Readers' voice: breakthrough electric vehicles still far off

To speed things up in the world of hybrid and electric vehicles, a group called IA/HEV, short for Implementing Agreement for Co-operation on Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Technologies and Programmes’s, was instated back in 1994. Real success is yet to be achieved.

Report
The group's 2007 Annual Report addressed the main barriers to an EV breakthrough. Our loyal MindinMotion.net visitors commented on them and suggested additional bumps in the road.

Obstacles exist on both consumer and producer level. According to the IA/HEV report, consumers tend to let price, action radius, and perceived battery problems keep them from EV purchasing. Producers, on their part, are discouraged by a lack of standardisation and by the investments needed. Infrastructure, test methods, components, all have to be developed and standardised. Shortcomings in any of these fields can lead to an inability to meet what small market demand already exists.

Readers discuss

Discussion amongst some of our readers teaches us that the report is at least partly right: most of them confirm that price is a key inhibitor. Not just the price of the car itself, but, as our reader Aaron says: “what about the fact that they need new batteries every what five years? ten years? and those are very expensive.”

Not to mention what you should do if your battery fails you. E. Reichardt points out what may be even more of an inhibitor for consumers: the hassle of finding out everything that comes with the car.

“[W]here do I buy one? I'm not going to buy a VW Golf and swap its complete drivetrain (cost!). And where do I plug it in? Does the ADAC help me if my EV breaks down? Can I recharge at a gas station if needed? (...) I want to buy an EV package, including a vehicle, charging infrastructure and information, road assistance, et cetera. Iron out the details for consumers, make it easy for them, and they'll jump on board.”

Additional problems
Our commentors also look further ahead. They disagree on the importance of poor marketing as a delaying factor. Cynthia: “For too long [producers] have been either "to shy" or turn to the wrong organisations (more often single people) for sales.” But Reichardt regards poor marketing as a secundary problem. “First develop a good solution, then market it properly.”

At ClimateChangeCorp.com
Mr Toby Proctor points out yet another obstacle: transport and fiscal policies. If electric vehicles are to become the new standard, current fuel tax revenues will have to be replaced. But as governments could hardly tax electricity for transport differently from electricity metered for domestic consumption, the answer must be found in a shift towards taxing vehicle ownership and infrastructure use.

Not far fetched
So a lot remains to be done before an EV revolution can become reality. But the necessary conditions are not far fetched. A consumer friendly EV package deal can easily be imagined – it just needs a clever marketeer. And in the Netherlands Government is already working towards the fiscal shift Mr Proctor has in mind.

Let's get back at this issue in a while and see how things may already have changed in favour of an EV breakthrough.

Related articles

• The burning issue 2
• IA-HEV drives hybrid and electric vehicles into the future
• Consortium gives electric driving major boost
• Oil stain approach in Project Better Place

Sources

• Outlook for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (PDF document)
• Car companies bet on electric future