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Why Early Adopters of EVs Won’t Suffer Range Anxiety.

 
1,354 views Jun 23, 2010
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Range Anxiety

Range Anxiety

If most mainstream media outlets are to be listened to we are a few short years from seeing stranded EVs dotting our major highways after running out of electricity short of the next charging station, but is this really an accurate depiction of what life with an EV will be like?

While traditional motoring journalists like the U.K's Fifth Gear may like to illustrate the weaknesses of the EV by taking them on impossibly long road-trips the cars are simply not designed for, the majority of early adopting EV owner won't suffer a mediocre of range anxiety. Here's just three reasons why.

Early Adopters Are EV Geeks

Many on the waiting list for the 2011 Nissan Leaf right now form a special class of EV owners. Those who have saved up a huge amount of cash, know the very latest about the car they've ordered, and exactly what position they are on the waiting list fit the bill of an out-and-out EV geek.

Tesla Roadster recharging at Denver International Airport, from SolarDave blog

Tesla Roadster recharging at Denver International Airport, from SolarDave blog

Enlarge Photo
Being an EV geek isn't a bad thing. EV geeks are normally the best EVangelists out there, speaking knowledgeably and enthusiastically about electric cars and dispelling the myths. They'll know how to get the best out of their EV and know exactly how far they can drive on a charge.

EV geeks may also carry a set of cables for all occasions, ready to charge whenever and wherever they need to. Range anxiety isn't an issue because they've either experienced running out of charge already and realised that it wasn't such a bad thing, or they've never gone beyond the vehicle's original specified range.

Initial Sales Will Be in EV Friendly Areas

It's unlikely that you will see any Nissan Leafs being sold outside of large metropolitan areas, such as Washington DC, San Francisco, New York City and Los Angeles to name just four. If you live in central Missouri, or on top of the Rockies it's unlikely any EVs will come your way for some time.

Large metropolitan areas where EVs are actively being sold will have more charging infrastructure and more incentives for owning EVs. With average commutes being smaller in metropolitan areas too, most EVs will struggle to reach their maximum range in a regular day's travel.

Most Early Adopters Will Have Another Car.

While EVs aren't cheap, early adopters are likely to already own at least one other car, either another EV or hybrid, or a regular gas car. Why? Those able to afford a high ticket price for an EV are likely to have enough cash spare to have more than one car.

Aerovironment Charging Cord

Aerovironment Charging Cord

While the EV gets used for daily driving, it's the gas car which gets pressed into duty as a long-range car at the weekends, towing a trailer, hauling camping gear or visiting friends across the state.

If those with the Tesla or Mini E are anything to go by the gas car will spend most of its time in the garage, partly because the EV is such fun to drive and partly because the owner has yet to find a day in which the EV range is less than that required.

Unless you live a long way from work, plan to make cross-state trips or live at the top of a mountain the EV range anxiety issue right now is nothing more than myth. And if you really can't cope with the idea that one day, perhaps, you may run out of charge then your choice is simple. Go with a plug-in hybrid or range extended EV like the 2011 Chevrolet Volt.





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Comments (10)

  1. By  Bret Posted: 6/23/2010 1:58pm PDT

    Well said Nikki.
    People who have Range Anxiety probably aren't going to buy EVs anyway. They will stick with their ICE vehicles, which is fine.
    Media pundits talking about Range Anxiety are more interested creating a controversy to grab readers than with reporting the facts. That's why they pushed the Tesla Roadster off the track in front of the cameras, when it still had half a charge.
     
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  2. By Noel Park Posted: 6/23/2010 3:10pm PDT

    Everything you have said about early adopters is no doubt true. Mass market acceptance - maybe no so much. Range Anxiety is real. My wife, for example, is a responsible and environmentally aware person, but she will not even consider an EV. So I think it remains to be seen how big the BEV market actually is. I personally think that the GM EREV concept is brilliant for right now. Assuming that they can price it right for the market and build enough of them to keep up with demand.
     
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  3. By Luke Posted: 6/23/2010 3:17pm PDT

    I agree, well said!
    One thing that people seem to miss is that there's no need for a one-size-fits-all solution. People seem to think that rolling out EVs means that gas cars will no longer exist -- whereas those of us who've thought long and hard about the issue realize that the pattern that Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield suggests will allow someone like me to cut 90% of my gasoline consumption without giving up the flexibility that we've become accustomed to. Also, my wife and I own two cars at the moment, so trading both cars in for a leaf and a super-flexible garage-queen (maybe a Subaru Outback with a towing package?) seems like a great idea to me.
     
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  4. By ev enthusiast Posted: 6/23/2010 5:31pm PDT

    90% of the people can function just fine with the first cars.
    i think most "range anxiety" comes from being unfamiliar. currently, it is the new kid on the block. once you get to know him, most of the anxiety will cease.
    i do not believe we will ever have a large charging infrastructure, simply because battery improvements will negate the need for them. they will be available to go cross country, like one every 100 miles or so. but we wont be driving down to the local corner to charge, like we do currently to get our gasoline.
    right now, it is hard for people to see beyond what is current. we simply wont be using the same system of doing things once the country is basically on evs.
    ten years from now, i see very few new gas vehicles being purchased. it will make a lot more sense to rent one for the few times that we might need one.
     
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  5. By evnow Posted: 6/23/2010 5:40pm PDT

    You should add one more reason. EV manufacturers, like Nissan make it very difficult to run out of charge. In Leaf, for eg., once you are down to the last 4 kwh, the car gives warnings you can't miss and also puts you in a "limp" more. You can probably drive another 15 to 20 miles in this mode to find a place to charge.
    As you can see in this poll, a large majority of people do have multiple cars. Infact, 60% of American families have multiple cars.
    http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=482&hilit=poll
     
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  6. By Steve Bruns Posted: 6/24/2010 7:05am PDT

    Not meaning to rhyme here, but...the two-car solution will bridge the gap until technology closes the gap. The first or second gen of EV's will have range limitations, but I doubt that'll last for long once the industry finds out that they really can make money on these things. The major incentive to get EV owners to "trade up" will be that newer models will have longer and longer range. (Like trading up computers or game systems, which don't age well.)
     
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  7. By ev enthusiast Posted: 6/24/2010 9:42am PDT

    absolutely - just like any other product, they will only give us what is necessary to get the sales that they need.
    just like they did with tvs - 19", 21", etc. they want us to buy as many tvs/cars as we are willing to do - LOL.
    if they give us everything at once, we will be satisfied for too long.
    that is why i am thinking that after 10 years, the ev will be so much better than the ice, that few people will put big bucks (a new car) into an ice.
     
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  8. Eletruk avatar Eletruk Posted: 6/24/2010 6:54pm PDT

    I think that many people will find they misunderstand range anxiety. Up until now, people are used to having a car that gets around 300-400 miles per tankfull, and that they are willing to stand around (or sit in the case of Oregon) for 10 minutes while you get another 300-400 miles. It's kind of a different thing when every morning you walk out to your car that's been charging overnight, and you have all your range ready to go. Of course there are those people who can't let their cars get below 1/2 tank before they filled compelled to top off their tank, those people already have range anxiety in gas cars, so EVs won't be any different for them, they will never have enough. But in the case of the general public, it just takes a little rethink to understand that although you don't get 300-400 miles per charge, if you are filling your gas tank once or twice a week, then you probably will never get range anxiety as long as you don't forget to plug in. Of course people forget to plug in their phone every once in a while, so I imagine that will happen with EVs as well. Gas cars are not immune to that either, people can forget to fill the tank. It's just a little shift in thinking, not a big one.
     
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  9. By James Posted: 6/24/2010 9:15pm PDT

    Luke #3 – good to point, BEV’s are not one size fits all.
    Range Anxiety is real. I talk to different people daily about the LEAF and the Volt. The majority of the people I speak with would pick a Volt (if priced right) because they do not want to deal with range limitations.
     
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  10. By PaulB Posted: 7/1/2010 10:12am PDT

    I'm one who'd go with a plug in hybrid. Most days I'd run off the batteries, but on vacation I'd love to have range that far exceeds my range between rest stops (love to skip a state with high gas taxes).
    The two car argument is valid but limited. I'd rather have the car purchases offset, one new and one with miles to avoid the insurance and payment spikes. So maybe I'll go from two ICE cars to an ICE and a hybrid , then a hybrid and a BEV in 5 years or so depending on technological progress.
     
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