Charging Forward to Zero Carbon

By Guy Hall, Electric Auto Association

The revolution to clean transportation has started with California and Sacramento playing leadership roles.  We are seeing the collision of four major forces supporting Electric Vehicle (EV) adoption.

Choice of Long Range EVs:

There are 46 different electric vehicle models available to choose from for Sacramento residents, with nine of them sporting range of 200 to over 300 miles per charge.   More are being added every month with pickups on their way into the vehicle mix.

Charging Infrastructure

Can you imaging refueling your car at home while you sleep at a cost of $0.66 per 25 miles?  Many EV owners have said goodby to those gas stations stops.  Workplaces and schools are adding charging stations to fill up your EV while at work.

Add to that, our Sacramento region has over 50 DC Fast Charging EV refueling plazas near apartments and transit corridors already installed or in construction.  These will typically charge the battery to 80% in 30 minutes.  We are now starting to see the third generation of fast chargers capable of adding over 100 miles in 5 minutes and new vehicle introductions coming that will able to take the charge.   Low cost fueling is only part of the economics making EVs affordable.

 

 

Cost of Ownership

The total cost for owning an EV is cheaper than many gas cars.  The Nissan LEAF, Hyundai Ioniq Electric, Chevy Bolt all come in thousands cheaper over five years and 12,000 miles of driving per year.   Check PlugStar’s comparison tool at https://plugstar.com/cars/compare

Consumer Interest

As reported by CleanTechnica, the public is taking notice.  The Union of Concerned Scientists and Consumer Reports surveyed 1659 Americans who plan to buy a new car within the next 2 years.  Over a third of the respondents said they are definitely planning or would consider buying/leasing an EV for their next purchase. Another 27% would consider one at some point down the road.

This is not limited to high income buyers.  While 39% of respondents who earn more than $100K a year are considering an EV for their next purchase, so are 39% of those with incomes between $50K to $99K a year.  And it doesn’t stop there. 31% of those making under $50K a year also indicated an interest in purchasing an electric car.   We can’t overlook the impact that the arrival of reliable used EVs and lease returns has on the market.

“As the electric vehicle market grows, more drivers see an electric vehicle as a realistic option,” said David Reichmuth, with the Clean Vehicles Program at UCS. “The future is electric, and that will have real benefits for drivers, for the air we breathe, and for the climate.”

We Need To Drive Forward

Half of the Green House Gases come from transportation.   Getting out of the polluting car and switching to some form of clean transportation is critical to avoid a dystopian future.  Electric vehicles are part of the solution. While the Sacramento region has a great start with over 23,000 EVs on the road and is adding another 500 each month, we need to accelerate EV adoption and support.  The time is now.

 

Guy Hall, a Global Technologist with over 30 years of R&D holding several international patents on computer networking and big data. He’s provided technical leadership and global team development for Hewlett Packard in countries such as Germany, Canada, Slovenia, Russia, India, China, Costa Rica, Hungary and France. Hall became interested in Electric Vehicles in 2010 as a solution to our environmental, economic and security challenges. His drive expanded the Sacramento Electric Auto Association membership ten fold, and as its President, established SacEV as the regional leader for EV knowledge, events and activities. In 2015, Hall became the first driver to have navigated an EV from the lower 48 through Canada to Fairbanks Alaska, as the Tesla Tijuana To Tundra Tour, while promoting electric transportation with utilities, government agencies and the news media in route. He is a popular speaker on EVs and technical topics having provided talks across the country to educational institutions, fellowship organizations, utilities, senior clubs and environmental organizations. He is an active Director, Writer, Secretary and Speaker for the national Electric Auto Association, and serves on the regional SacEV and the Sacramento Clean Cities Coalition boards. The Hall family currently owns a Nissan LEAF, Chevy Bolt, Tesla Model 3 and Tesla Model X.