Interesting that this and many other articles mention the importance of a home charger.
In Australia and the UK you don't need a home charger, as the normal standard socket is sufficient to add 200kms or so overnight. Plenty for the typical user.
This info is often the most surprising thing that people learn when they talk to an actual EV driver.
I would've thought USA would have enough for many as well, but perhaps only 100km overnight.
UK: 13A, 220 V. Aus: 10A 240V. USA: 15A 115V
Doesn't help those in apartments or condos which don't have a outlet in the garage.
A dedicated EVSE is recommended in countries with a nominal 230v mains voltage as they offer improved safety, higher power levels and improved control.
A UK “13A” socket is only rated for 10A continuously which gives around 2.2kW. Whereas a single phase EVSE will do 7.7kW. If you have 6hrs of off-peak electricity that’s 13.2kWh vs 46.2kWh.
A standard socket is fine for the occasional top up or if you cannot install an EVSE, but it is severely limiting unless you are charging every day.
It's easy to charge every day at home. Speaking for myself, I only very rarely use a charger external to my home. The standard outlet in the garage is fine. And I do the occasional bit of Uber driving!
"The fact that European and American manufacturers have concentrated on the premium market of early adopters has left them vulnerable. Chinese manufacturers like MG haven’t been so reluctant to address affordability, and there are other brands from China waiting in the wings to steal market share, such as BYD, just like Japanese carmakers did in the 1970s and 80s. While traditional European and US car companies might see EVs as a threat, the Chinese ones see them as an opportunity to get a bigger foothold in Western markets."
European and American manufacturers are treating electric cars like many organic/natural brands treats their foodstuff, charging premiums like sort of a guilty tax targeted at affluent clientele. You pay a lot to feel good, but if it's not made affordable for mass adoption it doesn't really make much difference.
Volvo has the new reasonably affordable (starts at 36k) EX30 coming and demand has been very strong. We put our money down last year and lots of us are eagerly anticipating delivery. I agree that the budget sector is where they need to concentrate. I assume car companies are milking that last gas premium as long as they can. Once people try electric they won’t go back to the nightmare that is the internal combustion engine. And I say that as someone that has worked a lifetime on gas engines and I’m done with it.
My next car will be electric but I don’t feel like ICE is any nightmare if you choose a reliable car. The same that will happen with EVs.
The cars I owned were a VW Golf TDI IV, a Mercedes C220 (2003) and a Hyundai Ioniq non-plugin hybrid. Very happy with all 3 with only serious issue with the Golf in 15 years (turbo) and gearbox with the Mercedes at 250.000 kms. Zero problems with the Ioniq in 6 years and 110.000 kms. Definitely not a nightmare
China can just build more coal-fired power plants to satisfy the increased demand for electricity (and are incentivized to, given their promise to peak emissions in 2030).
The West cannot, so the limited ramp-up will naturally focus first on the premium market.
Even if 100% of new cars sold were electric, it would take ~20 years to turn over the whole fleet. Once turned over, electric cars will require 20% more electricity than currently used.
IOW, additional demand is under 1% per year. We build more new natgas than that every year.
I have seen a bit more criticism of electric cars of late in the press and on social media, particularly in the UK, but I think that's just because of more widespread use amongst the general public. They are not electric car haters but just normal people pointing out the issues they have found. This is bound to happen as more people are now using electric cars and finding out firsthand the issues with things like relatively poor infrastructure along with a few of the other weaker points of electric cars, such as poor resale value, range fluctuations based on weather and highway inefficiency etc and a few electric car evangelist types are getting upset that not everyone thinks electric cars are perfect in every scenario.
As a BEV owner it is exactly this - a lot of normal Joes are sitting inside BEVs and they hold no punches back, because compared to ICE, their user experience with electric vehicle is inferior - be it infrastructure or price vs usability of BEV.
In Australia and the UK you don't need a home charger, as the normal standard socket is sufficient to add 200kms or so overnight. Plenty for the typical user.
This info is often the most surprising thing that people learn when they talk to an actual EV driver.
I would've thought USA would have enough for many as well, but perhaps only 100km overnight.
UK: 13A, 220 V. Aus: 10A 240V. USA: 15A 115V
Doesn't help those in apartments or condos which don't have a outlet in the garage.
A UK “13A” socket is only rated for 10A continuously which gives around 2.2kW. Whereas a single phase EVSE will do 7.7kW. If you have 6hrs of off-peak electricity that’s 13.2kWh vs 46.2kWh.
A standard socket is fine for the occasional top up or if you cannot install an EVSE, but it is severely limiting unless you are charging every day.
Good point on the "13A" socket.
"The fact that European and American manufacturers have concentrated on the premium market of early adopters has left them vulnerable. Chinese manufacturers like MG haven’t been so reluctant to address affordability, and there are other brands from China waiting in the wings to steal market share, such as BYD, just like Japanese carmakers did in the 1970s and 80s. While traditional European and US car companies might see EVs as a threat, the Chinese ones see them as an opportunity to get a bigger foothold in Western markets."
Infrastructure needs to catch up a bit more. I’ve tried electric and it was a nightmare if you don’t have a place to charge at home.
The cars I owned were a VW Golf TDI IV, a Mercedes C220 (2003) and a Hyundai Ioniq non-plugin hybrid. Very happy with all 3 with only serious issue with the Golf in 15 years (turbo) and gearbox with the Mercedes at 250.000 kms. Zero problems with the Ioniq in 6 years and 110.000 kms. Definitely not a nightmare
The West cannot, so the limited ramp-up will naturally focus first on the premium market.
IOW, additional demand is under 1% per year. We build more new natgas than that every year.