Posted on 04/08/2015 2:05:29 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Jake Pultorak chuckles at the mention of “range anxiety,” the fear among some electric vehicle owners that their car's battery will run out of juice before the driver can find a charger.
“I had that as a gas-car driver, but the anxiety was over how much I had to pay to get where I was going,” said Pultorak, 44, of Franklin Park, who has owned an all-electric Tesla Model S for about two years.
Worries at the gas pumps have diminished over the past nine months as the global crash in oil prices brought the cost of gasoline to its lowest price in five years, resulting in a drop in electric vehicle sales. That decrease only slows a push for alternative-fueled vehicles that has yet to dent the overall car market, despite government incentives.
Plug-in EVs accounted for just 1.2 percent of car sales in February, according to the Department of Energy.
“There might be an uptick in demand if fuel prices went back up, but not anything dramatic,” said John Putzier, CEO of the Greater Pittsburgh Automobile Dealers Association, who cited low battery range and drivers' continued love for SUVs as factors holding back EV sales.
Sales of hybrids that switch between battery power and gas backup were down 11.5 percent in February, compared with a year ago, according to the Energy Department. Sales of plug-in vehicles fell 0.3 percent, possibly tempered by the 55 percent increase in deliveries during the first quarter that Palo Alto, Calif.-based Tesla announced last week.
Dealers in Western Pennsylvania, hundreds of miles from the closest Tesla retail outlet, said sales of Nissan Leafs, Chevy Volts and similar models are flat or falling.
Increased fuel efficiency in traditional cars, combined with a persistently low battery range in the non-Tesla plug-ins, has kept a lid on demand even as government agencies and some corporate sectors try to help.
In addition to a federal rebate of up to $7,500, Pennsylvanians can get a $2,000 rebate from the Department of Environmental Protection for buying a new plug-in car. About 60 of the 500 rebates are still available.
Higher prices for EVs with longer battery ranges remain a factor, despite the rebates. A new Tesla with a 265-mile range will cost $70,000. GM has tried to address price with the Chevrolet Spark, which costs about $18,000 after the federal rebate — but is available in only a few states.
“Once one of these alternatives can be brought to market at a competitive price, the next challenge would be to develop a distribution system that would rival the gasoline distribution system. That could take some time,” said Calvin Lane, regional operations director in the South Hills for #1 Cochran. The dealership did not disclose sales figures for its hybrids or EVs.
Research firms such as Johnstown-based Concurrent Technologies Corp. are working with the government to develop more efficient, less costly car batteries.
Grocery stores including O'Hara-based Giant Eagle have installed solar-powered public car chargers in parking lots, as have big employers such as FedEx Ground, which is adding two chargers to the two at its Moon headquarters.
“It's going to take a market stimulation. If you build it, they will come,” Jack Christensen, director of facilities and energy management operations for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, said about the buildout of charging stations.
The commission last year installed chargers at four service plazas at a cost of $2.5 million — $1 million from the DEP, the same amount from installer Car Charging Group and $500,000 from the Turnpike for connections and related infrastructure.
The commission recorded 79 vehicles using the chargers over the past year. Fully charging most EV cars takes several hours on the so-called Level 2 stations. Eventually, it wants to install faster Level 3 chargers at 17 plazas.
“The goal is to stimulate and enhance the market. Would we like to see more? Sure,” Christensen said.
That will require batteries that can last as long between charges as a Tesla but with the price tag of a Spark, advocates and doubters say.
“You can't take it on vacation to Florida,” Putzier said, since the mainstream EV battery range is generally less than 100 miles. “Elon Musk is probably the only person who will save the day.”
Musk, CEO of Tesla, last year opened the patents to his company's batteries to spur development.
“That is going to make a difference,” Pultorak said.
In the meantime, he and other Tesla owners — there are about 100 in the Pittsburgh area — can plot longer-distance trips by mapping routes that follow locations of so-called Super Chargers, special stations such as one in Cranberry that can fully charge a Tesla in less than an hour.
“That's the American way. Nobody wants to be tethered to (within) 100 miles from your house,” Pultorak said.
| Model | 2014 Sales | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Nissan Leaf | 30200 | 25.45% |
| Chevrolet Volt | 18805 | 15.84% |
| Tesla Model S | 16550 | 13.94% |
| Toyota Prius Plug In | 13264 | 11.18% |
| Ford Fusion Energi | 11550 | 9.73% |
| Ford C-Max Energi | 8433 | 7.11% |
| BMW i3 | 6092 | 5.13% |
| Smart forTwo EV | 2594 | 2.19% |
| Ford Focus EV | 1964 | 1.65% |
| Fiat 500E | 1503 | 1.27% |
| Cadillac ELR | 1310 | 1.10% |
| Toyota RAV4 EV | 1184 | 1.00% |
| Chevrolet Spark | 1145 | 0.96% |
| Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid | 879 | 0.74% |
| Mercedes B-Class Electric | 774 | 0.65% |
| BMW i8 | 555 | 0.47% |
| Honda Accord Plug In | 449 | 0.38% |
| Honda Fit EV | 407 | 0.34% |
| Kia Soul EV | 359 | 0.30% |
| VW e-Golf | 357 | 0.30% |
| Mitsubishi i | 196 | 0.17% |
| Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid | 112 | 0.09% |
| Total | 118682 | 100.00% |
True, and at age 67, I find myself working harder to get in and out than I used to. My wife says to attend yoga class like she does, LOL
Hard to believe the Miata will be celebrating its 25th birthday.
They spent $2.5 million for chargers that were used 79 times. Heck, in only a 10-15 years the cost might be down to $500 per charge!
It is and as you probably know, they are cheap to operate and you can purchase an older one used for very short money. Again though, if you’re pushing six foot it’s probably not a good solution.
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