walterbays
Well-known member
I'd like to echo the caution evchels expressed earlier that we not automatically assume that all BEV's need the plug while all PHEV's want the plug. In the vast majority of cases a BEV doesn't need the plug because we have plenty of range to get back home, or at least to get to another charging location. It's just that if we do need the plug and can't get it then the alternative is bad - towing to a Nissan dealer. (Still beats towing to a police impound lot thanks to AB475.)occ said:Note that the PHEV may "WANT" ... never "NEED". The only way for a PHEV to run out of gas is if he runs out of charge first...never the other way around. If he runs out of gas, he's as clueless as other ICE drivers.
True, PHEV's hardly ever need the plug, but due to their shorter range they much more often want the plug, really really badly. The plug is the whole reason for buying a Volt. With public charging availability they have a really neat EV 99% of the time, and an instant ICE swap 1% of the time. Without public charging availability they just paid an extra $20,000 for what is in effect a Chevy Cruze. And we all want them "burning" solar and wind more often than burning oil too. Moreover, because the Volt has a thermal management system for its battery, it behaves differently than our Leafs do. We are cautioned not to leave our cars parked for extended periods of time with full batteries, especially in hot weather. If you park a Volt with full battery in a hot parking lot, it will use battery power circulating the coolant keeping the battery cool. Whatever we think of that engineering design choice, a Volt driver would prefer to have his parked car plugged in if possible, so it would use grid power to cool the battery. If unplugged it will gradually use up the battery charge keeping itself cool, until it reaches something like 50% of capacity. At that time I suppose the capacity is plenty low that there is no risk to the battery from letting it get hot.
On the Volt forum, as GM fans were trying to tell me why AB475 was so great because it banished plug sharing and stickers, one Volt driver wrote that he would gladly give up his plug to a Leaf driver in need, since he had a gas tank to fall back on. Who needs a plug and who wants a plug? It can only be for the driver to say. Not me: no unplugging without permission. And not the government: no AB475. A lot of Volt drivers may surprise you and give that permission.
Also, as davewill notes, charger contention may only last as long as free charging lasts. My super-off-peak fueled driving costs 2.5 cents per mile or less. Most rates I've seen discussed for paid charging are around the same or higher than gas costs. One of the most modest charges I've seen is Pasadena City College, $1.25 per hour. That equates to $0.38/kWh or 9.5 cents per mile. A Volt driven in ICE mode at 37 MPG and $4.00/gallon equates to 10.8 cents per mile, or barely higher than the most modest public charging rates around. There would be little reason for a Volt driver to plug in if there were any fee for charging.
Bottom line: In most cases a Leaf wants a plug more than it needs one, and in many cases a Volt may have a stronger want for a plug than you might think. Let's not split into Leaf vs. Volt camps and go around unplugging one another. GM is acting as a strong opponent of all Leaf and Volt drivers by seeking to undermine the public charging infrastructure. If GM is successful, the effective range of our Leafs will be limited. All those Volt drivers will have paid double for just another ICE car. And the total market for EV's and PHEV's will be much less. Only GM may be happy though, because they will have a much larger share of that much smaller market. Leaf and Volt drivers need to speak out together in support of electric driving and against AB475.