Driving range, I?ve come to believe, isn?t the biggest impediment to EV adoption. Sure, low gasoline prices make it hard to pry Americans out of their internal-combustion comfort zone. But there?s a bigger mental millstone: Charging. EV?s still take far too long to charge, at home or away. Farther afield, busy Americans aren?t about to waste time searching for a charging oasis and then cooling their heels. Tell them they'll need to hang out at a charger in Podunk for 30 minutes, let alone three hours, and they'd rather hang themselves with the cord.
Early-adopting EV fans will cry foul. They?ll point to a growing public charging infrastructure, or remind us of how we all tuck into bed every night, with ample downtime to charge at home. (The Chevy Bolt takes about 9 hours to charge on its Level 2 home charger, while the shortest-range Model 3 should take 7 hours). But to the typical spoiled consumer, those aren?t good-enough reasons to trade away from a gasoline car or a hybrid that goes where you want, when you want, with no extra hassles. Most American's likely feel that their vehicles already do their jobs just fine every night. And when those average Americans get up, that car's waiting with a tankful of unleaded, ready to go. Straight across Texas, if they want.