Thanks to Christine Negroni and the New York Times and welcome to NYT readers…I am quoted in an on line article you can read here. I have been outspoken on the blog about charging stations and the government sponsorship of the infrastructure. I think it’s unnecessary. Let’s face it – there was no government sponsoring of gasoline stations in 1900 but as soon as automobiles became the rage, every stable had a gas pump. I have no problems with the companies that are taking advantage of the government funding, they are just doing business.
Ms. Negroni did miss one pithy JVH comment – that is that I noted a solution for the “what happens when someone parks their car at the charging station and flies to Hawaii for the week” problem. Chargers must be installed in valet areas or EV jockeys have to be supplied to move the cars after they are charged. I note that Oakland has no solution yet but understands they will need one. Minneapolis has already seen the problem and installed the charging stations only in valet supported areas. If you want a charge, you have to valet.
I pointed out to the NYT that this could cause issues with parking facility operators since it means more staff, and there is liability when you take someone’s car keys and drive the car.
Again thanks to the Old Gray Lady (For those who don’t know, Old Gray Lady refers to the New York Times, not Ms. Negroni).
JVH
One Response
Appropriate Technology
I have been following your lengthy discussions on all things to do with electric vehicles and agree with a lot of what you say (there’s a first John). However, in all this we need to remember that electric vehicles have been around for a very long time and are highly appropriate technology in the right place at the right time. Remember the first world speed record was set by an electric vehicle. La Jamais Contente which was the first vehicle to exceed 100kph in 1899.
Not very practical but for a very long time in the middle of the last century there were literally thousands of road going electric vehicles in daily use in the UK. They were relatively slow but immensely reliable and cheap to run. They were used in urban areas for tasks like delivering milk and bread to the door parcel delivery from railway stations and for street cleaning and refuse collections. Harrods probably the most famous store in the world used electric trucks for their deliveries in London. No one talked about environment or sustainability they were simply the best tool for the job.
Now they have virtually all disappeared, and I am not sure why. Certainly behaviour has changed; we still have a local milkman but in most places they have gone, and the railway parcel service has long passed in to history; but the post office still does local parcel deliveries and these vehicles’ daily use is well within the range of an electric vehicle as are many other light service vehicles.
In the UK average daily motoring for a private car is around 40 miles a day, well within the range of an electric vehicle. Perhaps when car makers start marketing their cars to target this reality they will begin to be more widespread. And no I don’t think they should get a free charging point in a car park. The sale of electricity to a car user should be marketed and sold like any other fuel although I am happy that the government may want to tax differentially to encourage a certain behaviour.