One in 5 EV owners

Is the glass 20% empty or 80% full?
Given some of the lame or impractically limited EVs that have been put out (i3, FocusEV, iMiev, Leaf, 500e, SparkEV, SoulEV, miniEV, etc), I'd say that 80% adoption isn't too bad. The note that the lapse rate for more practical EVs (Chevy and Tesla's) supports that decent EVs have 90% improvement.
I'll risk suggesting the women generally prefer more practical vehicles, and, with the majority of the non-Tesla compliance EVs likely disappointments on that basis, therefore, the results don't surprise me.
Lack of home and/or work charging also seems like an obvious issue that would drive folks away from EVs as well. If you have home charging, EVs are way more convenient than ICE. Without it, they are way less convenient, especially short range EVs.
Fortunately, it seems that the new breed of non-Tesla EVs are going the right direction. Their poor charging speeds and infrastructure are about the only real limitations and even those are fine for most people most of time. The big difference is that, with a Tesla, few people have a need for an ICE backup at all.

 

Hey, I loved my Leaf, and it was perfect for me until my life changed 2 years later and I needed double the range. I could have happily driven it for another 10 years if my driving patterns hadn't dramatically altered. I didn't even have the ability to charge at home, and it was still way better than an ICE car.

 

I would suggest, on a forum dedicated to all EVs and not just Tesla, that calling other drivers' choice of EV "lame or impractically limited" is not the way to go. But, having briefly checked some of your other interactions with forum members, I know this falls on deaf ears.

 

I think Earl makes a good point. So I guess we will have to agree to disagree.

 

My suspicion is that most EV drivers have not been given their choice of EV
Rather, they were forced to choose from the small collection of lame or impractically limited EVs from which they had to choose, possibly motivated by financial incentives. Sorry if I insist on honesty in how I describe these vehicles.
I know that's the case for me. We made them (EV1, Tesla Roadster, Nissan Leaf) work for us through hard (almost fanatical) efforts. It doesn't mean a Leaf had a prayer of a chance of replacing ICE. When an affordable (to me) Model 3 became available, I jumped ship immediately. I just had enough vision to stick it out until a viable EV came along.
Apparently about 20% of those who bought such an EV gave up on EVs altogether though.
Perhaps, had they had a more realistic understanding of the limitations, they would not have been so disappointed. I know a few such people myself. They made rash moves and didn't understand the limitations before purchasing (or leasing) and were disappointed. My hope is that they weren't so soured by their experience and learned enough that, when a viable EV to them becomes available, they'll recognize it and get back onboard.
In the mean time fanatics who swear that their lame or impractically limited EV is ready to replace ICE are not contributing much to the move from Fossil Fuels to renewable EVs.
The solution is to get viable EVs on the road. Someone showing the way seems to be the only thing that will work. Initially, it was the RAV4EV drivers (CA only), then the Tesla Roadsters, Then the CALCARS, then the Leafs. The Model S, then showed that ICE replacement was possible. Now there are others following suite but acknowledging the limitations has been important the whole way. Otherwise, we would have stopped with gas guzzling hybrids, never to move further.

 

Home charging can be an issue for those of us who live in a apartment building. Being limited to 120V 15 amps will not work well during winter months.

Maybe short range EV be better for Level 1 charging , 5 to 6 hours charging instead of 14-16 hours in some cases.

My next vehicle will be an EV.

Dan

 

Dan,
It really doesn't matter how long it takes to get to full. What matters is how long it takes to get enough charge to get to where you need to go.
For example, if you have a 40 mile commute (round trip), but live in an apartment where all you can do is charge from a 120v outlet in the parking garage, As long as you get more than 40 miles of charge at night, you'll be ok. It doesn't matter if you charge from empty to full or from 140 miles to 180 miles of range. In fact, a longer range is preferable so you'll have a little extra buffer in case of unexpected diversions. Fast charging options are also particularly useful too..

 

Thanks for the advice. Just frustrating that there is not many options for EV's and have not seen any apartments with charging EV's available.

Dan

 

I can see the advantage of extra range. Most days when I am working , no more than 2.5kms driving, maybe 5 kms if going to grocery store.
But on day's off , can drive 60- 120 kms. My sister's camp in Killarney is 200 kms return.

Dan

 

Hello Dan. One suggestion is to keep the battery near the 80% so that charging at home will keep you closer to maximum range. That will help you on your off days to travel farther before a charge.

 

Unfortunately, as soon as someone puts EV charging into an apartment complex, someone starts grousing about how the apartment charges more.
I guess they think they should have it and it should be free.
I lived in a couple of apartments with an EV. The first time I was fortunate that there was a public charger owned by the city a block away (actually, it wasn't luck, it drove my apartment search). The 2nd time, I paid for a monthly permit at a nearby parking garage that had a 120v outlet on the top floor that the management said I could use.

 

So, in other words, they got their choice (of what was available). To not have gotten their choice, they would have had to be in the position of having been given an EV and forced to drive it. That's not what's happened. One may not like the options available, but they do have a choice (including the choice to choose none of them).

The condo building I am moving into this week has EV charging available (at reasonable retail cost through 3rd party units) - they currently have 2 in their visitor parking area (available to visitors or residents), and have budgeted to add 6 more. Hopefully that will be a trend, encouraging other buildings to add them. Like Earl, I had been searching for a building near a public charging station, but found an availability at this building instead.

 

exactly! There just wasn't much available :-(
With ICE vehicles, people have literally hundreds of choices while there are only a few dozen EV choices and, today, nearly all have serious limitations as far as charging infrastructure, range, charging speed, etc. There are very few body styles, designs, or options available.
Of course, back in 1999, when I got my first EV, there were really only about 3 choices: EV1 (if you lived in CA or AZ), a conversion, or a glorified golf cart. Conversions, at the time barely got you 25 miles (at 55 mph) and their Pb-A batteries would last you 3 or 4 years if lucky. All were very expensive. Talk about poor choices available . . .
Happily, despite the limitations today, there has been marked improvement over the past 22 years. There is still immense room for improvement.