Clean Green Cars: STUDY: "Range anxiety" not based on rational thinking

STUDY: "Range anxiety" not based on rational thinking

Chevy Volt Home Chargers - Click above for high-res image gallery

Conventional wisdom would tell you that an electric car with a range of 93 miles can be driven up to about, oh, 93 miles or so before needing to be recharged. Apparently, most drivers aren’t comfortable with that idea. According to a study performed a few years back by Aerovironment and Tokyo Electric Power Co., electric car operators don’t often venture past half the car’s available range or venture more than roughly 10 miles from the closest available charger. When asked, those same drivers said they felt confident that the vehicle’s range was equal to that stated by the manufacturer. Belief vs. action.

Further, drivers will stop and recharge their batteries even if there is significant range left in the car’s power pack. For these reasons, Aerovironment concluded through its study that a viable infrastructure for electric cars must include at least one charger for each vehicle sold. Of course, this potential stumbling block could be negated in large part by extended-range EVs like the Chevy Volt until an adequate infrastructure is in place for pure battery electric cars.

Gallery: Chevy Volt Home Charging Units