More questions than answers about our EV future

Nov 07, 2009

Much of the fun in writing about electric cars and other alternatives to internal combustion is the scope and pace of change they represent.

We might continue to sit behind a steering wheel and, using accelerator and brake pedals, drive along roads. Beyond that, though, it looks to be a different world. Which means, for the time being, there are far more questions than answers.

Some arose out of a recent visit with folks from Nissan Canada, and last month's "Business of Plugging In" conference in Detroit (I wasn't there but I have a transcript).

Will we buy or lease batteries, or pay fees for electricity services – something like what the company Better Place plans to offer?

The question isn't simply about initial affordability. Think about when you purchase a new computer or smart phone: It's barely out of the box when a new version comes along, offering twice the features and capacity for the same price, or less.

This isn't a big deal for inexpensive gizmos, or even $1,000 computers. But what if it happens after you've spent $35,000 on a shiny new electric car – including perhaps $10,000 for the battery – that travels 300 kilometres between plug-ins and charges in six hours. A few months later, along comes one with a 600-kilometre range and four-hour charge time. If only you'd waited a little longer.

Internal-combustion engines are constantly improving, but in small increments: Your driving experience is similar if your car is just off the lot or 15 years old.

With electric technology, Generations 2 and 3 are in the works before Generation 1 hits the road. This week, for example, university researchers in Austria unveiled a method for using silicon in the anodes of lithium ion batteries that promises a major boost in capacity. With billions invested in such developments, rapid improvement seems the only certainty.

You might be fine with this if you're on a service contract and your outmoded battery can be replaced in a year or two – although it means you'll never escape substantial fees. But if you've bought the battery, it's on a long-term lease, or your car can't handle the upgrade, you're stuck.

It's not life or death, but it will alter thinking about car purchases.

What about plug-in etiquette? You're invited to dinner and pull up in your electric car. After a long day of driving you don't have enough juice to get back home. Do you expect to use your host's charger?

What about charging while at work? Does your company provide it free – favouring those with electric cars? Or will it be considered an employment benefit involving a trade-off with something such as health benefits?

Who will pay for and control charging stations? It's clear the stations must be, at a minimum, on timers to ensure that the electricity grid doesn't collapse when thousands of car owners plug in when they get home from work – already a time of peak demand. Ideally, each vehicle will have a direct link to the grid controls to ensure the most efficient flow of electricity. But that's expensive.

Are charging networks such an environmental benefit that taxpayers should foot the bill? Must governments subsidize charging stations on remote highways? Will there be competition among companies that provide charging services or do we face, as with current cable services, regional monopolies and the benefits and grief that accompany them?

Tesla update: Last week, a Tesla Roadster set what's likely a global record for distance on a single charge. During an Australian environmental race it managed 501 kilometres – with another five km of range to spare.

The drivers were glider pilots who say they "applied the same energy-conservation techniques to our driving."

pgorrie@sympatico.ca

Toronto Star