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A few years ago, the idea of electric cars was viewed with utter skepticism. Oh sure, people said, the technology is there to make cars, but drivers aren’t going to buy a car that can only drive 40 miles before you have to plug it in. Mileage increased. Now that hybrid electric cars are mainstream — and their acceptance is growing with each passing day — the conversation is turning to the next hurdle in the acceptance of electric cars. Where do you plug them in to recharge? Here are five facts that help answer that question.
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Most electric vehicles will get all the charging they need at home.
- Many of the latest hybrid batteries can be charged from a low cost 220V outlet, similar to the one used by any electric clothes dryer. Some can even be charged from a 110V outlet. One overnight charge is more than enough for most cars for their daily driving needs.
- Driving range is up to 100 miles per overnight charge.
- Standard wisdom says that most electric cars get about 40 miles per charge – much less mileage than most drivers typically drive in a day. However, most new vehicles actually go fully charged between 70 miles and 100 miles – about double the typical driver’s daily driving mileage.
- Many businesses are planning to set up on-site charging stations for the convenience of customers.
- Whole Foods and McDonald’s are just two high-profile examples of companies that see the benefits of making it convenient for customers to charge their vehicles. Some other places you can expect to see public charging stations for EVs include parking garages, mall parking lots, hotels and motels, and restaurants. In fact, anywhere people park their cars for more than half an hour is a good candidate for one or more public charging stations.
- You don’t need any special plugs and expensive equipment to charge an electric car.
- A lot of outdated information on the net tells you that you need a special, dedicated plug and expensive equipment to charge your EV. This is no longer true. The new model of EV being developed can be charged on standard household current.
- The grid is already prepared to support EV traffic.
- California leads the way in the US, with charging stations installed along hundreds of miles of highway. In Vancouver, zoning regulations require that new apartment construction include vehicle charging stations to support tenants’ need for EV charging. Private companies are finding they can attract business by offering free or nominal-cost charging for electric cars, and fast-charging stations – stations that can recharge batteries in 30 minutes or less Now a pie-in-the-sky dream.
The latest developments in electric vehicle technology have overturned some of the most prevalent myths about barriers to widespread adoption of electronic vehicles. As more people are motivated to buy EVs like the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf, they will find that the infrastructure needed to support their new cars is already growing to meet their needs.
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