Replies

There were numerous free (!) charging stations in my area when I had my EV1.

In Illinois (and I'm fairly sure everyplace else) there is no such thing as free. Just stuff Mayor for Life Daley makes other people pay for. I don't want to give that SOB another way to get into my pocket. I know the electrics have a place, but at the moment I don't see one of them being in places that get heavy snow. The combination of 2-3 times normal commute time combined with running the heater would simply be doom given existing battery technology. Now my wife who has a <2 mile commute would probably fit perfectly into the EV market.

The other problem is time to charge. According to the EV1 fan site http://www.ev1.pair.com/charge_across_america
The first generation lead-acid batteries can be recharged from 20% to 80% capacity in approx. 45 min. with the 220 volt 6.6kW charger. A complete 100% charge takes about 3 hours. These times are approximately double for NiMH batteries. The 110 volt 1.2kW convenience charger is much slower, replenishing approximately 8% per hour or 15 hours for a complete charge. A new 50kw Fast Charger has been developed that will recharge from 20% to 80% capacity in 10-15 minutes.

A 3 hour fill up doesn't seem like a lot of fun. Even a 10-15 minute stop a one of the high capacity chargers seems a bit excessive. If you assume charging stations will function like gas stations the problem becomes obvious. I often have to wait for an open pump. Not a problem if it only takes 5 minutes for a fill up, most I waste is 10 minutes. But if a fill up takes 15 minutes and I'm not the first person in line I'm out half an hour.