The staff and board at Plug In America teamed up to make some bold predictions for the year ahead for the electric car. What do you think? Too bold? Not bold enough?
Chime in with your own in the comments below.
California will announce phase out of gasoline vehicles.
California continues to set the policy pace for electric cars and charging infrastructure in the United States, and will make official its aggressive proposal to ban sale of internal combustion engine (ICE) cars by 2040.
NDEW will break 300 event mark.
(Inter)National Drive Electric Week will be bigger and better than ever, spreading global EV awareness and the joy of driving electric.
Plug-ins will be 2% of market.
With the help of the Tesla Model 3 and other new options, plug-in cars will comprise 2% of the total U.S. car market in 2018, up from a bit over 1% for 2017.
The American South and Northeast will see huge uptick in EV adoption.
Smart policies and growing demand will mean more EVs rolling in these regions.
Autonomous = EV
Autonomous cars will all have plugs by 2025, starting with GM and Tesla in 2018.
There’s room for both EVs and clean ICEs. The air quality in California has and will continue to sufficiently improve. CA produces less than 1% of the worlds anthropogenic GHGs. Committing economic suicide ostensibly to serve as an example, that most countries won’t follow, is an anti public health program.
We must reduce the world population for humans to survive. The world resources are depleted. A study should be done to figure out how many people the earth can sustain at a good standard of living. The electric car is going to help with reduction of fossil fuels but they demand a lot of rare metals which are in limited supply.
We need to reduce the world population because we have outgrown the resources in this planet. Electric cars can help but it is only a small solution.
To advance electric car adoption ….Level the playing field for US auto makers …right now a Chevy Volt costs $80,000 in Japan, China,,, etc … while we give them $7500 and more. We have to stop this unfair trade.
I should add that CHAdeMO is a DC standard and without a DC-AC charger in the Caddy’s case it will never work.
Someone posted that they don’t feel it is good to not have car purchases be limited to electric only. Have we not been limited to gas only engines for the last 50 years? let progress happen!
An important question to ask.. “What percent of EV owners will never purchase an ICE vehicle again?” Our family owns a Leaf (since 2011) and Chevy Bolt (since August). Our Tesla 3 is on order to replace the Leaf. I can’t imagine our family ever purchasing a gasoline powered vehicle ever again. It would be like getting rid of a cell phone and going back to landline. Let the market decide! What do you EV owners think? Will you ever go back and purchase a gas powered vehicle?
I agree. Have two Volts and an ELR.
I don’t think an outright ban on ICE sales by CA would be a good idea, nor necessary. The metro areas would simply need to implement a local ban on ICE vehicles on “spare the Air” days. (I was told that Paris does this this for older diesel cars.) So you could still drive your classic, just not in a metro area during a bad air day.
Most folks that frequently drive in a metro area would see additional value in buying a car that they can operate anywhere, any day, and the metro smog problem would be solved. Rural folks could buy the ICE vehicles that they probably still would want.
I live in Calif. & have a LEAF and of course loveIt! But I think Calif. is going too far in making people drive EV only, by only selling EV in 2040. Where is free choice? I like being my own boss and I don’t want to be a mindless drone like a lot of people these days and have government tell me what I can & can’t do – or – what to think – don’t give me that SOMA. I think instead of getting ride of all petrol cars – “they” need to be more efficient, let’s say go 50+ miles per gallon. Let’s put the “brains” on that one – I’m sure they can (and have) make cars like that. Besides how are going to enjoy our “classics”?
How far does “free choice” go? If I wish to shoot my neighbor…. free choice? If I wish to toss my dog’s poop over the fence to my neighbor’s yard… free choice? At some point we regulate things for the greater good.
“making people drive EV only, by only selling EV in 2040. Where is free choice? ”
Where was the free choice in the past 100 years when they only sold ICE vehicles?
And when humanity has reached the “Tipping Point” of Global Climate change and can do nothing to reverse it, all because people weren’t trying aggressively enough to curb CO2 emisions, you’ll say what? Oops ? Sometimes it’s too late to give people a choice and for the greater good of mankind you need impose strong regulations and policies.
Bianca, of course no one wants to be lorded over by big government. It’s more about the air we all breathe. Combustion engines are a health hazard, simple as that–like cigarettes–and need to be removed from service ASAP. Unfortunately, there are those in our society who don’t really care about the wellness of others or our planet, they just want to do whatever they feel like doing, by golly–like those who subject others to second-hand smoke..If people were more enlightened, we wouldn’t need regulation.
I agree that the government should stay out of people’s business and respect their long-recognized rights to their property.
Therefore, I propose that when gasoline car buyers can restrict the emissions to the land they own and only the air above it, then the government should not touch them. Those who cannot restrict their emissions to their land and the air above it should soon start being fined heavily for polluting other people’s air and be restricted entirely from public land and roads.
Did you know Coltura.org is lobbying to have no new internal combustion engine cars sold in CA by 2030?
3% of the market for 2018 or close. 400,000 plus units sold. It should get national media attention.
After Dems take control they will enact national tax breaks to install chargers in the parking lots at apartments and office parks, resulting in a huge surge in EV sales.
Sad that you think that way, “Dems” won’t put anything into working order. It’s the independent businesses that do that ,not free hand outs either. Power isn’t free someone will be making money off of you.
That is so true one (1) plug type only please
Yes! Same plug handles ALL charging rates! Rate limited by power provided/EV electronics, NOT connecter!
Some countries in Europe doing phase out in 2030s. Too many people buying big vehicles like F150. So GM etc
got to get something for those.folks I have a Volt. Perfect for me..
Tesla and the owners paid for this privilege. GM, Ford and the others should step up to the plate and install an infrastructure for their vehicles. For all the criticism from the big 3 of Tesla and now you want to use their chargers?
Tesla is getting even more creative. They are beginning to open EV charging stations with coffee lounges (for a seperate price during charging).
A profit-oriented future look.
Isn’t it time for a major gas station chain to install EV chargers?
Do you hear me, Wawa?
Tesla paid for them with huge government subsidies. That means we all paid for them and should be able to use them.
Tesla paid for them with huge government subsidies. That means we all paid for them and should be able to use them.
If California bans ICE vehicles, there will likely be a backlash that will harm EV sales. Banning popular products with a greater than a 50% market share is a recipe for disaster. In a free society, prohibitions don’t work.
Indeed. Just look at how many people are still smoking on airplanes and in CA restaurants these days. Prohibition fail!
The 2016 Volt is a great car and the range has been improved since the 2012 model. However, the range-extender gas engine is still needed to prevent range anxiety. What is required for most people to accept the electric car is an EV range of 400 miles. A normal gas-powered car has a range of 400 miles. What is also required is for the recharge time to be no longer than the refuel time for a normal gas-powered car.
Good point, Themis. Call me biased, but I’d recommend the Tesla plug become the standard, primarily because they have led the market into both EVs and chargers
I own a Cadillac ELR and LOVE IT.
BUT in going to San Francisco, I wanted to charge it at the King Ranch station and was dumbfounded to find out that Tesla allows ONLY their cars to be charged in there since they have the special plug. We should FIGHT to make sure ALL electric cars have the SAME plug. We do not get a type of gasoline for each car, so should be with electricity
I respect that you love your ELR, but you bought a car from a company that you KNOW isn’t investing in EV infrastructure. Why should Tesla finance GM’s charging infrastructure if GM isn’t willing to?
Also, Tesla’s SuperChargers are direct DC and output up to 120kw. I don’t think the ELR has DC fast charging anyway.
There are indeed standards for charging connectors. The J1772 plug is probably the most common, along with Chademo for DC fast-charging.
Tesla has been building their Supercharger network at their own expense, with no help from other automakers. So why should Tesla allow other EVs to use their chargers?
Hi. Sorry for your experience. You must be a new owner. For the Cadillac ELR, GM used the Chevy Volt platform which can only use a J-1772 plug for either a 120 outlet (a level 1) or a 240 (a level 2) unit. In addition to the specialized Tesla units, either destination units, low power, or Supercharger, very high power, there are 2 other type plugs you cannot use: Asian type CHaDeMO or European type, Combined Charging Standard (CCS). Using websites like PlugShare it can be tricky to determine the type of charger at a location. It is best to look at your leisure to become familiar with what types of units are installed. So as minimize your aggravation be aware that Tesla provides adaptors to owners so you will see Tesla cars charging at all locations.
I wholeheartedly agree. I drive a Rav4 EV in Denver and there are very few charging stations around town. The ones that do exist are exclusively for Tesla.
I agree 100%. There should be no DONGLES when it comes to EV accessibility!
That’s sounds very silly, I don’t agree at all Tesla is Tesla so all cars should lookk the same have the same engine. Buyers choice. I Love my Tesla
As it stands, Tesla’s are the only car with a different plug. The industry has already standardized the plug setup. Given Tesla’s supercharger network is built by the company using their style plug it only makes sense they would limit access to their charging infrastructure.
I just bought an ELR as well and shudder to think there may be “Tesla only” charging stations here on the East Coast! I absolutely agree the plugs should be universal
Cant believe that you’re that naïve on how the charging stations work. Tesla doesn’t give away free power. Built into the cost of the car over the lifetime. That’s why he’s so successful. If you buy something other than Tesla it’s like buying something other than Apple. Good isn’t cheap and cheap isn’t good.
Tesla had to build their own network and plug since there wasn’t one when they started.
Cadilac can make a deal with Tesla to let their cars plugin but on a tiny hybrid like your using Tesla UMC Super Chargers at 140 kW would be done in 1 minute. LOL
You can buy an adapter from quick charge and plug into the Tesla destination chargers I have one and it make a Tesla connector into a standard J-1772 that all cars can use. You need to get one. Look for the JDapter
That’s a nice thought, but until we get to ultra high speed charging capability, we won’t know what that connector will look like. If we can’t get ubiquitous cell phones to standardize, it’ll be a while, if ever, we see a standard EV connector.
Several years ago, Tesla offered their parents and charging infrastructure to any manufacturers that would use the patents in good faith and contribute to the buildout of the Supercharging network. To date, I am not aware of a single manufacturer that has contributed to the network in order to allow their vehicles to charge. Now we have numerous manufacturers bringing EVs to market and yet Tesla remains the only EV manufacturer that has invested billions in charging infrastructure to alllow their cars to easily and quickly travel long distances in the US, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Congratulations on the purchase of a great vehicle! Maybe soon we will see more cooperative efforts when vendors, like GM and VW are willing to invest what Tesla has in charging infrastructure..
You do not have thee adapter?
The Cadillac ELR can’t use L3 charging even if the plug was compatible.
While I also object to the fact that there are at least 4 different L3 charging standards… (Tesla, CHAdeMO, CCS, and whatever BYD uses in China) I feel compelled to defend Tesla by stating that they paid for and installed all of the SuperCharger locations around the world *and* they have a crew of people who maintain the chargers. They understand that you need both vehicles and reliable charging for the masses to adopt EVs. GM seems to think that they don’t have to make it easy to charge.
True story: I was in Arches NP with my Tesla Model S and was approached by a Chevy Bolt driver who said that he wanted to bring his Bolt from the Bay Area, but it was just too hard. Too many apps to juggle, charging, even at L3 takes too long and you don’t know if the (usually only 1 at a location) CCS station is working or available. I showed him how I could navigate home to Southern California, with all charging stops calculated (including amount of time at each stop and real-time information on how many of the chargers are in use at that moment) by simply clicking Navigate, then ‘Home’.
GM has to do better.
I am a happy suburban Bolt owner, driving 60 – 75 miles a day. If I can keep Bolt over 200 miles range, no problem. And I can get a Jdapter if necessary. Agree that Tesla so far is only long range EV on the market, but that will change in 2 – 5 years. My prediction for 2018 is continued development of public charging network in Boswash corridor, extending down to Florida, with L2 and DCFC equipment. Also, Chevy will double its market penetration, and Tesla M3 backlog will shrink to under 300,000 units.
Agreed
“We do not get a type of gasoline for each car” LOL…Diesel, Super, Regular, Bio e-flex.
Themis,
Tesla has opened their patents on their DC high power charging standard up to 120kW. GM is choosing not to adapt to this standard or make an adapter/charger for your Caddy. Your car uses AC charging with the J1772 standard at a maximum of 20 amps as a result, you cannot use a DC Supercharger. Tesla can use both because they use DC charging for their batteries and have an onboard charger that converts AC to DC when using household current (up to 80 amps) or the J1772 that typically operate at a meager 30 amps. A stop at Whole Foods (Thank you Whole Foods for your EV support) for thirty minutes would net you about 8 miles of range (20 amp max). Thirty minutes at a DC Supercharger could add 150 miles of range. CHAdeMO is gaining acceptance and Tesla makes an adapter for their cars to use this new standard.
Need EVS to rent and CA can’t achieve 2040.goal.due to.anti.business mindset in.Sacramento