QUESTIONS ABOUT THE EV

Plenty of Hype — and Questions — About Electric Cars
Kate Galbraith, October 31, 2010 (NY Times)

"…The hype is virtually inescapable. Nissan has already received more than 27,000 reservations around the world for the Leaf, its all-electric car, which is to start arriving in the United States and Japan in December and several European markets soon thereafter. General Motors will make 10,000 Volt cars, its plug-in hybrid, next year; they will soon hit the streets of U.S. cities…Tesla, the California-based maker of a plug-in sports car called the Roadster, just opened its first Asian showroom, in Tokyo.

"But for ordinary people willing to swallow the high price tag (nearly $33,000 for the Leaf in the United States), plenty of questions about electric cars remain. Where can the cars be charged? What happens if they need to be fixed? How long will a charge last?"

Nissan does not agree with the NY Times reporter about the price. (click to enlarge)

"The carmakers are eager to make their first customers happy, so they are bending over backwards to help with the charging infrastructure and to allay “range anxiety” — the fear of running out of electricity and getting stranded…Many of the earliest adopters are likely to be urban homeowners with their own garages…So companies like NRG are preparing for a proliferation of home-based charging stations, with associated electricity payment plans…Apartment dwellers are likely to acquire electric cars later…[M]etering systems…[must] make sure the tenant was footing the bill for the electricity.

"Given the range limitations (Nissan’s Leaf is built to go about 100 miles, or 160 kilometers, on one charge), the earliest electric vehicle is also unlikely to be the only car in the family garage…Many cities, from Paris to Houston, are scrambling to install outlets that will allow people to charge (or, most likely, top off their charges) at places like Starbucks or shopping centers. But ultimately, analysts expect that most charging will be done at home, probably at night, with the public infrastructure providing a means to alleviate range anxiety…"

Here's why GM make the Volt capable of going 40 miles on its battery. (click to enlarge)

"Early owners of electric cars can expect plenty of perks. The most important are hefty tax incentives that will reduce the price tags — as much as $7,500 for an electric vehicle from the U.S. government and as much as £5,000, or $8,000, in Britain…Some places may offer carpool-lane privileges…[or] a parking spot close to the door…Electric vehicles should require fewer repairs [and routine service], car companies say, because their engines are less complex…[and electricity] costs far less than that for conventional vehicles — with the environmental benefits that this implies…[but] they will remain a small minority of all vehicles on the roads for the foreseeable future.

"…J.D. Power and Associates, a market research group based in California, said that combined sales of hybrid vehicles and all-electric ones would total just 7.3 percent of the nearly 71 million passenger vehicles sold worldwide in 2020…Consumers will balk at concerns about the cars’ range and power and the speed of recharging, as well as the high price tags, the report said…Nissan has said that by 2020, 10 percent of vehicles sold globally will be electric…For those who can get past the high price tags and the range limitations, Mr. Smaha, the Tesla owner, points out another advantage of electric vehicles, especially sporty ones: driving can again become a joy…"