San Fran may be the first city in the world to truly test the viability of an electric car infrastructure. Call them forward-looking or call them stupid, it’s up to you.
You see, the problem today reminds me of the Betamax vs. VHS competition of the 1980s. Like during the video tape debacle of the 1980s, industry standard procedures and technologies for electric battery refueling/changing don’t exist, so to spend billions on a rollout that may be obsolete in a couple years is very risky. On the other hand, this might be the move that defines the industry standard.
It’s difficult to say how this will work out. But as those old enough to remember the Betamax vs. VHS debacle, the winner was not the best technology but the most useable technology.
A NYT article highlights the practical problems with transitioning to electric cars:
When the president of the California Public Utilities Commission, Michael R. Peevey, leased an electric Mini Cooper, he said, it took six weeks of visits by installers and inspectors before he could plug in his new car at home.
“It was really drawn out and frustrating and certainly is not workable on a mass basis,” Mr. Peevey said.
The other major hurdle is the simple economics of electric cars. Batteries are expensive. Installation is expensive. Recharging can be expensive. NYT continues:
Some transportation experts are skeptical that electric vehicles will catch on anywhere in the country, in large part because the batteries and the installation of home recharging units are expensive.
Dan Sperling, the director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis, estimated that a typical electric car battery would cost the automaker $12,000, and a 240-volt charging unit would cost a household at least $1,500.
Gas will need to be pretty expensive to encourage people to switch to electric cars. Unfortunately, a mass changeover will only raise the cost of electricity, impacting all electricity users. It makes me wonder if electric cars are mug’s game.
Source: New York Times
