Despite sluggish sales
and public skepticism, advocates for electric vehicles (EVs) are optimistic
that battery-powered cars will take hold in Rhode Island.
Since EVs rolled out
nationally in 2010, car buyers have mostly steered clear of plug-in vehicles. Some
41,000 have sold so far in the United States — well short of the 1 million
targetd for 2015 by President Obama. Low demand prompted Toyota to cancel one
of its EV models. GM scaled back production of its plug-in hybrid, the Volt.
Globally, sales of Mitsubishi and Nissan models are down from last year.
Analysts say poor sales are largely the result of high sticker prices, as first-generation EVs cost as much as traditional, low-end luxury cars.
Next year, however,
consumers are expected to have more electric vehicle choices, with lower prices
and longer battery life, as several new EV models arrive in showrooms. Ford,
Tesla and BMW started selling lower-cost EVs this year. New EVs are expected in
2013 from Honda, Volkswagen and Smart. Lease incentives for current models such
as the Volt, Nissan Leaf and Toyota Prius have decreased to a range of
$199-$299 a month.
To attract more EV
drivers locally, National Grid, the state Division of Planning, the advocacy
group Project Get Ready and URI’s Ocean State Clean Cities set a goal of
increasing the number of charging stations in Rhode Island from six to 50.
Massachusetts by comparison has 120; Connecticut 60.
The Top 50 project seeks to install
charging stations at shopping malls, hotels, beaches and other high-traffic
locations where drivers visit long-enough for a one- to three-hour charge.
“People need to see
the (charging) stations are here, they’re reliable and they’re available,” said
Andrew Shubel, manager of the project.
Currently, Rhode
Island has charging stations at the Wickford Junction train station, Schneider
Electric in West Kingston, Cardi’s Furniture in Warwick, T.F. Green Airport,
and at Nissan and Chevy dealerships.
Organizers of the Top
50 project will subsidize the cost of the equipment and much of the
installation charge for new charging stations. The property owner or business
need only invest 10 percent of the construction cost, or about $800. To qualify,
the owners must make the charging station available to the public and offer
free charges for at least one year.
Al Dahlberg of Project
Get Ready said EVs are following the path — or “hype cycle" — that are
common to new technologies: expectations start high, followed by an ebb in
enthusiasm, and concluding with a slow and steady increase toward approval
among consumers. So far, EVs have followed the cycle, at least in the peak and
drop-off of expectations. “Right now, we’re in the trough of disillusionment,”
Dahlberg said.
John Gilbrook of
National Grid said demand, while slow, is on an upward slope and should improve
rapidly as prices and choice of vehicles proliferate. “A year from now,
things will be different,” he said.
Scott Miller, a
developer of charging stations, said consumers will eventually appreciate the
benefits of driving without an internal combustion engine, which will reduce
air pollution, end oil changes and provide better handling.
“Once people get into these cars and start
driving them, they’re never going back," he said.