Electric cars: How many miles will kill 'range anxiety'?
Range anxiety, or the fear that an electric car will run out of charge before you reach your destination. is a real and present fear for many first-time electric car drivers and buyers.听
Even though research clearly shows that present can , many car buyers say electric cars need to travel further per charge before they鈥檒l consider buying one.
Of course, not everyone who thinks electric cars need to travel further per charge actually needs the extra range, but how many miles are enough to kill electric car range anxiety for good?听
120 miles听
At the recent Plug-In 2012 conference in San Antonio, many experts there admitted that a target range of 120 miles per charge would be more than enough to eliminate range anxiety in most drivers.听
At highway speeds, that equates to around two hours of driving, more than enough to cover even the most extreme of daily commutes without requiring a mid-day charge.听
With direct-current fast charging technology, a battery pack that large could easily be recharged in under an hour at a rest stop, theoretically making a 240-mile trip easily possible in one morning.听
While that鈥檚 still a little short for the most intrepid of long-distance drivers, a 240-mile trip in five hours is about the limit of most what most drivers -- especially with young children or pets -- can handle.听
Within reasonable costs
Current electric cars, like the , manage an EPA-rated 73 miles per charge.听
With battery technology improving, building an electric car with a range of 120 miles per charge within the next few years seems technologically feasible.听
More importantly, with prices already dropping faster than analysts previously predicted they would, a larger capacity battery pack capable of 120 miles of range per charge is much more likely than it was even two years ago.听
Will 120 miles be enough?
Talk to most current electric car drivers, and they鈥檒l tell you that their car鈥檚 range per charge is more than adequate for everyday driving.听
In fact, some advocates joke that the range of their electric car is 鈥榓lways enough鈥�, because they modify their driving styles to match the type of trip they are making.听
However, there鈥檚 a risk that, like computer hard drives, the more you have, the more you want.听
As of yet, most electric cars cannot compete with most gasoline cars on range. The only one that can -- the -- is prohibitively expensive for most Americans.听
More range, or something else?
听Do electric cars need longer ranges, or do car buyers need to be shown how electric cars already satisfy most of their driving needs?听Are more rapid direct current charging solutions needed instead of expensive, heavy, large capacity battery packs?听
Or should automakers follow the lead of Motors, Mitsubishi, and Coda automotive, by offering a range of battery packs to consumers when they buy an electric car?
