Chevrolet VoltAge

I think GM is on the right track. Having the need to continuosly return home to recharge is a major step backwards in personal transportation.

GO VOLT...

- kiwi

MAR
07
Study Questions Importance of Range Anxiety to EV Drivers




GM has placed a one billion dollar bet that range anxiety is important. The Chevy Volt was designed and engineered to allow drivers to do most of their daily driving on electricity but to have the option to keep going on gas when the battery is depleted. This strategy eliminates any fear of being stranded by a dead battery.
This approach stands in contrast to that of pure electric cars which will stop going when their batteries die.
A study released by the University of California Davis suggests that range anxiety isn’t as important to a cohort of people currently driving electric cars. The study surveyed 150 MINI E drivers and found the majority of them believed their need’s were satisfied with the car’s 80 to 100 mile effective range. It also showed they were completely satisfied by home charging and did not need to use public charging, suggesting that an extensive public charging network may not be needed to encourage EV adoption.
The director of automotive research at Frost and Sullivan, looking at a wider audience, found that range anxiety was actually more important than it was for this MINI E sub-group.
“There is real range anxiety, and people are concerned about being stranded,” Veerender Kaul told msbnc. “We found a strong preference for a plug-in, range-extended electric vehicle like the Chevrolet Volt.”
I have personally logged over 10,000 miles in my MINI-E, and did not participate in the UC study. My daily commute is 60 miles round trip, and at least twice per month I have to drive round trip greater than 100 miles. In the cold weather my range is closer to 60 miles, as I drive almost all highway at more than 65 mph, which demands a lot of power. As such, I rely on charging during the day at work to eliminate range anxiety, and cannot use the car for long drives instead using a second gas-powered car for those occasions.
The participants chosen for the UC study appear to be a very selected group who are likely to overlook any inconvenience in exchange for the cause of driving petroleum-free at all times.
To reach a mass audience appeal, however, range anxiety must be controlled. The Volt is the perfect solution.

gm-volt.com/2010/03/07/study-questions-i...xiety-to-ev-drivers/

Range anxiety will become less of a problem with pure EV as time goes on; infrastructure changes will take care of that as well as technology. More recharging stations will eliminate NEED for home charging and faster charge times will help.
The MINI-E people would not have range anxiety now because they use the vehicle in a consistent, commuter way but as EVs become more common, people will look to more broader use vehicles....the Volt will fill that need.
It is funny that in a resort community where I vacation, some people will not use 'electric' golf carts for everyday use because of range anxiety as opposed to the gas carts....again they can only be efficiently recharged at home; I'm sure that will change in time.

Compare a gas station to a battery recharge station. 14 pumps to 14 electrical outlets. 10 minutes for 10 gallons will cost you $30.00. 20 minutes with a dc recharge for 8kw will cost a lot less than $30. It should cost about the same as a cup of coffee. Why build a recharge station unless it's profitable?

Aleviating range anxiety isn't just waiting for time and technology to solve the problem. What are the real factors of supply and demand to recharge an electric car? I really don't think that my ski resort is going to put an electrical outlet at every parking space unless it is fiscally feasable. Nissan has the idea that you can drop in to a battery exchange station, have a cup of coffee, and be on your way with a new battery in just a few minutes. My question is: At what cost?

Also, in a separate post, where do governments recoup revenue to maintain roads?

If electric cars make an impact and reduce our dependance on petroleum fuels then we will surely see a drop in fuel prices or a significant rise in electricity prices. Until that day comes, range anxiety is real and will be for a long time for single car owners. The pure electric car is a commuter car, second car or little old lady car. Unless the cost of lithium batteries can compare to the cost of the internal cumbustion engine the electric car is an expensive green statement and little more.

The Volt is an excellent car to take advantage of the best of both worlds. We won't need to bother with range anxiety and gasoline is convenient when we need it. But at what price? The Volt will be a long term success if gas prices stay high when compared to electricity, batteries cost less than $2k, electric generator/dc motor combos cost as much as a standard transmission, and everyone has the ability to recharge at home, at work, in the city, on the street, at apartment buildings...

Volt gen-II will make or break the concept.