What Would It Take To Successfully Sell an Electric Car?

From Smart Planet, CEO Kevin Czinger, of CODA Automotive, explains what he believes it will take for the average consumer to want to buy an all-electric vehicle.




His main point is that the car must have enough range for an "aggressive" driver to use it all day without having to worry about their range. To me, this means that a person who makes "jackrabbit starts" and drives at or slightly above the speed limit should be able to get to work and back home, including whatever stops or detours they might occasionally have to make (grocery store, dinner, etc.). He wisely indicates that it must be able to make this trip in all seasons. After all, the air conditioner uses a lot of energy, and in an electric car the heater is going to drain the batteries substantially, as well.

But I would go a step further. Perhaps 98% of the time I drive my commuter-car simply to work and back home, and most stops (for dinner or groceries) tend to be not far out of the way. But there are occasions when I may have to make an out-of-the-way excursion. My drive is 36 miles each way, but if I need to make a trip up north of town for some reason, I could easily add 30 more miles. If I go to my brother's house, that's 20 miles further from my house, adding 40 miles to my round trip.

For me to buy an all-electric vehicle, it would have to have a 250 mile range under the worst conditions. With that vehicle I would normally only have to charge it every three days, and I would be able to handle most of the "unusual" days as well.