Electrification of Transportation
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mountain driving experiences of others as posted on the Internet, one finds
that approximately 50% of the potential energy change can be converted to
electrical energy through regenerative braking when coming down a mountain at modest speeds.
An initial concern of many people who consider buying an EV is the issue
of charging it. There are gas stations on corners of every town and city, but
where can you charge an EV? The answer to this turns out to be nearly as
simple as the question of where you charge your phone: You plug it into the
electrical grid when you are at home. One of the advantages of EVs is the
simplicity of connecting the car to the grid to charge the battery. EVs can
recharge their batteries from a basic 120- volt outlet. For most people (with
daily driving of about 40 miles), overnight charging on a standard wall outlet
is sufficient. For those who have longer commutes, a garage with electric
vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) charging at 240 volts is also easy and convenient. When on a road trip where one needs to stop to charge the battery,
more time is needed, and so it makes sense to charge the battery while at a
destination or when one stops to eat or sleep. With charging at home, an EV
essentially leaves the house each day with the advantage of a “full tank”.
This in turn can help to alleviate “range anxiety”: The fear of running out of
electrical charge in an EV. Range anxiety remains a key concern for a number
of people, but it is progressively becoming less of a concern as the technological innovations of EVs have increased ranges from less than 100 miles
to a number of new models having ranges of well over 200 miles for a full
charge.
Some recent research (Brase, 2019) indicates that important factors which
predict greater intentions to buy an electric vehicle are confidence about the
performance and range capabilities of EVs, along with the perceived prevalence of EVs in general, and an electric vehicle being consistent with the
owner’s social values. The technology improvements for EVs are already
doing a good job of addressing the first set of these concerns, and the later
concerns should be addressed with the larger number and variety of EV
models coming out.
4.2.2 International Developments
The advantages of electric vehicles transcend all national borders, for the
most part. Certain countries, however, have sped up the adoption of EVs by
providing a variety of incentives to car owners. Norway is one of the global
leaders with respect to incentives to encourage the purchase of EVs. Norway
has a population of less than 6 million, meaning that it is not a large country
compared to some others, but 96% of Norway’s electricity is produced in
hydroelectric power plants (Figenbaum, 2017), which means that EVs can be
charged with electricity that has been generated without carbon emissions.
The incentives for Norwegian EV owners include exemption from registration tax and value added tax, a reduced license fee, free use of toll roads,
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43
mountain driving experiences of others as posted on the Internet, one finds
that approximately 50% of the potential energy change can be converted to
electrical energy through regenerative braking when coming down a mountain at modest speeds.
An initial concern of many people who consider buying an EV is the issue
of charging it. There are gas stations on corners of every town and city, but
where can you charge an EV? The answer to this turns out to be nearly as
simple as the question of where you charge your phone: You plug it into the
electrical grid when you are at home. One of the advantages of EVs is the
simplicity of connecting the car to the grid to charge the battery. EVs can
recharge their batteries from a basic 120- volt outlet. For most people (with
daily driving of about 40 miles), overnight charging on a standard wall outlet
is sufficient. For those who have longer commutes, a garage with electric
vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) charging at 240 volts is also easy and convenient. When on a road trip where one needs to stop to charge the battery,
more time is needed, and so it makes sense to charge the battery while at a
destination or when one stops to eat or sleep. With charging at home, an EV
essentially leaves the house each day with the advantage of a “full tank”.
This in turn can help to alleviate “range anxiety”: The fear of running out of
electrical charge in an EV. Range anxiety remains a key concern for a number
of people, but it is progressively becoming less of a concern as the technological innovations of EVs have increased ranges from less than 100 miles
to a number of new models having ranges of well over 200 miles for a full
charge.
Some recent research (Brase, 2019) indicates that important factors which
predict greater intentions to buy an electric vehicle are confidence about the
performance and range capabilities of EVs, along with the perceived prevalence of EVs in general, and an electric vehicle being consistent with the
owner’s social values. The technology improvements for EVs are already
doing a good job of addressing the first set of these concerns, and the later
concerns should be addressed with the larger number and variety of EV
models coming out.
4.2.2 International Developments
The advantages of electric vehicles transcend all national borders, for the
most part. Certain countries, however, have sped up the adoption of EVs by
providing a variety of incentives to car owners. Norway is one of the global
leaders with respect to incentives to encourage the purchase of EVs. Norway
has a population of less than 6 million, meaning that it is not a large country
compared to some others, but 96% of Norway’s electricity is produced in
hydroelectric power plants (Figenbaum, 2017), which means that EVs can be
charged with electricity that has been generated without carbon emissions.
The incentives for Norwegian EV owners include exemption from registration tax and value added tax, a reduced license fee, free use of toll roads,