Two words: AT HOME! This article says it best about the reality check for people that think the Tim Horton’s or McDonald’s is the place where recharging will occur.
Under the current charging mechanisms, its also probably folly to think that many customers will go to a car dealer’s solar canopy station to recharge their cars. Let’s face it, the solar canopies are shade providers and hal0-sales tools, and not really where many will go out of their way when it takes 4-12 hours to recharge a car. While this can change if the recharge time is 5 minutes, I suspect that by the time this technology is rampant, then places like home/office/shopping mall/sports facility…will likely dominate the charging landscape.
And as the ratio of cars to charging stations increases, then this solar blog writer will probably end up in a queue with other EV owners, waiting to quick-charge their cars…so put my name down for a car…in 2015. That’s the time by which I believe that the technology will be affordable, practical and in mass quantity…and don’t forget that it will be using my $2 per watt installed solar charging system too!
Sass
2 Comments
How about some really blue sky ideas….like the entire skin of an EV is photovoltic – thus allowing for the potential of “endless” self charging……couple that w/ an aerodynamic design such that the vehicle also generates some supplemental “wind”power. Sounds like I”m breaking the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics but my physic professor has long passed away so if he would read this I won’t get blasted from one end to the other
Not only is it not so “blue sky”, but expect some announcements at upcoming automotive shows with concepts that will blow your mind :)….yet as usual I cannot divulge my sources….LOL…
Sass