Electric cars seem to have been avoided like the plague of the last half century, like an ugly albatross with whom we do not wish to be associated. In recent years there have been some positive advances in the innovation and economic acceptability of electric vehicles. What do we need to use to jump the next obstacle?

After decades of empty promises ZEV’s [Zero Emission Vehicles] such as electric cars, hydrogen cars, hybrid cars, etc. little by little they are beginning to walk our paths. This short post will primarily focus on electric vehicles – electric cars and how they teeter on the brink of public acceptance.

The fear of acquiring a ZEV is still present in the British psyche. These are just some of the expressions that I have recorded from ordinary people in just the last five years … (However, I have also heard the same terms reiterated over the last three decades from many different people.)

“I don’t want one, they would ridicule me!” (Unfounded technological bias)

“Damn milk float!” (Poor design and appearance of the vehicle socially unacceptable)

“I don’t want to run out of juice in the middle of nowhere!” (Dead battery syndrome)

“It was expensive!” (maybe!)

For most, it is a basic assumption that is not based on real empirical evidence. People must have access to ZEV to understand its durability. BMW’s test stage of the ‘Mini-E’ is a demonstration project that enables selected members of the public to gain acceptance for electric vehicles.

Available for the roads right now are some meaty variations of electric vehicles, for example the Tesla Roadster or the Nissan Leaf. Toyota is revamping its old jeep RAV4 and will introduce a top second-generation electric RAV4 for 2012.

There are some incentives to driving electric: Free parking and low car taxes? This may be available now, but with more EVs on the road, prices will inevitably go up slowly, but not yet; maybe 2020 onwards.

Running costs:

Gas costs per mile versus electricity costs per mile, the main problem. In 2011, the 40-liter petrol / diesel capacity (relatively small tank) cost almost £ 60 to fill to cover 300-360 miles per tank. A car with electric charge would cost less than £ 1 with a capacity of 150 miles (this takes into account increases in household electric charge) … people can easily understand the savings.

So what is stopping us? An electric car will cost between £ 20,000 and £ 100,000, which the average family cannot afford today. Celebrities, trendsetters, or the industry are the only ones these days who have really gotten their hands on electric cars in recent years. However, they all lead by example and prices will inevitably fall, allowing wider access to the rest of us.

Will the UK government’s £ 5000 incentive to buy a new ZEV help more of us buy electricity?

Will insurance worry us or prevent us from switching to electric vehicles?

Refueling / refueling:

The main problem is charging, either at domestic / internal charging points or on the street. You will have some potential problems that will arise before everything is harmonious. People who live with street parking can suffer from charging problems (people pulling the cables out for antics) when trying to charge their electric vehicle.

Many houses can be designed with garages in mind. Safer safety, lower charging premiums, and peace of mind because you can charge your car from household outlets in a secure, closed environment. By using common sense design, we will overcome all of these problems. More research needs to be done, maybe a small incentive for all EV purchases to do multiple surveys over 2-3 years of ownership where they can give feedback on all [positive and negative] Problems raised.

Charging points are becoming a reality as megacities around the world are embracing street charging to keep our national ZEV / EV fleets running. Charging can be done (drip style) overnight for 4-8 hours or quickly in a 30 minute burst that would charge 50-80% … enough to get you home!

Many will complain that in the UK our electricity supply comes from fossil fuels, that if we all suddenly own electric cars and start charging them overnight, we will increase emissions a hundredfold (a thousandfold?). However, there are opportunities. ahead.

However, at night we have a slight overproduction of electricity in night generation (we cannot just shut down coal / gas power plants), this could easily power our nightly load without necessarily increasing emissions.

The potential for offshore wind farms adding another 2-3 GW of capacity in the next few years would easily meet our ZEV demands for the next decade of night chargers, so we would not rely on coal-based electricity generation, oil or gas. what.

Could it be that things are really falling into place as a large minority of us become electric car users in this new decade?

Usually:

The UK is doing this gradually. Since electric cars were discussed and experimented with in the mid-20th century (some functional models in the early 1900s too!) With occasional viable models like the GM Impact (1990) becoming the doomed GM EV1, things have progressed. even more.

It’s not just about technical fixes and good innovation; it is about human behavior, responsibility and rational contemplation. It’s a new era and now many will become EV-1 owners, how do we make sure there won’t be another EV-1 crash and burn episode again?

We are optimistic: the obstacles are shrinking and moving away. What can you do?