One of the most common worries about electric vehicle ownership is range anxiety– that’s the short way of saying “I’m afraid I’ll get stuck in the middle of nowhere with no way to fuel up.”
Hopefully, this blog post will quell some of your range anxiety– from cars with better ranges and more charging stations to solutions like plug-in hybrids and workplace charging, range anxiety is quickly becoming a thing of the past.
Range anxiety is far from unfounded: the first EVs had short ranges, like the Audi Duo III, which could only go 30 miles on a single charge; and EV chargers used to be few and far between. But times and technology have changed. Now, some EVs have a 300 mile range, and one of the most affordable EVs is the Nissan Leaf, which has a range of a little over 100 miles. That still comparatively small 100-mile range is totally manageable for the average driver, especially with workplace charging and home charging for folks with longer commutes. Battery longevity is improving, too– meaning that 100-mile range will stay that way longer.
To see how far 100 miles would get me, I tracked my mileage for a week. I live in downtown Salt Lake City, and drive to do errands and to work. Last week, I drove to Provo and back as well. That all came to 140 miles. In a typical week, I would only need to charge up once! This is important to me, because I live in an apartment complex with no at-home access to an EV charger. One of my errands was at the main branch of the library (where a DC fast charger is located), however, and there are several more charging stations in my home-to-work radius. You can view a full map of EV chargers in Utah here.
Speaking of chargers, the charging network is getting faster and going to more places, and Live Electric is proud to be a part of that. We are working to bring 700 new chargers to the state of Utah! Our technology partners (read more about them here) are instrumental in the planning process. We’re electrifying Utah’s freeways so that road trips are feasible– the I-15 corridor from the Salt Lake City airport to St. George is already electrified with DC fast chargers at some Maverick gas stations.
Another way to curb range anxiety is having the ability to charge your EV at work! Workplace charging is another part of our mission. Do you want your workplace to be a part of it, or are you in charge of making that decision for your company? You can head over to Rocky Mountain Power’s website to learn how. If you live in an apartment complex, you can be part of this, too– Rocky Mountain Power’s workplace charging program benefits can extend to multifamily dwellings. Great news for me!
For those who make longer trips, especially to places where charging infrastructure is not yet in place, a plug-in hybrid could be a great option– most give you a range of 25 miles, which is perfect for in-town driving especially if your workplace has EV chargers. Then, you can road trip to your heart’s content and you’re still only paying for gas a fraction of the time. Solutions like this, as well as further-out ideas like electrifying the freeways themselves, are transforming the way we think about transportation. And with rising gas prices and increased concern about air quality, it’s a good time to transform it.