Electric Cars Are The New Comeback Kids
I have been obsessed with electric cars since watching the documentary, "Who Killed the Electric Car?" If you haven't watched it, you should! It's not laced with propaganda, if that's what you're thinking. It's humorous, insightful, and will forever change the way you think about electric cars and alternative energy sources. The growing public interest in electric cars has many automobile manufacturers promising new models to be available in the next 18 months. There's just one problem...there's nowhere to plug them in.
Last year a friend of mine visited Los Angeles. The first picture he e-mailed me was not of the beach or palm trees, it was of a reserved electric car parking space, complete with its own charging station. There's no way you would see that in a parking garage around here. This article estimates, "There are probably fewer than 1,50 plug-in electric vehicles on the road today, most in carefully controlled experimental fleets." However, major heavy weights in the auto world have recognized the demand for electric cars, and are soon starting production. The demand has really grown over recent years. "President Obama has suggested that the U.S. could have as many as 1 million plug-in vehicles on the road by 2015." I am really excited about this development. Electric cars could be a very sensible solution to our ongoing foreign oil dependency.
The major drawback with these vehicles is that you must charge them. To receive a "full charge" could take as long as 12 hours. In other words, electrics cars are not your ideal "road tripping" automobile. However, some of the newer plugs could reduce the charge time by half. In order to better prepare for the influx, "Already, utilities, retailers, hamburger joints and others are scrambling to prepare for the swarm of electric and hybrid vehicles, and several are market-testing on-site charging stations." Naturally, states like California and New York will be among the first to receive these "stations," but slowly these changes will migrate to the Mid-West. I'm sure it will take years for the craze to catch on, but eventually it will. Sooner or later people will have limited if no other options.
The next area of concern is that of high power voltage. "The U.S. is adapting to the anticipated need for high voltage charging. Updated building codes in California require new homes to have outlets capable of recharging an electric vehicle at 220 volts, notes Richard Lowenthal, chief executive officer of Coulomb Technologies in Campbell, Calif. His company has developed a network of charging points for electric vehicles in and around cities across the U.S., including San Francisco, Chicago, Detroit and Nashville." I was amazed to learn that it's mandatory to have these charging needs facilitated in newly built California homes. Makes me curious to learn about other government mandates specific to electric car needs.
Electric cars are not for everybody. For example, my parents would never surrender their Cadillac for a goofy looking electric car, no matter what the cost. The point is that there has been a need and strong consumer desire for these cars, and now manufacturers and the government are fulfilling these needs. Can you imagine never paying for gas again? Or is the thought too good to be true?
Last year a friend of mine visited Los Angeles. The first picture he e-mailed me was not of the beach or palm trees, it was of a reserved electric car parking space, complete with its own charging station. There's no way you would see that in a parking garage around here. This article estimates, "There are probably fewer than 1,50 plug-in electric vehicles on the road today, most in carefully controlled experimental fleets." However, major heavy weights in the auto world have recognized the demand for electric cars, and are soon starting production. The demand has really grown over recent years. "President Obama has suggested that the U.S. could have as many as 1 million plug-in vehicles on the road by 2015." I am really excited about this development. Electric cars could be a very sensible solution to our ongoing foreign oil dependency.
The major drawback with these vehicles is that you must charge them. To receive a "full charge" could take as long as 12 hours. In other words, electrics cars are not your ideal "road tripping" automobile. However, some of the newer plugs could reduce the charge time by half. In order to better prepare for the influx, "Already, utilities, retailers, hamburger joints and others are scrambling to prepare for the swarm of electric and hybrid vehicles, and several are market-testing on-site charging stations." Naturally, states like California and New York will be among the first to receive these "stations," but slowly these changes will migrate to the Mid-West. I'm sure it will take years for the craze to catch on, but eventually it will. Sooner or later people will have limited if no other options.
The next area of concern is that of high power voltage. "The U.S. is adapting to the anticipated need for high voltage charging. Updated building codes in California require new homes to have outlets capable of recharging an electric vehicle at 220 volts, notes Richard Lowenthal, chief executive officer of Coulomb Technologies in Campbell, Calif. His company has developed a network of charging points for electric vehicles in and around cities across the U.S., including San Francisco, Chicago, Detroit and Nashville." I was amazed to learn that it's mandatory to have these charging needs facilitated in newly built California homes. Makes me curious to learn about other government mandates specific to electric car needs.
Electric cars are not for everybody. For example, my parents would never surrender their Cadillac for a goofy looking electric car, no matter what the cost. The point is that there has been a need and strong consumer desire for these cars, and now manufacturers and the government are fulfilling these needs. Can you imagine never paying for gas again? Or is the thought too good to be true?
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