Who would kill the electric car?
February 28th, 2008
Electric cars recharge at the Gail Borden Public Library. Photo:Todd Martin/FVEAA
A mass market electric car has had a troubled history:
* GM spent more than $1 billion developing the EV1 including significant sums on marketing and incentives to develop a mass market for it.
* Only 800 vehicles were leased during a four-year period.
* No other major automotive manufacturer is producing a pure electric vehicle for use on public roads and highways.
* A waiting list of 5,000 only generated 50 people willing to follow through to a lease.
* Because of low demand for the EV1, parts suppliers quit making replacement parts making future repair and safety of the vehicles difficult to nearly impossible. (Source: GM blog)
So they stopped manufacturing the EV1, the electric car that seemed to have the best prospects.
It remains to be seen whether a mass market electric car will be introduced again, but in the meanwhile it’s a fertile field for hobbyists, especially those with an environmental bent.
The Fox Valley Electric Auto Association has approached the City of Elgin with an offer to donate a rapid charging station for electric vehicles. All the city would need to do is reserve a spot somewhere for it, and install it.
A rapid charging station. Photo: Todd Martin/FVEAA
You don’t need to be an environmentalist to see that this can be another great way to differentiate downtown Elgin, which is where I think the charging station should be installed. Combined with all the other stuff, like an arts center, it can make the difference in whether people with a creative, activist bent–whether you agree with their politics or not, they are an attractive demographic–choose Elgin over other cities. I think it would be really neat.
I think it works really well for downtown Elgin as opposed to other places, because electric vehicles are typically best suited for short runs, not long distance commuting. So within the compact downtown that we have, an electric vehicle can easily take care of all your transportation needs.
Now, I have no illusion about how many people will actually use this, but simply being able to say, “Oh yeah, we also have a rapid charging station for electric cars!” will make downtown Elgin seem more attractive, and give residents a little bit more pride in the place they live.
My guess would be that the best place for this would be the Fulton Street parking deck, whether inside or outside–facing Prairie Street.
Unfortunately, a rapid charging station for electric cars requires cars that can be rapidly charged. There just ain’t any, or at least not that any average person could afford.
Posted February 28th, 2008 at 10:40 amHi Kent, thanks for the comment. Actually, there are affordable electric cars & trucks out there if you know where to look. Try www.evfinder.com or Ebay. Or, the state of Illinois will pay you $4000 to convert your car to electric. Conversion companies are locally available, such as www.pioneerconversions.com. Check out the www.fveaa.org website for details.
Todd Martin
Posted February 28th, 2008 at 12:16 pmVP, FVEAA
I think it’d be better to put the charging station closer to the Centre and the Library, as that IMHO is a more central and convenient location. Alternatively, it could be placed in the city lot near where the farmer’s market is held, as that would attract folks who would be more likely to be interested in a green vehicle choice.
Posted February 28th, 2008 at 12:37 pmTodd,
What kind of vehicles exactly will this thing work with? Does it work with segways? NEVs? Scooters?
It sounds like Kent is saying, it’s not just enough to have an electric vehicle to use this, but you have to have an electric vehicle that is capable of rapid charging. What portion of electric vehicles out there are capable of rapid charging? Could you plug a golf cart into this thing?
Posted February 28th, 2008 at 9:42 pmThanks John for the questions. I’ll try my best to answer.
A Segway plugs into a regular 120VAC outlet only, it doesn’t really need rapid charging or a car parking spot.
NEVs are not legally allowed to travel on Elgin public roads since the City has not made any provisions. If they were allowed, a NEV could use a rapid charging station if it had a suitable charger and inlet. Many NEV models don’t have this as standard equipment, but any one of them could be upgraded.
I’m not an expert on Scooters. Do they typically use a car parking space? Do they have long charge times with 120VAC?
Golf carts, of course, are not meant to drive on public roads so this application would not pertain to them.
All of the major automaker’s EV programs have included rapid charging (GM’s EV1, Ford Ranger EV, Toyota Rav4EV, etc. as well as professional conversion companies such as US Electricar and Solectria. Hobbyist conversions have the choice to make provision for rapid charging or stick with 120VAC outlets only.
The intent of placing these devices is not to service an existing large EV community, but to help create a large EV community. By creating a network of rapid charging locations across Illinois, people will have one less obstacle to driving clean, cheap, quiet, and efficient transportation.
Best regards,
Todd Martin
Posted February 29th, 2008 at 1:32 amThanks for filling in the blanks, Todd.
BAC, that’s a good idea to keep it close to the farmer’s market. I wonder though how permanent that location is going to be for the farmer’s market. I wouldn’t be surprised if they moved it to the Fountain Square area (by Al’s) or even Festival Park.
I suggested the Fulton parking deck for a couple of reasons:
1 - I think it would be cheapest to install it there, because you already have electrical lines running through the building.
2 - If it’s inside the building, it offers the advantage of a roof overhead, which will both minimize electrical problems (I would imagine), and give shelter to the car while it charges.
Considering how much snow we’ve been getting, I don’t think this last point is trivial!
Another benefit would be that the charging station would be able to share in the security afforded by any existing or planned security cameras in the parking deck.
I think the location is pretty good actually because it’s close to the largest new residential developments in Elgin. River Park Place is the closest, of course, but Fountain Square condos are just a short walk away. So I think it would be convenient for downtown residents.
Todd, are there built-in security features that would prevent accidental or purposeful electrocution? Does the city have potential liability here if someone gets hurt or if a vehicle is damaged?
Posted February 29th, 2008 at 8:05 amHi RS,
Yes, the charging station does have a number of safety features. Unlike an extension cord, the plug and receptical have a guard preventing any human contact with the metal contacts. A pilot signal between the inlet in the car and the device prevents high current from flowing in the cord until a secure connection is made. The cord has break-away protection, just like a gas pump. Ground fault protection is built-in, so it is safe to use in the rain.
Best regards,
Posted February 29th, 2008 at 11:09 amTodd Martin