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Live in Idaho and Want an Electric Car? You’re In For a Long Wait

 
2,330 views Aug 9, 2011
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Idaho

Idaho

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If California is the undisputed capital of electric cars in North America, which state is its antithesis?  

According to the Idaho Business Review, Idaho could be that state, with both the 2012 Chevrolet Volt and 2012 Nissan Leaf unavailable at present. 

Worse still, Nissan won’t be even making its all-electric Leaf available in the state until the end of 2012 - that’s more than two years after Nissan opened its online reservation portal for the five-seat hatchback. 

2011 Nissan Leaf

2011 Nissan Leaf

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Getting a 2012 Chevrolet Volt in Idaho won’t be much better either. According to the Idaho Business Review, Chevrolet won’t even be opening a reservation queue in the state until the end of 2011, with delivery dates as yet unconfirmed. 

Why the reluctance to sell in Idaho? There’s a whole plethora of reasons, from the geography of the state and lack of public charging stations through to its cold winter climate and sparse rural population. 

And while Nissan is including battery heating in its 2012 Leaf along with heated seats and steering wheel to help it and its passengers cope with the cold winters of more northern states, we suspect Nissan wants to test the leaf in other, more populated winter climates before letting it lose in Idaho. 

2011 Chevrolet Volt on test in Little Rock, Arkansas, July 2011

2011 Chevrolet Volt on test in Little Rock, Arkansas, July 2011

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Ironically, Idaho is home to the U.S. Depatrment of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory. Focusing on nuclear and energy research, it is heavily involved in testing a whole range of plug-in vehicles, including pure electric, extended range electric and plug-in hybrids. 

That won’t help consumers in Idaho get their hands on an electric car for the time being though.  If you can’t wait until the end of this year for a 2012 Chevrolet Volt, or want to be driving the all-electric Leaf before the start of 2013, we’d suggest you head west to Oregon, or Washington State, where both cars are currently on sale in Portland and Seattle respectively.

As for the worst place to live for electric cars, do you know somewhere even worse than Idaho? Let us know in the Comments below. 

[Idahobusinessreview (subscription required]






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Comments (14)

  1. James Davis avatar James Davis Posted: 8/9/2011 9:28am PDT

    Yes, there is a state a lot worse than Idaho for electric cars or anything that is considered green and clean...West Virginia. They still ride around in horse-n-buggies and consider coal as clean and carbon neutral and natural gas as the cleanest source of renewable fuel on the market. Nissan and GM circles this state like it is a dead cow laying out in the field with madcow disease.
     
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  2. James Davis avatar James Davis Posted: 8/9/2011 9:31am PDT

    Yes, West Virginia is the worst state to live if you want buy an electric car.
     
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  3. fb_10233518 avatar Christof Demont-Heinrich Posted: 8/9/2011 10:36am PDT

    Ah, the unfortunate irony. Thanks to a ton of hydro power and a comparatively low population, Idaho is THE cleanest state to plug in an EV in the entire United States. Grid mix = 75% hydro, 9% renewables, etc., 15% natural gas and just 7% coal (Source: http://www.getenergyactive.org/fuel/state.htm). And yes, W. Virginia is the worst (97% coal!).
     
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  4. iheartwhitezombie avatar iheartwhitezombie Posted: 8/9/2011 10:46am PDT

    Are you sure Montana isn't worse? Not only do we have no sun but car dealers literally laugh at you if you mention electric cars. Unfortunately Montana would sooner have a car that runs on Pabst and frozen pizzas.
     
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  5. fb_100000005296979 avatar Kent Beuchert Posted: 8/9/2011 1:58pm PDT

    Idaho hardly needs to worry about carbon emissions, assuming they are silly enough to do so, as their electrical grid produces power five times cleaner than bankrupt California. California is the worst place to own an electric car because its the worst place to own anything - ask the millions of underwater California homeowners.
     
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  6. john_v avatar John Voelcker Posted: 8/9/2011 4:24pm PDT

    Kent: Such incredible negativity and anger, on every single comment. Why?
     
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  7. JRP3 avatar JRP3 Posted: 8/10/2011 10:50am PDT

    "Kent" has issues. Read all about them:
    http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/672-Ken-Kent-Kerry-Beauchrt-Beuchert-Beuchrt-Biker-Rider-Krider
     
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  8. fb_100002320805019 avatar Bryan Lund Posted: 8/9/2011 10:26pm PDT

    Nikki, what about the Mitsubishi i for those of us in coldland Idaho, up and over here? You mean ta tell me I can't have a 2012 Mitsubishi i until beyond 2012? Come to think of it, Boise may be the closest Idaho Mitsubishi dealer to me, or I can head west 65 miles to Spokane and go out of Idaho completely to consider a Mitsubishi of some sort. Is that what you're tellin' me? I'm in Kellogg, ID, home of Dave Smith Motors, the world's top-selling Chrysler dealer and he's also the top GM dealer in the Pacific Northwest, to change the subject without really changing the subject.
     
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  9. fb_746110362 avatar Max Mullen Posted: 8/10/2011 9:30am PDT

    Electric cars aren't green. Where does the electricity come from? Coal. At least in a normal car you only lose efficiency from one process. Gas --> CO2. For an electric car Coal --> electricity. Electricity then has to be storred and removed from a car battery, which is not a 100% efficient process. People think that electric cars are green because there are no emissions coming out of the car. The emissions are formed before they get in the car. And coal is dirtier than oil. If you really want to save the world from CO2, get a hybrid. Electric cars are no where near green yet.
     
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  10. fb_746110362 avatar Max Mullen Posted: 8/10/2011 9:31am PDT

    *The emissions are formed before the energy is storred in the car.*

    Pardon me.
     
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  11. john_v avatar John Voelcker Posted: 8/10/2011 10:01am PDT

    Max: The complete "wells to wheels" carbon emissions for plug-in cars have been compared to a 25-mpg gasoline burning car in the U.S. Under *all* circumstances, even on the dirtiest grid in the nation (either ND or WV, I forget), the plug-in car emits less total carbon per mile than a 25-mpg gas car. If you get up to the 50 mpg of a Toyota Prius (the most fuel-efficient car sold in the U.S. this year), then the electric car emits slightly more carbon per mile if it's charged on a handful of the dirtiest grids. But until our national average crosses 50 mpg, we don't have to worry: Electrics are ALWAYS cleaner.
     
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  12. john_v avatar John Voelcker Posted: 8/10/2011 10:02am PDT

    The source for this is the two-volume study released in 2007 by the Electric Power Research Institute and the Natural Resources Defense Council. You can find it online and read it; I'd take the liberty of recommending that you do so.
     
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  13. JRP3 avatar JRP3 Posted: 8/10/2011 10:49am PDT

    John is of course exactly right. I'll just add that the avearge percentage of coal for the US grid is around 45%, which means on average most of your power is not coming from coal.
    This is a nice interactive map that lets you explore the grid:
    http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=110997398
     
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  14. James Davis avatar James Davis Posted: 8/10/2011 12:52pm PDT

    Since California does not qualify, because of Telsa, and Montana is the big sky country; West Virginia takes #1 position as being the worst state in the nation for electric cars, and just about anything else you can think of. So, if there are any of you who think you are big enough to step up and knock us out of that position...just give it a try and I will fill your *ss full of buckshot. West Virginia should be getting all the electric cars first since we are the worst state in the nation for ...everything.
     
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