Rick Beebe via EV wrote:
I have two EVs and a PHEV so I'm well aware of the advantages of
starting out with a full vehicle every morning. But there are millions
of people who live in places where they can't plug their car in and I
bet some number of them are wishing they could get away from gas.
Most people are fearful of change. They already know the gas pump model,
and would only tolerate an EV if it works the same. I.e. they expect to
drive to an "electric fuel" station, where there is a big box like a gas
pump. It has a hose and a connector that plugs into their car, just like
a gas pump, that will charge their car in about the same amount of time
it would take to fill a gas tank. And, they want it to be *cheaper*, or
they'll never change away from gas.
Never mind that this is a flawed model, that doesn't apply to EVs. Never
mind that you can charge at home for a tiny fraction of the cost,
without having to go *anywhere* to refuel. There are many in the auto
and oil industries that are only too happy to perpetuate the gas-pump
stereotype.
Think about this... Suppose someone *does* invent a "fast charge" setup
that refuels an EV in the same time it takes to fill a gas tank. Instead
of $50 for a tank of gas, consumers will be overjoyed to pay only $25
for an equivalent recharge. HALF THE PRICE! Woo hoo!
And, the charging station owner only paid $2.50 for that electricity. He
makes a 90% profit. YAHOO! The oil and auto industry would fall all over
itself to install this new fast-charge scheme in every gas station in
America as quickly as possible. MONEY, MONEY, MONEY!
But it only works if you can prevent charging at home. So they have to
lobby for laws to make it impractical or impossible to charge at home
(it's dangerous, it's cheating the government out of road taxes, it will
destroy the integrity of our electric grid, special permits, license
fees,, patented technology that you can' use, etc.)
*THIS* is why people are obsessed with fast charging. They see it as a
wonderful scheme to create a new EV charging monopoly and make a fortune!
EVs are, in general, a poor purchasing decision anyway. Mine cost me
$20,000 more than equivalent gas cars and I've spent $2000 on charge
stations at my house. This saves me roughly $2300 in gasoline purchases
each year but adds about $800 to my electric bill. But driving electric
isn't about the economics or the convenience. For me it's about the
environment and where I choose to send my money.
The present auto company EVs *are* more expensive than ICEs. It is not
in their interest to make cheaper ones -- it would sabotage their own
ICE business. If we are to get cheaper simpler EVs, they will come from
companies *outside* the traditional auto industry.
--
Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.
-- Albert Einstein
--
Lee Hart's EV projects are at http://www.sunrise-ev.com/LeesEVs.htm
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