Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Tuesday 15 augusT 2017
For electric cars to take off, they’ll need place to charge

By DEE-ANN DURBIN grocery store might spend
AP Auto Writer $5,000 for an AC charge
DETROIT (AP) — Around the point, which provides a car
world, support is growing with 5 to 15 miles of range in
for electric cars. Automak- 30 minutes. But once most
ers are delivering more cars get 200 or 300 miles per
electric models with lon- charge, slow chargers are
ger range and lower pric- less necessary. Electric cars
es, such as the Chevrolet with longer range need
Bolt and the Tesla Model fast-charging DC char-
3. China has set aggres- gers along highways, but
sive targets for electric ve- DC chargers cost $35,000
hicle sales to curb pollution; or more. That uncertainty
some European countries makes it difficult to make
aim to be all-electric by money setting up chargers,
2040 or sooner. Those lofty says Lisa Jerram, an associ-
ambitions face numerous ate director with Navigant
challenges, including one Research. For at least the
practical consideration next three to five years,
for consumers: If they buy she says, deep-pocketed
electric cars, where will automakers, governments
they charge them? and utilities will be primar-
The distribution of public ily responsible for building
charging stations is wildly In this Friday, April 14, 2017, file photo, a security guard moves past an electric vehicle charging charging infrastructure.
uneven around the globe. station in Beijing. There’s also the question
Places with lots of support Associated Press of who will meet the needs
from governments or utili- buyers. Architect Nils Hen- have electric cars as my than one-third of those will of apartment dwellers. San
ties, like China, the Nether- ningstad drives past 20 to primary source of trans- be in China. Francisco, Shanghai and
lands and California, have 30 charging stations each portation,” says Solie, who Tesla Inc. — which figured Vancouver, Canada, are
thousands of public charg- day on his 22-mile (35-kilo- works for the media com- out years ago that people now requiring new homes
ing outlets. Buyers of Tesla’s meter) commute to Oslo. pany E.W. Scripps. wouldn’t buy its cars with- and apartment buildings to
luxury models have access He works for the city and The uneven distribution out roadside charging — is be wired for EV charging.
of chargers worries many doubling its global network But without government
potential electric vehicle of Supercharger stations support, plans for charg-
owners. It’s one reason to 10,000 this year. BMW, ing stations can falter. In
electric vehicles make up Daimler, Volkswagen and Michigan, a utility’s $15 mil-
less than 1 percent of cars Ford are building 400 fast- lion plan to install 800 pub-
on the road. charging stations in Europe. lic charging stations was
“Humans worst-case their Volkswagen is building scrapped in April after state
purchases of automobiles. hundreds of stations across officials and ChargePoint
You have to prove to the the U.S. as part of its settle- objected. Solie, the elec-
consumer that they can
drive across the country,
even though they probably
won’t,” says Pasquale Ro-
mano, the CEO of Charge-
Point, one of the largest
charging station providers
in North America and Eu-
In this Thursday, July 13, 2017, photo, Jeff Solie drives his electric rope. Romano says there’s
Tesla sedan near his home, in New Berlin, Wis. no exact ratio of the num-
Associated Press
ber of chargers needed per
to a company-funded Su- can charge his Nissan Leaf car. But he says workplaces
percharger network. But in at work; his fiancee charg- should have one charger
many places, public charg- es her Tesla SUV at home or for every 2.5 electric cars
ing remains scarce. That’s at one of the world’s larg- and retail stores need one
a problem for people who est Tesla Supercharger sta- for every 20 electric cars.
need to drive further than tions, 20 miles away. Highways need one every In this Friday, April 14, 2017, file photo, a security guard moves
the 200 miles or so that most It’s a very different land- 50 to 75 miles, he says. That past an electric vehicle charging station in Beijing.
electric cars can travel. It’s scape in New Berlin, Wis- suggests a lot of gaps still Associated Press
also a barrier for the millions consin, where Jeff Solie re- need to be filled.
of people who don’t have lies on the charging system Automakers and gov- ment for selling polluting tric car owner in Wisconsin,
a garage to plug in their he rigged up in his garage ernments are pushing to diesel engines. Even oil-rich likes Europe’s approach:
cars overnight. to charge two Tesla sedans fill them. The number of Dubai, which just got its first Governments should set
“Do we have what we and a Volt. Solie and his publicly available, global Tesla showroom, has more bold targets for electric car
need? The answer at the wife don’t have chargers charging spots grew 72 per- than 50 locations to charge sales and let the private
moment is, ‘No,’” says Gra- at their offices, and the cent to more than 322,000 electric cars. sector meet the need. “If
ham Evans, an analyst with nearest Tesla Supercharg- last year, the International But there are pitfalls. There the U.S. were to send up a
IHS Markit. Take Norway, ers are 45 miles (72 kilome- Energy Agency said. Navi- are different types of charg- flare that policy was going
which has publicly funded ters) away. gant Research expects ing stations, and no one to change... investments
charging and generous “If I can’t charge at home, that to grow to more than knows the exact mix driv- would become very at-
incentives for electric car there’s no way for me to 2.2 million by 2026; more ers will eventually need. A tractive,” he says. q