The 5 Dumbest Claims People Make for Electric Cars
Electric cars are not, like Superman, able to leap tall buildings at a single bound -- no matter what their advocates say. It's time to dial back the boosterism, because the public is going to discover the shortcomings of electric vehicles (EVs) quickly enough.
Here are five EV talking points that are overdue for termination:
1. Most people only drive 30 to 40 miles a day
It's true -- on average, most of us don't drive more than an EV's range of 100 miles in a day. The problem is we're all over the place -- it's 20 miles one day and 200 the next. The Chevy Volt is actually exploiting this fact in its early commercials, proclaiming that Americans are "wayfarers" and "nomads." We're given to "spontaneous acts of freedom" and want to go where the day takes us:
2. Electric cars are "zero emission"
The cars themselves don't produce any tailpipe emissions, sure. But they plug into grids that keep pouring pollution from large tailpipe-like smokestacks. Credible analysis of EV impact on the grid requires a "well to wheels" analysis. As it happens, EVs don't do that badly -- they're maybe 30 to 40 percent better than conventional cars in terms of global warming impact, the Electric Power Research Institute told me. That puts them on par with the best hybrids, but the phrase "zero emission" conveys a halo that isn't entirely earned.
3. Credits and subsidies mean that EVs are affordable
Some automakers take this pretty far, growing big Pinocchio noses as they quote car prices that have already been reduced by the $7,500 federal tax credit. Thus the 2012 Tesla Model S will cost $49,900 with an asterisk, when the real price is $57,400. That's a bit disingenuous -- the tax credit is a delayed payback. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) has introduced a bill that would transform the credit to an upfront payment directly to your dealer. If that bill passes (a big if) then automakers should feel free to take a big whack out of their quoted prices.
4. By 2025, gas cars will be phased out
Several pundits have told me this, and I just don't believe it. An ultra-hyped EV partisan from the Australian Electric Vehicle Association told me that electric cars will have as much as 90 percent of his country's market in 20 years. I take note that Bill Reinert, a senior manager at Toyota, thinks the gas engine will be around in some form for the next 30 years, and just one or two percent of the market will be electric by 2020. I'm more optimistic -- we're likely to be well into double digits by then.
5. Charging will be easy
Plugging the car in is easy, sure, but getting to that point with a 240-volt charger in your garage will take girding for battle with local town officials and electricians who don't know much at all about EVs. The more car and charging companies take care of these hassles for their early and confused customers, the better.
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Photo: Tesla Motors