Encouraging the Public to Drive Electric

I am a retired automotive engineer and a very happy Leaf owner, who encourages everyone to drive electric for personal financial and national economic reasons and for public health and security reasons. My primary interest is in working with other early adopters to find and utilize the best means for persuading the general public to drive electric on clean electricity, whenever practicable and have written and widely circulate a report on the benefits. I seek ideas for and assistance in achieving this goal from all early adopters. Together we can make this world a better place for ourselves and future generations. You may obtain this paper and contribute ideas for moving this ball down the field by e-mailing me: [email protected]. Walt

I just enjoy my EVs and I don't do the EV evangelist thing, if someone asks me I'm more than happy to talk about my EVs but being a proselytizer or crusader isn't my thing

Start or join a chapter of the electric auto association and create an event for national drive electric week (https://driveelectricweek.org/events.php). I don't see anything for Corvallis.

I think Nissan and Tesla are in the best position to influence this by:
1. 150 mile range leaf or low cost Tesla.
2. SUV electric
3. MiniVan electric
4. 4-wheel drive electric
5. Pickup truck electric
6. Performance electric

These options aren't mutually exclusive. For example it would be great if the e-nv200 was fitted with a double battery pack, great performance, and 4-wheel drive option. Should be relatively easy to create a pickup truck on that platform also. Time is coming when these options will be available and our lungs will all be the better for it.

As far as doing things now, people are low risk. They want to see that it works for someone else before adopting it. Some people are on a 10 year life cycle for their cars, so you have to wait that long before current electric cars saturate the market.

As for my own personal evangelism: I started an electric car forum with 500 members so far. See my signature. Encourage your friends to join.

Not driving an EV to get a burger is also very effective in combating some of these issues and shows our own hypocrisy. Building inefficient EVs also adds to the problems. Soon we will have SUV EVs with huge packs and crap efficiency, if batteries had the density of gasoline we would simply be shifting the waste from one location to another unless the EV is mostly powered by solar or some other green energy.

For early adopters (such as myself) the current vehicles are reasonable choices. We (generally) are willing to do research on things and put up with some limitations if we can find ways to work around them.

The general public, however, is not going to display the same level of patience. In addition, the general market is likely to be more risk adverse (thus the "fear, uncertainty, doubt aka FUD marketing tactics on many products). What I believe the general public (whoever they are) desires is to have confidence that the car will 'work' at least as good as their current solution (less 'change' in the adoption). So what do we know about them? According to KBB article (a bit out dated but good info here: http://www.kbb.com/car-news/all-the-latest/average-length-of-us-vehicle-ownership-hit-an-all_time-high/2000007854/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false the average us car buyer is keeping their vehicles 5-6 years. I suspect that these buyers want their car to meet their needs through this entire time - i.e. if the Leaf range falls to 50 miles in that timeframe and I have to drive more than that between charges the car doesn't really meet my needs. Car manufacturers have to address this - I don't know the 'magic' number to satisfy folks - 200/300 miles? Let marketing folks figure that out, but 80-100 is clearly too low for most folks comfort. Tesla has a good thing with 300 mile range, but the Model S is clearly too expensive for "average" folks. Never make the financial savings argument with a Model S that will make sense for the 'general public.'

Lots of FUD has been spread about EVs. Some of this is accurate (yes, there is battery degradation) and some of it is either false or exaggerated (the image of having a "useless" car in 5 years due to batter degradation can put a lot of fear into folks -especially when there are lots of quotes out there that replacement batteries are "more than the car would be worth" at that point).

I expect that the best thing we can do as BEV drivers is to use our vehicles and be seen not worrying about range etc. Ironically some of the tools like carwings feeding range remaining etc might actually increase concerns with 'regular' drivers. (I don't think most car drivers really want to pay that much attention to their cars). Just drive the car, don't go on about monitoring range/battery/etc and let 'normal' folks see you can forget about those things and still use your car for daily work. For example, I no longer calculate my range/expectations when driving around town - I know a full charge meets the needs and I plug in again at night. When co-workers ride with me I don't bring up range etc - it is more like "so where we going for lunch?" and move on. The more "normal" and casual we can demonstrate ourselves to be the less fear it will instill in those who just want to drive their car and get where they want to go.

Slow1 said:

...I expect that the best thing we can do as BEV drivers is to use our vehicles and be seen not worrying about range etc. Ironically some of the tools like carwings feeding range remaining etc might actually increase concerns with 'regular' drivers. (I don't think most car drivers really want to pay that much attention to their cars). Just drive the car, don't go on about monitoring range/battery/etc and let 'normal' folks see you can forget about those things and still use your car for daily work. For example, I no longer calculate my range/expectations when driving around town - I know a full charge meets the needs and I plug in again at night. When co-workers ride with me I don't bring up range etc - it is more like "so where we going for lunch?" and move on. The more "normal" and casual we can demonstrate ourselves to be the less fear it will instill in those who just want to drive their car and get where they want to go.

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I fully agree with that assessment. The biggest factor for acceptance is simply seeing these cars on the road, and knowing someone who drives one day after day, year after year without any of the imagined failures and privations. Igniting that initial spark of legitimacy is key.

As an early adopter of two-wheeled EVs (and now a Leaf driver), I have to say that the public, at least in my neck of the woods, cares nothing at all about any of the issues mentioned in the original post. Not even enough to insult my vehicles.

It is indeed a sad comment on the American populous.

I too have this experience in the mid-west, (Chicago area.)

In fact I see people look the other way when they see a Leaf and even a Tesla, probably out of guilt for not doing something about the environment when they so easily could. At least as for the Leaf I recently saw: New '13's on a dealers lot and showroom for $15,556 after Federal, State, Nissan and dearer rebates were applied. If they were shirts, I'd have bought several!!

A thought: See about showing your car at the farmers market and at car shows. Perhaps the high school has a class on the environment and you could show your car there. See about getting them into the city fleet, (Houston TX has 25 Leafs and they are not alone in this regard,) and you could show your car at Green Events, if there are any in your "neck of the woods," as the Upstate NY I was familiar with was north of Plattsburgh which, despite its far northern latitude, had more red necks than GA!!

I have a small magnetic sticker I placed on the trunk..says 100% electric..5K pollution free miles. I got it from http://www.madison.leafers.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. They come in 5K intervals. Something like 5 bucks. Believe this helps to contribute to a different mind set. Was there ever a bumper sticker that you did not read?

Hope others will continue to contribute to this post as well as to your objective by taking personal action.

Good luck.

There is an EV club here, and I do go to events when they don't drag me out of bed too early (I sleep days). There will be a show here in August (23rd, IIRC) with cars, bikes, and maybe my ZEV scooter, if it's working again by then. Attendance is generally limited to mainly EV enthusiasts, though.

EAGERBEAVER said:

I am a retired automotive engineer and a very happy Leaf owner, who encourages everyone to drive electric for personal financial and national economic reasons and for public health and security reasons. My primary interest is in working with other early adopters to find and utilize the best means for persuading the general public to drive electric on clean electricity, whenever practicable and have written and widely circulate a report on the benefits. I seek ideas for and assistance in achieving this goal from all early adopters. Together we can make this world a better place for ourselves and future generations. You may obtain this paper and contribute ideas for moving this ball down the field by e-mailing me: [email protected]. Walt

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I think if an individual cares enough about those reasons to drive an electric vehicle he/she needs little more than the support of public charging (if needed for their drive) to get them into an ev.

For me, the push to finally buy was the instalation of a quick charge near my work (45miles 1 way) and several new 240v 24hr on the way home. I have tried to get the property owner where I work to instal a 240v charger and it probably won't happen any time soon.

For the rest of the people who are not looking, or don't even know about ev's you can never tell them they should because of those reasons, with the exception of "personal financial". As Henry Ford said if you asked the people what they wanted they would have said faster horses. What people want now is a car that gets better fuel economy but doesn't give up anything else. The only way to get those people into EV's is to show them how it is a better car, and truth be told I think the only way we would get a large percentage of the population to drive EV is through PHEV. People are not willing to give up unlimited range.

If the government mandated that every vehicle must go at least 11 miles 0 emissions on all of the epa cycles (chose it because it's the lowest current, ie PIP) it would do a lot more collectively than the current incentives to get people into full BEV. Because each car would have a much smaller battery it wold be easier to supply. If you took the money out of incentives to buy and put it into incentives for employers to build charging for their employees you would in theory double that 11 miles of 0 emissions. The government should also mandate that all new homes/condos be offered with charging pre wired within 15ft of the parking area and all new parking lots over a certain size have a minimum percentage of charging spots (a much higher percentage for paid lots, and if you pay for parking the charge is free).


However the big change will come from commercial vehicles. A semi gets 6mpg now on diesel, and almost everything you buy (unless you shop directly at the airport/rail yard/marina) will have fuel cost built into the price of the goods.

I find it odd that Toyota and Honda are backing hydrogen, I think the real support for hydrogen will come from commercial trucks and once that is in place it will be the ideal fuel for a PHEV with the majority of the daily use being overnight charging from home.

I keep a low profile and now my friends are asking me about my car, a Leaf.

I explain to them the awesome things about going electric and the Leaf in particular.

They are beginning to wake up, showing a more serious interest, which is rewarding.

How many years ago did we convert from gasoline powered washing machines to electric ones?

"Why would you stay with the gasoline powered one, I ask them, when you can have electric?"

It's like a light bulb just went off in their head!!

Many of the people who were pretty critical of my decision have been quiet the last 6 months. They have seen me come into work in all seasons in all conditions, go on long trips, and have 0 peroblems. Some of my most vocal critics have since had serious ICE engine/transmission problems; they have since gone REALLY silent.

However, I think they are still fearful of not having the unlimited range. Understandable. Which is why I think plug-in hybrids are the next kind of car to gain mass acceptance.

I believe you have raised an important point about "unlimited range." Psychologically I think it is hard to have limits (as a parent I see this in my kids daily!). Planning ahead is seen as a challenge for many of us as well. Many have become very used to not thinking about their transportation fuel - the convenience of re-fueling (10 minutes?) once a week or less and then just forgetting about it is rather hard to beat in terms of worry factor. So combine the need to plan a bit more with EVs and the knowledge that there are some trips that just won't be possible without real planning (find chargers etc) is just too much for a lot of people.

Getting over these issues comes down, in my opinion, to having the range to 'never' have to recharge mid-day in normal use (Not talking road trips here). Once BEVs have this range then the discussion of long-range trips can be discussed. Example: If the EV in question has a 300 mile range, how many folks that you work with really could say that they would have to charge more than once a day (at home)? It may well take that sort of range to really 'satisfy' the critics even though 200 miles likely are more than enough in reality for more than 95% of people.

Get this resolved and then let the discussion move to lower maintenance costs etc as benefits and then high speed charger distribution for road trips will come into play.

The environmental benefits argument will only work for a tiny percentage of folks; the rest will stop talking as soon as you ask them to pay for it or be inconvenienced. Look at how many folks won't even sort recycling in their trash without being forced to do so....

i have had lots of interactions over the 3+ years, and I am very open to conversation whenever I see someone looking, hovering, approaching; last time at the Costco outdoor charger.
About now, I hear the most common questions about "how long does it take to charge?" and say:
I charge overnight at home or at work with a regular outlet, when needed.
I go 55 miles roundtrip to work and have never had a problem with range. I save more than 2k bucks a year on gasoline.
Do you like to buy gas?

thankyouOB said:

i have had lots of interactions over the 3+ years, and I am very open to conversation whenever I see someone looking, hovering, approaching; last time at the Costco outdoor charger.
About now, I hear the most common questions about "how long does it take to charge?" and say:
I charge overnight at home or at work with a regular outlet, when needed.
I go 55 miles roundtrip to work and have never had a problem with range. I save more than 2k bucks a year on gasoline.
Do you like to buy gas?

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Perfect application for the Leaf as well as a perfect answer.

Pretty much the same for me here too, only I also say I haven't been to a gas station in almost two years....what a relief. Do you enjoy pulling into a crowded isle to get gas and paying almost $5 a gallon for gasoline...and is there anything inside the gas station that you find pleasurable? Including the bathroom?

At this point they are almost ready to say, "Where can I buy one!!"

I've been gushing with my enthusiasm about the LEAF that should arrive in a couple of weeks now. And the reactions I get are pretty interesting. But I think we "early adopters" (all 110,000 of us!) need to keep in mind that there are many situations for which the car is NOT well-suited. In my area public charging is VERY limited. Employers offering charging? I don't know of any (yet).

But just by attempting to field the questions that are brought up helps at least lessen the resistance to change that everyone has. My plan is to be the driver for lunch at work. Let them ride in it and experience it. Heck, let them drive it. They think you HAVE to learn how to drive it, learn how to charge it, learn how battery chemistry works. I think the more that I can respond with "it's just a normal car", the more they will find it hard to refute that I'm saving (with my minimal driving habits and existing high mileage vehicle) $50/month in fuel, and $50/month in maintenance. I can say with confidence that I'll never replace another muffler, "B" pipe, "A" pipe, catalytic converter, spark plug wires and plugs, or pay for an oil change. And if you have a moderate income and live in a state with incentives, you can point out that your net cost of driving it for the first two years or so is going to be close to zero.

I also came up with sort of a shock test. If you were to enter a garage and you know nothing about it except that everything in there has been untouched for 10 years, which would you rather do? Get the lawn mower you find running? Or get the table saw working?