I agree that the people living in apartments have a difficult charging situation which is the main hurdle for the transition to EVs.
However, IMO this is only a small part of a much larger problem that has little to do with EVs: The idea of using public parking as a permanent solution.
Adding more public chargers will not solve it.
I do find it strange that cities allow unrestricted public parking. I can’t think of any other private object that you can simply place in public space and then expect it to be safe and charged when you return. Of course there should be public parking, but it ought be time restricted, so that people who buy a car also need to figure out where they’re going to store it themselves. It’s really not an issue for the city to solve.
It does appear to me that more and more new apartments and condos have private parking, or that car owners in cities rent a parking lot to avoid circling the block for a vacant spot or to keep their vehicle safe.
It will solve the charging issue for a lot of the people in apartments when those parking lots get chargers. This will take time because renters or owners need to agree on getting chargers or allow for individuals to set them up and parking garages need to have a business case in doing it.
With working places and schools etc. also installing chargers, it also reduces the number of people who are entirely dependent on public chargers.
The issue might not be as bad as it is often presented.
Public chargers really ought only be for long distance travelling or quick on-the-go charging, not a permanent solution for people who don’t their own parking spot.
I don’t mind people using public chargers like that, but it just isn’t a good solution for them either to drive somewhere to charge every time. That really makes life more difficult than it has to be and IMO the very idea is a remainder of ICE cars.
Anyway, Tesla losing shares of the market may be a good thing in this, because their solution of having all Teslas drive to Tesla’s chargers is just keeping people dependent on “going to the gas station”.
It’s a waste of time and milage in comparison to setting up chargers where people already park.
their solution of having all Teslas drive to Tesla’s chargers is just keeping people dependent on “going to the gas station”
Don’t most people charge at home already? I feel like Supercharger stations are mostly used for road trips, or the small subset of people who cannot charge where they park.
I agree that going to a charging station to “fill up” is the wrong mentality, but I thought we had mostly moved away from that already.
Yeah anyone who can have already moved past that, but it’s still an issue for for people who don’t have the option of home charging. I’m just saying they should consider where they park and put a charger there instead of complaining about missing chargers being the reason not to go electric.
Nah, we have been in a situation now for a solid 5-6 years where if you can charge at home it is both cheaper and more convenient to commute with an EV, yet the internet is still filled with people convinced it isn’t viable because they make a single 400 miles trip every year
I have relatives who drove from Lapland to Italy and back in an EV without any planning but also without any delays in comparison to the same trip in an ICE vehicle. Gotta stop to eat and sleep on those long trips regardless of the car.
99% of people only need a car to commute anyway.
It’s really more of an issue of having people even bothered to try an EV instead of them clinging to Facebook talking points. They come along as soon as they actually need a new car, so I’m not really concerned about it.
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The article touches on many topics.
I agree that the people living in apartments have a difficult charging situation which is the main hurdle for the transition to EVs. However, IMO this is only a small part of a much larger problem that has little to do with EVs: The idea of using public parking as a permanent solution. Adding more public chargers will not solve it.
I do find it strange that cities allow unrestricted public parking. I can’t think of any other private object that you can simply place in public space and then expect it to be safe and charged when you return. Of course there should be public parking, but it ought be time restricted, so that people who buy a car also need to figure out where they’re going to store it themselves. It’s really not an issue for the city to solve.
It does appear to me that more and more new apartments and condos have private parking, or that car owners in cities rent a parking lot to avoid circling the block for a vacant spot or to keep their vehicle safe. It will solve the charging issue for a lot of the people in apartments when those parking lots get chargers. This will take time because renters or owners need to agree on getting chargers or allow for individuals to set them up and parking garages need to have a business case in doing it.
With working places and schools etc. also installing chargers, it also reduces the number of people who are entirely dependent on public chargers. The issue might not be as bad as it is often presented.
Public chargers really ought only be for long distance travelling or quick on-the-go charging, not a permanent solution for people who don’t their own parking spot. I don’t mind people using public chargers like that, but it just isn’t a good solution for them either to drive somewhere to charge every time. That really makes life more difficult than it has to be and IMO the very idea is a remainder of ICE cars.
Anyway, Tesla losing shares of the market may be a good thing in this, because their solution of having all Teslas drive to Tesla’s chargers is just keeping people dependent on “going to the gas station”. It’s a waste of time and milage in comparison to setting up chargers where people already park.
Don’t most people charge at home already? I feel like Supercharger stations are mostly used for road trips, or the small subset of people who cannot charge where they park.
I agree that going to a charging station to “fill up” is the wrong mentality, but I thought we had mostly moved away from that already.
Yeah anyone who can have already moved past that, but it’s still an issue for for people who don’t have the option of home charging. I’m just saying they should consider where they park and put a charger there instead of complaining about missing chargers being the reason not to go electric.
Nah, we have been in a situation now for a solid 5-6 years where if you can charge at home it is both cheaper and more convenient to commute with an EV, yet the internet is still filled with people convinced it isn’t viable because they make a single 400 miles trip every year
It’s all talking points by now.
I have relatives who drove from Lapland to Italy and back in an EV without any planning but also without any delays in comparison to the same trip in an ICE vehicle. Gotta stop to eat and sleep on those long trips regardless of the car. 99% of people only need a car to commute anyway.
It’s really more of an issue of having people even bothered to try an EV instead of them clinging to Facebook talking points. They come along as soon as they actually need a new car, so I’m not really concerned about it.