Over the years, I’ve been thinking and rethinking our electric vehicle concepts.
I’ve reported how folks like WaWa and Sheetz are rearranging their gas station concepts to provide services for electric vehicles. Both of these chains have full service food vending operations inside- so folks wouldn’t feel intimidated waiting 15 to 30 minutes to get their vehicles charged as they await the food of their choice.
The concept is also part of President Biden’s infrastructure package. He plans to install some half million fast charging EV stations across the US. (He isn’t the only Democrat pushing for these. The Ways and Means committee (the committee that sets tax policies) is developing a system for tax credits for new charges. There’s even a bipartisan (really!) groups of Senators pushing tax credits for chargers ranging from $ 30K to $ 200k.)
Except…
I’m not so sure we really should be opting for fast charging. No, I think we need battery swaps more than fast charging. Obviously, this is easier when we are talking about scooters, electric rickshaws, and teeny-tiny electric vehicles.
But, consider this. My home is not congenial to fast charging. I don’t have a driveway, I don’t have an electricity connection in the front of my home, and my car (should it be an EV) stands about 35 feet from the front door.
Consider those who live in apartments- and have to park on the street. Where would those folks get their EV charged up?
Moreover, fast charge is in the eye of the beholder. Most of these units will require some 50 to 60 minutes of charging to render the car ready for its next voyage.
Not to mention that fast chargers rely on our electric grid. Which means a good portion of the energy for EV will still come from natural gas and coal. Battery swaps might be more prone to rely solely on solar or wind energy- even if it were only intermittently available.
Of course, for this to work, we’d have to standardize our batteries. Kind of like choosing AA, AAA, and D cells.
In essence, we’d be setting up a system akin to the propane tank swaps (as opposed to refills) that exist across America now.
It’s time for the government to get these firms- the battery vendors and the car makes to work together on this concept.
Just don’t opt for this idea…
Sharing batteries might be too socialized for the Trump people.
Hmm…
This is one post I MUST share with my husband. Both because of the potential charging solution (I grew up in an apartment building in New York City and how the heck you would charge your car was the first thing I thought of when I started to think about a possible electric car in our future) and that SNL skit – guess I didn’t watch that episode but that is one of their better ones. (Even took me all of about 20 seconds before I realized it wasn’t serious.)
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That’s why I have problems with fast charging stations- too many of us won’t have access!
Makes so much sense; and while my son is hoping for a nifty little electric car for when he heads to college, we have told him that can wait:)
Sound like a plan, Vidya!
Hoping I’ll be in a nursing home and without a vehicle when this happens. LOL I don’t see how numerous drivers will charge at the same time and think of the time needed if on a time constraint. I like the idea of battery exchange.
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A nursing home. What an aspiration!