Monday, October 23, 2017

New study: EV Fast Charging Corridors within reach

A major new study from the US Department of Energy finds that installing Fast Chargers for Electric Vehicles at frequent intervals on the Interstate Highway System is eminently feasible and could have a great impact in accelerating EV adoption (National Plug-In Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Analysis, available here).
The authors say – and I agree – that long-distance travel has been a critical barrier to EV adoption, because people who travel long distances often, or even occasionally, are worried about running out of juice.  The obvious answer, although not universally agreed, is “providing access to an extensive and convenient network of DCFC [Fast Charger] stations along corridors that enable reliable long-distance intercity travel.”
The good news is that “wiring” the Interstate is not that much of a stretch: “Results suggest that relatively few corridor DCFC stations could enable long-distance BEV [battery-only electric vehicle] travel between U. S. cities, where vehicles are concentrated.  Under most scenarios, the number of required stations is similar to the number of DCFC stations already established by Tesla or the number planned by Electrify America within the next two years.”

Electrifying the Interstate with Fast Chargers can make a big difference, and according to this new study is readily attainable.  Folks, we need to make this happen.


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