What's Holding Back Electric-Car Sales?

The Wall Street Journal ^ | September 28, 2014 | Yuliya Chernova

[LogicDesigner]

Electric cars aren't selling nearly as well as many predicted. Why is that?

Research suggests a host of reasons—including a basic lack of familiarity, a high price tag, misconceptions about the cars—and ineffective government incentives.

Consider the lack of familiarity. In a survey by researchers from Indiana University and the University of Kansas, respondents couldn't correctly answer basic factual questions about plug-in electric vehicles more than 60% of the time. Some 75% of wrong answers underestimated the beneficial aspects of the vehicles.

The survey, the most exhaustive on consumer perceptions of electric cars in recent years, was published in the journal Energy Policy last year, and was based on field work conducted in several U.S. cities in 2011.

Key Differences

Many respondents didn't realize that all-electric cars require less maintenance than gasoline-powered cars. Oil changes aren't necessary, for example, and there are fewer breakable parts. The study also found that people often underestimated the fuel savings electric cars offer.

"The lack of accurate information about electric vehicles certainly [has] contributed to their small adoption," says Rachel Krause, an assistant professor in the School of Public Affairs and Administration at the University of Kansas, and a co-author of the study.

[lacrew]

I remember using an electric lawn mower in the 1970’s...

I have never considered buying another one - because it was a lousy piece of junk.

I once bought an electric weed eater...

Never again - it was a piece of trash.

Golf courses used to use a lot of electric carts...

They tend to use gas powered now, because electric carts weren’t as good.

I once used an electric chainsaw! Really, they exist...

Complete piece of junk - never again.

Well, with all of that in my memory banks, I just must be too stooopid to understand why an electric car is so much better than gas.

[Roman_War_Criminal]

1. Depends on how fast you drive 80-100 (full charge)
2. Depends on what level charger you use. I have a level 3 charger at work (10 minutes to fully charge)
3. 85 probably
4. $280/mth 24 mth lease
5. Yes

If you are seriously considering getting one, then you need the fast charger option so you can charge both at home and at charging stations. I get a $5000 State Tax Credit in GA—it’s basically free after all of that.

[rottndog]

3. A gasoline engine is only about 20% to 30% efficient. Most of the energy is wasted as heat. Whereas an electric motor is over 90% efficient.

While the motor may be more efficient, the battery is not. In fact, batteries become progressively less efficient the more charge/discharge cycles they rack up. It consistently takes more energy to do the same amount of work as the battery ages. Not so in an ICE. And, batteries will discharge while just sitting....as a matter of fact, batteries begin to discharge the instant they stop charging, whether the car is driven or not--very little at first, but again, over time, it gets worse.

[wrench]

Generating electricity is not 100% efficient.

Transmitting electricity is not 100% efficient.

Charging battery systems is not 100% efficient.

The batteries themselves are not 100% efficient, and degrade with time.

The electric motors are not 100% efficient.

Battery driven cars are little better now than when they were first introduced 100 years ago, mainly because they do not do the needed job.

Gasoline powered vehicles, however, are infinitely better than 100 years ago, and improve steadily in performance and efficiency.

In the last 2 days I drove a small car over 600 miles in about 10 hours (5 hours each day, straight, no stops, $55 in fuel) . Get back to us when electric cars can do this.

[RegulatorCountry]

Until most people know someone who has had a positive experience with an electric car, adoption will lag. There’s a groupthink dynamic going on that has held back other alt fuel vehicles as well, diesel, natural gas.

Also, people’s driving habits are centered around gasoline engines. Refueling is a non-issue unless in a completely unpopulated area such as a large desert. Compare that to electric, what do you do? And the range is limited.

So, people are resistant. Tesla being a fashionable, desirable car with range beginning to approach a gasoline-powered car, establishing branded recharging stations across the country will go a long way to change this.

Then, there’s the expense. Subsidies are resented. Widespread adoption will come when the cost differential is not so great without subsidy.

[thackney]

Here in Texas I can get a new Volt for $25k.

Can you point me to where those are sold at that price?

http://www.kbb.com/cars-for-sale/cars/new-cars/chevrolet/volt/?distance=100

[Ingtar]

#2 - they are still excluding the fuel cost to power the electric socket.

[ripnbang]

Basic Econ 101 and Marketing 101. They’re not worth the cost to the majority of Americans who frequently commute to work about that amount of miles a day, or close to it, or run errands, appointments, kids to sports, dance lessons/piano lessons more miles than that a day. Also, most Americans don’t like them. In my area they’d be squished like a bug by the pick ups and SUVs and are pretty useless for utility purposes. Personally, I Wouldn’t dream of having my wife and kids drive a roller skate with a steering wheel.

[LogicDesigner]

“Time to recharge.. Does anyone think that after you've depleted your battery charge by 70% getting to work on a Midwest winter day, you will have a sufficient charge, after being plugged in 8 hours, to get home?”

Yes.

First of all, very few people drive 50+ miles one-way to work. 78% of Americans drive less than 40 miles round trip in their daily commutes. And if you did drive that far, 8 hours would be plenty of time to recharge an electric car, since they fully charge from a standard charging station in under four hours.

[vette6387]

“Got junk will travel, just not very far...”

Well, I guess you’ve never had a chance to look at a Tesla S up close. The make a Mercedes look like a POS. And they go from 200 to 300 miles between charges. Where this country has really Effed up is not continuing to pursue nuclear power. Admittedly, it’s not a good energy tradeoff to charge an EV with electricity produced by burning fossil fuels. Also, even though it isn’t as “green” as it could be, people who plug in their cars pay no road use taxes so their vehicle energy costs are way lower on that score too. I live in an East Bay “bedrdoom community” where people from SF and the Silicon Valley live. There are lots of Teslas here. Also, the Tesla goes 0-60 in less than 5 seconds, so it’s not a golf cart!

[centurion316]

Does the author realize how fast you can rack up 60 miles, just running errands?

Short answer, NO

Yuliya Chernova was born in Russia, graduated from Brown University, lives in Brooklyn, and writes for the Wall Street Journal on green energy, startups. Probably doesn't even own a car and may not have driven one for years. But, she is going to tell you how to live your life.

[kidd]

That’s 60 miles per charge “under good driving conditions”

Hope you don’t experience “bad” driving conditions, like
- darkness (need headlights)
- cold temperatures (need heat)
- hot temperatures (need A/C)

How many miles can you drive on a cold rainy night? 30 miles?

[ansel12]

Safety, the cars are death traps that will strand drivers on the highways and in the mountain passes during winter.

I’m not sending off my wife and kids into a winter drive in the mountains with the uncertainty that is the fact of electric cars.

[Iron Munro]

“including a basic lack of familiarity, a high price tag, misconceptions about the cars—and ineffective government incentives.”
I guess the product itself couldn’t be the problem.

Its a good thing Henry Ford and the Chevrolet brothers had all of those things working for them, isn't it?

If it wasn't for those massive government incentives back in the early 1900's we would still be riding to town in grandpa's farm wagon.

/s

[lacrew]

The author of this little quiz is being dishonest by omission.

Its improper to ask a question about range, without listing the conditions...and the question simply assumes the best possible conditions.

I happen to know that when I’m driving in really cold weather, I rely very much on my carbon belching engine to heat my bones, and keep the frost and ice off the windshield. This rare event happens...every single year.

So I would love to know how much electric energy it takes to keep things warm in the winter, and how that affects range. Intuitively I’m fairly confident that I won’t be traveling that far in the cold, and I’ll probably be wearing gloves. No thanks.

[MortMan]

Well, there is the small fact that people just don’t want them...

[kidd]

Many respondents didn't realize that all-electric cars require less maintenance than gasoline-powered cars. Oil changes aren't necessary, for example, and there are fewer breakable parts.

Except for that ol' battery thingy, that has to be replaced every 5-6 years at a five-figure cost, there's hardly any maintenance costs at all!

[LogicDesigner]

“Real World Leaf Range 27 - 38 miles”

If you actually read your link, you will see that it is just an anonymous forum-poster using some funny math to arrive at those numbers. That would be like me linking to one of my own comments and saying, “Look, here's a source!”

[Iron Munro]

Golf courses used to use a lot of electric carts...

[RegulatorCountry]

I personally couldn’t care less about the “green” aspect. If it is, great. If it’s not, well, that’s never been my motivation in being interested. If you don’t have a long commute an electric could be an excellent choice even with the current limitations. Long term I see it as another means of achieving independence from murderous foreigners.