Consumers Underestimate EV Battery Range For Their Daily Commute, Study Says
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A recent study conducted by scientists at the University of Geneva in Switzerland indicates many consumers underestimate the range capabilities of today’s EV offerings and overestimate how much electric range they would need for day-to-day driving.
The University of Geneva researchers interviewed more than 2,000 motorists of different backgrounds and ages in both Germany and the United States and found that many drivers were unaware of the capabilities of the current crop of electric vehicles and underestimated them in comparison with their needs. They also found that more than 90 percent of car trips could be completed with vehicles with a driving range of 200 kilometers, or 124 miles, which would be considered a very low maximum usable range for an EV by today’s standards.
One of the researchers, Mario Herberz, said that while many automakers are focused on creating more energy-dense batteries to increase the range of their products, this should not be needed based on many consumers’ current driving habits.
“The trend is to increase performance, but we have observed that a greater range, beyond 300 kilometers (186 miles) for example, does not increase the fit to daily needs. It would only have a minimal impact on the number of additional trips that can be completed with one electric charge. Increasing the size of the batteries is therefore not a key element in the energy transition.”
The answer to this problem, Herberz said, is to educate consumers on the capabilities of electric vehicles in comparison to their driving habits.
“To reassure people, the solution is not only to densify the network of charging stations or to increase the size of batteries, which require scarcer resources such as lithium and cobalt,” he said. “It is the provision of information adapted to the concrete needs of drivers that will reduce their concern and increase their willingness to adopt an electric vehicle.”
Another kay barrier to EV adoption at the moment is price. While EVs are beginning to come down in price compared to internal combustion engine equivalents, they still carry a steep price premium that makes them hard to justify for many Americans. It’s therefore likely that EV adoption will begin to increase in the U.S. once more affordable offerings are on the market. GM is making an effort to offer more affordable EVs, significantly lowering the price of the Chevy Bolt EV and Bolt EUV for the 2023 model year and teaming up with Honda to develop budget-minded EVs for both North America and Europe.
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The problem here is the Author has just as much bias as the people that drive an ICE. The facts are that every owner has different needs or expectations from their primary vehicle. I prefer that the vehicle I drive meets my need not the other way around. I drive an ICE diesel SUV because it gives me decent MPG, power and peace of mind. I have made more than 30 trips over 400 miles in the last 4 years. I have towed a 2 Axle U hual trailer from Dover DE back to Denver on 3 of these trips. My range dropped from @550 miles to @ 350 per tank. The EV dropoff when towing is considerably more. Dont tell me range anxiety and scarcity of charging stations dont matter because they do. Get on I 70 across Eastern Colorado and Kansas and tells me range anxiety is not an issue. Whenever I pull up to a gas station that sells Diesel I know the fulel delivered will work in my vehicle each and every time. I dont need to worry if the charging station will work with my vehicle or if it will fast charge. In 15 minutes I have put 25 galloms of fuel in, emptied my bladder, got a snack and got a fresh beverage. I dont have to repeat this step again as long as my bladder holds out for the next 550 to 600 miles. I would consider an EV for my secondary vehicle but never my primary vehicle at this time.
There is no “like” button. So I will just say: All you wrote is reasonable.. Why is is so hard for most in the EV crowd to just say: “Drive whatever you like”? Leave it at that.
But typically you just get resentment for wanting to be free to make your own choices and out from under the thumb of government.
ONE SHOULD READ BILL GATE’S BOOK “HOW TO AVOID A CLIMATE DISASTER’