GM Says 90 Percent Of EV Users Charge At Home Or Work
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In a new episode of its educational EV web series in South America, GM says that 90 percent of EV users typically charge their vehicles at home or at work – taking advantage of parked periods instead of charging on their way to their destination.
A recent GM study shows that nine out of ten EV users have the habit of charging their vehicles at night or at the workplace, as is often done with smartphones and other electronic devices. These charging habits make the most of EV idle periods and reduce range anxiety.
“Charging an electric car is as practical as a smartphone, and most people do it overnight while resting,” said Development and Infrastructure EV Manager of GM South America, Glaucia Roveri, in a statement. “Many take the opportunity to recharge in the middle of the day or when they get out of the routine, such as on a trip,” she added.
This fact, added to the statistic that people travel an average of approximately 25 miles per day, makes it possible for a fully charged battery to provide more than a week of driving in current electric vehicles with a range of around 250 miles. And this average will only get better with next-generation electric vehicles like the Chevy Equinox EV and Chevy Blazer EV, with a maximum range of 300 and 320 miles, respectively.
To improve the owner experience of electric vehicles, the ideal situation is for the owner to have a wallbox-type charger installed at home that allows the vehicle to be charged approximately four times faster than a conventional 220V outlet. In specific cases such as long trips, another option is public DC fast chargers, extending driving range by plugging in for just a few minutes.
GM continues to promote the advantages of electric vehicles over traditional internal combustion vehicles in South America, starting with Brazil and Argentina, as part of its strategy to lead the deployment of zero-emission technology in the region. In fact, the automaker recently announced that it plans to launch three EVs in major South American countries.
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No thanks.
Why not also feature a home charger in the garage that has multiple charging outlets and spaces on it for electric tools.
You can build one with parts from Lowe’s or Home Depot.
DAvid Alan Murray:
I rather agree with our friend Raymond here… Those multiple corded wall boxes cost as much or more than two single cord wall boxes…..
Since you can’t control the charge rate of GM cars when running on 220 (you can only do that on 110), I have a 30 amp wallbox and a 16 amp wall box…. SO I can charge 2 cars at a time relatively quickly – with priority to the car that absolutely has a big time commitment – like leaving for vacation early in the morning or whatever.
Much easier to charge 2 or 3 cars simultaneously with varying sized wall boxes…. its an easy way to get around GM’s arbitrary fixed limitation, and its less money to do this kind of thing yourself.
If people aren’t comfortable doing receptacle installations themselves, they can hire someone to install 2 receptacles of varying sizes for the different wall boxes. Most people take up GM’s offer of installation of a receptacle for the included 32 amp charging cord included with almost all GM electrics..
But if people only drive on average 24 miles per day, (seems way low to me), then any existing 110 volt receptacle and an optional extension cord, is all they’ll ever need. They’ll easily get the car fully charged for extended trips on the weekend, since the car will add more miles overnight than they’ll use every work day.
Your article assumes that everyone lives in a “home” they own. What about those who rent apartments, condos, etc.? You think the owners are going to install chargers? You think the owners of the buildings will add more parking spaces so those with EV’s can charge their cars? Who pays the electric bill for the chargers in apartment buildings, etc.? You think the owners of the building are going to pay for it? Sorry, no bananas.
Most people who buy an EVs currently, have a home. I couldn’t imagine buying an EV living in an apartment. I do believe near the end of the decade you will see apartments/condos offering EV charging as part of their amenities.
They can get charged at ghe same places they get gasoline.
@Raymond are people going to do at the gas station while they wait for a DC. fast charge?
Sounds like a good opportunity for our best of the population to rob or carjack you.
I am not an EV expert but wouldn’t DC charging constantly reduce battery life?
Where? Never seen that.
Dee: You are completely ignoring the part of the story about charging at work. Not only that, but as EV’s become the norm, so too will be apartment buildings with built in charging stations. You use a card almost like a credit card and apply it to charge. This isn’t rocket science.
For the minority that live in apartments that will not or can’t install chargers, it would fall back to work chargers or public chargers.
My nephew throws a tiny #16 extension cord (under $10 for 25 feet, or under $15 for 50 feet) out the window of his girl friend’s apartment any time he borrows my cars. The cord is so thin that a simple towel keeps the heat, cold, and bugs out.
Vandals can ruin the extension cord but they can’t steal it. Billing for the charge goes on the tenant’s electric revenue meter.
I think it quite amazing all the objections being thrown up – when in reality POOR PEOPLE do what is necessary to make something work….
Yes throwing an extension cord out a window is a slight inconvenience – but the happiness is not having to pay anything for gasoline to and from the distant girl friend’s apartment.
#16 gage sounds too small. How many amps does it draw on 120V? I realize the shorter the distance the thinner (higher the gage number) the wire can be. I need to use 12 gage (100′) for my electric lawn mower.
Tom S. :
The National Electrical Code (NEC – National Fire Protection Association code #70) (they have zillions of codes for everything nowadays) USED to rate AWG #16 at 10 amperes (American Wire Gauge – prior to 80 years ago this was known as B & S (Brown and Sharpe Machine company) – where the sizes have never changed in over 100 years since it is an excellent logarithmic system… Each 3 wire sizes doubles the material. Ex: 16 is 1/2 the size of 13, which is half the size of 10, etc.
But Modern NEC says that an extension cord with only 2 current carrying conductors may now take 13 amps…. Don’t believe me? Go to any big box store and look at the ABSOLUTE CHEAPEST extension cord. It will be good for 13 amperes…. #18 AWG extension cords have been banned for the past 30 years… Good for lamps but not extension cords.. #16 is only good for 10 ampers for 3-phase circuits where there are THREE current carrying conductors.
AT 12 amperes, in the hot sunshine, a #16 cord at 25 ‘ will drop 3 volts. a #16 100 ‘ cord at 12 amps in sunlight will drop 12 volts…. If the receptacle it is plugged into can maintain 112 volts, the car will charge DOWN to 100 volts so the system will work.
Your snow blower is probably 15 amperes. Until you try to shovel a snow bank with the thing and then it draws 30 amperes… So 100 foot cord at #12 AWG at 30 amperes will drop 12 volts. The universal motor in the snow blower is somewhat picky as to low voltage operation. Whereas electric cars are in general somewhat lenient. You will notice the difference with 2- 100 feet of cords since the blower will have no power. Of course, then 30 amperes loading is a 24 volt pressure drop.
GM cars charge at 110 at 8 or 12 amperes, all of them. The charge rate varies proportionally from 100-125 volts. (800 watts to 1500 watts)
The owner’s manual will say either to NEVER use an extension cord, or use a short #12. You can ignore that.
Bill: Although that may work, I know that Mazda and Volvo both tell us that an extension cord should NEVER be used for an EV car. When I had my 2015 Chevy Spark EV, the books also said not to use any type of extension cord. So there’s that. However, at the same time I had the Spark EV, I also lived in an apartment with 10 units and we had the parking garage under the two stories. My apartment was directly above my parking spot. Although there was an outlet 5 feet from my car when parked, the building managers wouldn’t agree to let me use the outlet even if I paid extra per month. So I ended up buying a very heavy duty 40′ construction quality extension cord, ran it out the sliding glass door, down along the side of the building and into the garage where I plugged into the car charging cord. haha.
It worked without flaw, but it wasn’t recommended then or now.
Dan B:
The people who write those owner’s manuals are afraid that someone will put the extension cord end in a bucket of water and electrocute themselves. GM didn’t learn much from the ignition switch nonsense, and therefore says you cannot do anything.
Rather like when buying a ladder – there have been so many lawsuits with ladders that they all have 20 stickers on them saying not to stand on the ladder since you might fall.
Or McDonalds coffee saying to not drink it because you might scald your lip.
Its really that ridiculous.
As far as the landlord is concerned, I would have to be privy to the actual conversation… What I mentioned is a BONANZA for the landlord since they get a FREE ELECTRICIAN installed outlet, with Zero added expenses since the tenant pays for the juice.
Few landlords with half a brain would turn down that deal.
haha a guy asks a question and I answer in as completely a manner as I know… Shows that this place is going down hill. When I ask a reasonable question on GMA about a current product, it never gets answered…
Its beginning to be, ” what is the point?”
Bill: I agree with you. Over the months, I’ve asked legit questions and seldom does anyone answer. I appreciate you responding to my comment and certainly don’t understand why other’s don’t like it.
However, I find the up/down votes to be quite silly at best. Personally, I make comments on here based on truth and what I believe and not based on what I (hope) think people will vote.
The 79 year old woman who sued macdonald’s for coffee being too hot got 3rd degree burns on her genitals and had to get skin grafts. The coffee was heated to somewhere between 180 to 190 degrees, and according to Macdonald attorney Butch Wagner, the reason it was kept that got was “hot coffee stays fresh for longer.”
She admitted it was her fault, she just wanted help paying for the medical bills.
Sometimes the Darwin award dosent look so pretty when it happens to kill a vulnerable member of your family as opposed to some rando stranger, where we can willingly ignore extending our sympathys.
Good point Dee
These are the only people that an EV is workable for. No surprise there. Don’t forget the cost to install charger. Can your home service handle the additional load or need upgrade? Especially if multiple EVs planned. Waiting for fights and lines at public chargers. Just wait.
Translated: these charging options are effectively the only two available, and neither is guaranteed based on 50 different availability factors that many others have mentioned on this site.
This is better known as ‘winging it’.
90% of EV owners charge at home or work….hmmmm….it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Going total EV’s are a tidal wave of way wrong thinking and direction. I’m not saying they don’t have a place but, they will never be the main form of transportation for the mainstream population. Too many downsides.
90% of EV owners charge at home or work….hmmmm….it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Going total EV’s is a tidal wave of way wrong thinking and direction. I’m not saying they don’t have a place but, they will never be the main form of transportation for the mainstream population. Too many downsides.
Iam 84 going on 85 early November,MY DAILY RIDE IS A bUICK ENCORE but I also have two camaro one a 2016 RS convertible,
I am in the group not favoring electric vehicles.The daily driver Buick has all the options available & gets great gas mileage.
THE 2016 CAMARO convertible has every option ,The 199730th anniversary SS has only 18,000 miles so not driven much.I had a supercharger system added in 1997 .The sound of a performance V8 still makes me smile .Back in the early 1950 era I owned 5 different oldsmobile V8 .real car guys dont drive electric.
Speak for your self, real car guys certainly drive electric. It is a great option as a DD in traffic and supplement the fun or work vehicles.
You forgot to add you had “every option available” on the ’97 Camaro. You people crack me up, the ones that try to sound all high and mighty by saying “it has every option available” or “fully loaded”. Funny thing is, most the time that is not the case. There are plenty of options not picked, all you did was get the top trim with the two available option packages.
Are you really busting on an 85-year-old? That’s pretty embarrassing, lackofcommonsense.
So may naysayers here! This reminds me of the past articles a hundred years ago when horse owners were against gasoline cars because gasoline was hard to find, while horses eat any grass where ever they stopped. Horses also came to their owers when called!
Can your gas cars come to you when called? And can you refuel at home while sleeping? Horses and electrics can!
Silly comparison. There’s never been a need to fuel your cars at home.
People were severly limited in distance and ability until gas-powered cars came along.
Ability to travel opened thousands of options and opportunities, and fueled the immense growth and success of this country.
I’m sure people were nervous back then, but comparing horses-to-gas engines, and gas engines-to-battery power is literally comparing apples to kiwis.
Raymond, are you admitting that you were over 16 years old in 1910????? So as you claim to be at least 123 years old, how about I jog that Alzheimer’s of yours and point out back in even before 1910, there was the debate of cars being Steam vs gas vs electric. Gas was already a well known substance and was used in heaters because it “had no other use”
Gas car popularity took off not because of people accepting its superiority to horses, but with the developement of the ford Model T. since the 1840’s everyone was enamored by the steam engine and by the 1870’s farmers everywhere dreamed of being able to own one of the expensive steam tractors that were being produced. In fact, the Stanley Steamer would ultimately prevailed and become the first max produced automobile had they been able to ramp up enough production, but ford with the moving assembly line was able to conquer, shoving the Buick electric car into the dump heap, despite Buick also having assembly lines to produce its original electric car. Todays EV’s will likely face the same fate as the original Buick electric car and for the same reason, they can’t match the affordability or power of a fuel car.
I agree with Mark Twain: “I’m all in favor of Progress…. Its CHANGE that I hate !!”
Of course most charge at work because its free.
What if the individual works for a company that employs 1500 to 2000 individual and would be driving EVs to work and need a charge at work. Add in cooler or cold temperatures in the winter season and need that charge to get home as the cooler / cold weather reduces the distance an EV can travel ( which makes having access to charging stations once a work more important). Add in what if some of that employee group needs to use their EV during the day prior to driving back home. Add in the variable that the EV needed that day may travel up to 150 miles or more before having to drive home. Remember that cold weather can reduce distance driving potential up to 50% depending on how cold it is and if heating is required for the passenger(s).
For now, maybe. If you work in a big office or factory, will Co. provide charger for every car on premises? Electric bill would be ridiculous.
Most large companies that I’m familiar with charge a token amount for employees to recharge while at work…. The corporation isn’t making any profit on their employees, but are generally priced at what it costs to provide this service…
It is not entirely free, and if you don’t want to pay then you must as an employee – charge somewhere else, such as back at your residence. Seems like a fair deal to me.
Yeah…. At these same corporate offices that preach us about privilege, not recognizing that when we’re forced to buy EV’s that farmers, construction workers, miners, loggers and most others can’t charge at work even if they wanted to.
That also shows you who are buying these things.
The love will turn to disgust when they take their “one trick pony” ev-car on their first road trip. There aren’t enough charging stations on I-95 in NC. In Smithfield the Tesla station on Saturday an Sunday is know to have people wait up to two hours for their turn to charge … hell w/that … I drive a Hybrid … I’m in an out in around 20 minutes, less if I don’t get a Sheet’s $1 drink. And to tick off Hybrid n traditional ICE vehicle owners … in NC an other states EV owners pay no road taxes, while I pay .83 cents in road /sales taxes. They (EV Owners) should pay a minimum of $40 a month in taxes as I do for road taxes, they can pay it when they renew their taxes … as we all know lib’s want ALL to pay their fair share in taxes … this is no different.
Average commercial rate for electricity is $0.12/kWh. If employers provided cheap 240 volt 3.2 kw chargers for all their employees it would cost less than $3 a day per employee in electricity. Considering the cost of gas, such a change could be a significant reduction in commuting cost.
I don’t know how employers are gonna regulate the use of these Some people that could charge at home won’t because they can get free electricity at work And then those who have no access to a charger we’re gonna go without
I’m not surprised about the comments that I’m reading on here. Nearly every time there’s an article about EV’s we get the same stuff. Just like anything else in life, we all need to educate ourselves in order to know about a subject and/or understand it.
Charging: Home. Yes, many who buy the EV’s will be able to do so. Night charging is best and preferred. It’s cheaper and can be set to start/stop when you wish. Work: It appears that most comments so far don’t understand how this works. Are there some places (work) where employees may be able to charge for free as long as the business allow it. Sure. But most of these will still be set to use some type of card to begin and pay for the charge. Why is it that so many seem to think that the people buying EV’s are not paying for their charging? It’s not much different from stopping for gas in that you just buy the electric (charge) instead of gas. Apartment living: Why do you feel that condo’s and apartment buildings won’t install chargers? Everything in life changes and if these landlords wish to get the better renters, they will offer the amenities needed. This includes charging stations. Again, it would be run off a card system (such as a loyalty rewards card for a grocery store) where you “buy” or put money on that card. Then when you wish to charge, you just scan your card, plug in the car and do your thing. Finally, you can certainly bring up others who live in apartments that will not (for now) have chargers. What about them you ask? This is where public chargers come in. Again, you have a card that you use to put money on and use that card to unlock the charger and plug in your car. It’s not free. You’re just paying for charging instead of gas.
Let’s remember that almost all EV’s now have about 230 to 300 miles of range. Few drivers go more than 25 to 40 miles per day, thus most drivers would only need to charge once a week and many times less. Soon we will have the ability to go to the grocery store, plug in our cars to DC fast chargers, do our grocery shopping and come out to a fully charged car.
The only true downfall at this point is for the “road trip” people who actually still travel 300 + miles in a day. They may be far and few between, but they’re out there. This is truly where our infrastructure must be majorly improved. But soon enough we will have EV vehicles that will partly charge from the sun and partly from a built in system that charges as you go. A ways off, yes. But it’s coming.
I read somewhere that the new 2023 bolt Euv Comes with free home charger
Is it true that the new 2023 bolt Euv Comes with free home charger
Anthony –
Hi – yes you get a 110/220 charging cord, but you will likely will also get $1,000 (for the bolt ev) or $1,500 (for a Caddy LYRIQ) off the QMERIT electrician’s installation cost of the 220 receptacle that allows the charging cord to work at its maximum rate.. Probably 30 miles/hour gained.. If you think about that – it is A LOT of miles to be added – and in general means a full tank every day when leaving for work or vacation.
For those renting apartments or flats with individually billed electricity – I’m quite sure the Landlord would ALLOW the tenant to have this installation on their property with the PROVISO that the charging receptacle installation becomes the property of the LANDLORD at the termination of the rental. Obviously a padlockable switch would also be installed next to the receptacle so that no pilfering can occur when the tenant is not specifically charging their OWN car… GM’s cell phone app will ANNOUNCE when anything untoward is happening to their charging cord, also in the settings of the car the HORN can optionally be made to blow repeatedly and flash the lights, preventing any sneaky use of the charging cord to some other ev.
Another case of totally answering a DIRECT QUESTION with actionable information AND Specificity…
The naysayer’s elevators here apparently don’t go all the way to the penthouse, haha.
Do people really think apartment complex are going to install large amounts of chargers. Hell u have people on the government’s dime looking for free rent, not paying rent. The amount of money it would cost a complex! Everyone doesn’t live in a perfect environment, cold weather kills almost half the batteries range. Evs will never be able to satisfy half of the automobile sales. But stupid gm is jumping in with both feet.
Ken:
IN case you are looking for an answer, it is NO!!!
The apartment complexes are *NOT* going to be installing large numbers of chargers.
People who live there will either make a REASONABLE deal with the landlord, or will make their own arrangements or will rent somewhere else, or will buy a hybrid.
Big Deal…. Next question?
I might charge at home if I ever bought an EV but I sure as hell would never park or charge one inside my garage. Have you ever seen one of these EVs burn? NO THANKS!!!!!!
Hope you don’t drive a Kia or Hyundai.
Fireman591:
Yes, Tesla model “S” ‘s have had a bad propensity to catch fire- and what is worse all those penlight sized batteries are as rifle shells going through the passenger compartment…. Most times there is enough warning time to leave the vehicle, but sometimes the car refuses to allow the door to be opened, and the people die.
Agreed I wouldn’t want one of those…
Gm has been making cars with not insignificantly sized batteries for 12 years now… A tiny few bolts have had trouble, but they are replacing 100% of the suspect batteries, at a molasses in January pace… Still waiting for the past 1 1/2 years for mine – but supposedly they will get to me..
Not a whiff of trouble with the new Ultium crap, but admittedly it is early. I would suspect GM would be a bit more careful this time after being burnt last time.