Cooperative Living November/December 2021 - 20

CloserLook | by Paul Wesslund, Contributing Columnist
The Charge of the EV Brigade
Will car-charging stations replace the old-fashioned gas station?
aybe electric cars don't need
a nationwide network of
charging stations to overcome
motorists' fears about running out
of juice.
Already, the U.S. has nearly one-third
as many charging sites as gas stations,
not including the " refueling stations "
found in the electric outlets of every
home in America.
Plus, the range of electric
Plus, the range of electric cars
aalready exceeds how far mos
drive in a day. Ninety percen
A
day Ninety percent of
Americans drive less than 45
day and the average range fo
RANGE ANXIETY
President Biden's AmericanJobs Plan
proposesproposes a national network of 500,000
charging stations by 2030,
Department of Energy curr
President Biden' America
charging stations by 2030, p from the
national network
u
Department of Energy''s current count
f 50,000, to address anxiety about the
maximum range of electric
But range anxiety may be
oof 50,000, to address anxiety
maximum range of electric vehicles.
B
the easons electric vehicles haven'
ut range anxiety may be the least of
the reasons electric vehicles haven't fulfullyly
taken hold, says Brian Sloboda, director
of consumer solutions for the National
Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
" Let's say your electric vehicle is only
used for commuting and you're just
driving it from your home to the
lready exceeds how far most people
drive in
mericans drive less than 45 miles a
day, and the average range for electric
vehicles is 250 miles.
M
grocery store to work, " he says. " It is
very likely that you would never even
use public charging stations because
you can charge your EV at home for
a very reasonable price. "
He sees bigger issues than a lack of
charging stations standing in the way
of greater acceptance. " You have
limited model availability, limited body
styles, limited manufacturers, high
prices and most people are unfamiliar
with the technology. "
BREAKING BARRIERS
Right now, you'll pay about $10,000
extra for an electric model. But those
costs are coming down as batteries get
cheaper and more powerful.
Plus, competition is heating up.
Every major car manufacturer has
high-profile plans for electric models.
Ford has announced an electric model
of its popular F-150 pickup. Although
electric vehicles make up less than
4% of the auto market, that's doubled
from
from just one year ago.
just one year
ago.
Even if charging stations are not
the most important determiner of
the future of electric vehicles, they
are a growing part of the landscape.
Many electric co-ops are also
responding to the rising interest,
fromjust one year ago.
18 | Cooperative Living | November-December 2021
with a charging station network
in the Midwest developed by 29
co-ops in Wisconsin, Illinois,
Minnesota and Iowa.
" Co-ops are looking at what they
can do to support public charging, "
says Sloboda. " They do it to meet the
needs of their members, but they also
do it as economic development to
bring tourists into the community
to support local businesses like
hotels and parks. "
Forecasting the future of chargingging
stations is tricky. It's not as easy as
comparing the number of charging
stations with gas stations. For one
thing, people don't have a gasoline
pump in their garage, which is
essentially the case with an electric.c.
And while an internal combustion
engine might take four minutes foror
a fill, an electric vehicle might needed
more than an hour to recharge.
" It's something everyone is
wrestling with, " says Sloboda. " But ifut if
you re
you're truly interested in making the
truly interested in
you're truly interested in making themaking the
switch to electric, don't let the current
charging infrastructure deter you. " 
Paul Wesslund writes on consumer and
cooperative affairs for the National Rural
Electric Cooperative Association.
co-opliving.com
http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living November/December 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living November/December 2021
