suppose, but not a favored one. If Walmart ever gets around to installing EV chargers in stores in small towns across the country (the Walmart in question is located in a town of a few thousand residents, and no EV charger is on the horizon).