Electric Cars Need Infrastructure

Electric Cars Need Infrastructure

By Matthew DeBord
Posted Wednesday, January 13, 2010 - 10:33am

For electric cars to achieve widespread adoption in the years ahead, two things have to happen: a charging infrastructure needs to get built; and people need to buy electric cars. Of these, the hype surrounding the Detroit Auto Show, a veritable electric-car-apalooza, seeks to overcome problems associated with the second while making noises about the first. Who’s making the noise? None other than the Ford Motor Company’s (F) very own...William C. Ford, Jr.:

“'We don’t know what the market is going to be for electric vehicles,” ...Ford’s executive chairman, said. 'A lot will depend on the ability of people to charge them at home, at work, at the mall. But we will be ready for the demand whatever it is, whether it becomes 10 percent of the market or 90 percent.'”

At home many potential EV customers will be able to handle. Work and mall are another story and the key to EVs occupying more than 10 percent of the market. As for 90 percent...well, that may never happen, as we may be ready to begin a switch from EVs to hydrogen-powered cars before all the gas-burning cars are wiped out. In 30-40 years, it will probably be apparent that our oil supplies are dwindling, although we may at that time only be seeing the serious downward slide on the peak oil curve. An orderly conversion to EVs, while we increase the efficiency of internal-combustion engines and hybrids, should buy us enough time to, at mid-century, make an easy transition to truly sustainable mobility.