WSJ: "Charging Stations Multiply but Electric Cars are Few"

Mycroft · Oct 16, 2011

Across the U.S., such equipment is proliferating even though it is unclear whether plug-in cars will prove popular. Walgreen Co. has chargers outside four Texas stores and plans to add more there and in San Francisco, Orlando, Fla., and Washington, D.C. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc. expects to have chargers outside some Tennessee restaurants within months. Murphy Oil USA, a gas-station operator, is testing one in Chattanooga, Tenn., to gauge demand.

Why invest in chargers now? "We wanted to be the first mover," says Menno Enters, Walgreen's director of energy and sustainability. He says people are likely to shop while they recharge.

Michael Farkas, CEO of Miami-based Car Charging Group Inc., which is assembling a nationwide network of chargers in such places as parking garages and retail-store lots, aims to lock in prime locations before others: "The business that we're in today is a land grab."

Charging equipment is popping up largely because of subsidies. As part of a $5 billion federal program to subsidize development of electric vehicles and battery technology, the U.S. Energy Department over the past two years provided about $130 million for two pilot projects that help pay for chargers at homes, offices and public locations.

Some of the comments are latching onto the subsidies issue of course. Most don't have a clue. I posted a few responses with the correct info.

Doug_G · Oct 17, 2011

Would you rather have charging stations roll out before the cars, or the cars roll out before the charging stations?

Chargers first: bad "optics". People see stations sitting idle all the time.

Cars first: bad for early adopters. Can't find places to charge their car.

Of course driving a Tesla, I need chargers to be located on highways and in other cities; I wouldn't have much use for local charging infrastructure.

Leaf drivers would need them. We recently got our very first Leaf here. It's a charging infrastructure wasteland here, so it will be interesting to talk with him about it (we were both invited to a "Science Cafe" event tonight).

Mycroft · Oct 17, 2011

Doug_G said:
I wouldn't have much use for local charging infrastructure.

Yeah, but what's local for you is remote for someone else and vice versa.

Doug_G · Oct 17, 2011

Mycroft said:
Yeah, but what's local for you is remote for someone else and vice versa.

Uh, yeah, that was exactly my point. Of course without highway infrastructure the local infrastructure (at the other end) isn't much use.

doug · Oct 17, 2011

Doug_G said:
Would you rather have charging stations roll out before the cars, or the cars roll out before the charging stations?

For the most part, I'd rather the cars roll out first. Plan for the charging stations, but scale their deployment with EV adoption. Also be ready to change those plans based on lessons learned. The exception perhaps being apartment buildings/condos and places of work. Charging stations at those places will help spur EV adoption. (A slow charger at Walmart does not.)

There is no chicken and egg problem with EVs... It really does start with the cars and home charging. The rest should grow together.

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WSJ: "Charging Stations Multiply but Electric Cars are Few"

Mycroft

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