The charging problem is made worse by different plug-in types. Unlike Europe and China that mandate one uniform electric plug, North America has three styles of fast charging plugs. The competitors are battling it out until eventually one plug wins enough market share to become the standard. Considering the urgency of decarbonization, wasting time waiting for the outcome of plug-in supremacy is an unnecessary barrier.
To illustrate the issues created by the various plug types, imagine that you are travelling west starting from Golden, British Columbia. You have just climbed over the steep Rogers Pass that has taxed your reserves of electrons. You arrive in Revelstoke badly needing more power. If you are in a Tesla, you are in luck. You pull into the fast charger made specifically for the Tesla plug-in and you are back on the road in 20 minutes.
Tesla drivers would also win from a standard plug type since they can immediately access more charge points. This optionality would have been helpful for the Tesla drivers who were queued up for charging this past summer. One type of plug should also create more investment in new stations. When every car on the road can be your customer your business case for adding capacity is stronger.
drivingdotca 15 minutes for a 200km charge is completely abysmal. Can you imagine holding a fuel nozzle for 15 minutes? Until EVs can be fully charged at the same speed as gassing a vehicle, adoption will continue to suffer, especially when 200km in cold weather isn't actually 200km.
drivingdotca Question: How much, on average, do you pay at the charging station to recharge your vehicle?
drivingdotca We OWNED an electric car. Got rid of it ASAP. Useless. We now own a Plug-in Hybrid. Brilliant. Minimal fuel consumption, no range anxiety, quick charges for the small battery. Around town, we pretty much use ZERO gas
drivingdotca How could electric work without a charging station at every parking spot. What is the cost of that needed infrastructure both financially and to the environment? I doubt electric vehicles will ever truly take off before a better option comes along.
drivingdotca I'll stick to my gas guzzling truck thank you very much.