The key to electric car adoption? Make it simple

With Nissan delivering its first Leaf this evening and the Chevrolet Volt now in production, the hard work is set to begin: "Getting the blueprint in place for a supportive rollout, so electric vehicles become a sustainable piece of the marketplace," said Diane Wittenberg, the executive director of the California Plug-In Electric Vehicle Collaborative.

She unveiled a report Monday that outlined 10 major recommendations "to pave the way for healthier, cleaner and cheaper transportation options for the 21st century."

The report, announced at a Universal Studios event for which most of the 35 Collaborative members were on hand, identified several key points to encourage mainstream EV adoption in the state.

Topping the list of "Taking Charge: Establishing California Leadership in the Plug-in Electric Vehicle Marketplace" was simplifying the process of getting home-charging stations installed quickly, developing solutions to enable charging at apartments and condos, and structuring electricity prices to encourage off-peak charging.

Increasing consumer demand through education campaigns, developing new service industries to make charging cars easier than refueling at gas stations, encouraging tech-based solutions to help drivers find existing public charging stations, and ensuring local governments establish strategic placement of a public charging network rounded out EVs' most pressing issues.

"The next step is the group will continue to get together and start working on implementation of all the different recommendations. It's a continuous process," said Robert Babik, director of environment, energy and safety policy for General Motors Corp. in Detroit. 

General Motors is one of several automakers that has been part of the Collaborative since July. Others include Ford Motor Co., Nissan North America and Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America. Other stakeholders include major California utilities, such as L.A. Department of Water and Power and Southern California Edison; the California Energy Commission; the California Air Resources Board; the office of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger; environmental groups; and infrastructure providers.

ALSO:

Mayor Villaraigosa promises to make L.A. homes electric-car ready in under 7 days: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/money_co/2010/11/la-auto-show-mayor-villaraigosa-promises-to-make-la-homes-electric-car-ready-in-under-7-days.html

Demonstrating L.A.'s new charging infrastructure with a street-legal electric golf cart: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufVGb5G_HGI

Getting charged up -- powering the electric fleet: http://www.thisisbrandx.com/2010/08/getting-charged-up-powering-the-electric-fleet.html 

BP, Arco, Best Buy to install fast chargers for electric cars: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2010/10/blink-fast-chargers.html

 -- Susan Carpenter

Photo: Blink fast charger. Credit: ECOtality

Comments

[Frank]

High Aspirations: You make some valid points but they are offset by some nonsensical ones. Maintenance on an electric vehicle is miniscule compared to that of an internal combustion engine. Also, comparing an all electric vehicle to a push button tranny? Come on!!! Gas prices, going up because of electric vehicles? Gas prices fluctuate DAILY. Surely you don't believe that the launch of low volume electric vehicles is inflating gas prices already.

[Rob McMillin]

The perpetual itch to force nighttime-only charging on people is the clearest sign of the institutional myopia pervading the electric car fanatics. What, you mean people are supposed to plan EVERY POSSIBLE TRIP so that they don't run out of charge, or end the trip with insufficient charge to make it home? The main reason this keeps popping up is because of the underlying fantasy that converting the fleet to electric propulsion will have no secondary costs. This, of course, is nonsensical and fraudulent. People will need to go where they need to go when they need to go there. Imagine if gas stations were only allowed to operate between the hours of 7 pm and 7 am, and you have some idea of the sort of foolishness this regime would engender.

[High Aspirations]

I wonder how much of this is going to cost the taxpayer? Now comes the slow rise in gas prices, actually it has already begun. They fail to mention how much maintenance is going to cost on these vehicles and how much it's going to raise your electrical rates. Not only that, were subsidizing these vehicles. If it's so great, why do we need to subsidize anything? It reminds me when Dodge put in the push button drive, it was suppose to revolutionize driving, that was a flop, as well as this will be. One more thing, will your employer allow you to plug in at work?