Range Anxiety - Reality Or Perception?

While many point to “range anxiety” as the reason that the adoption of all-electric vehicles is not proceeding at the fast pace that was predicted, it may be a figment of American imaginations.

According to a January 6, 2012 article on the Treehugger.com website, Americans seem to think that they need more range than their actual travel habits would indicate.

Using recent census data, information from the National Household Travel Survey of 2009 and other sources, two Columbia University researchers have found that while the average American says he or she requires a vehicle with a range of at least 272 miles before they would consider switching to an all-electric vehicle, the truth is that most trips cover considerably less miles than that>

In actuality, 10% of most car trips cover one mile or less, and 95% of all car trips average 30 miles or less!  This is well within the range of virtually all-electric vehicles, including Low Speed Vehicles (LSVs) and Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs).  As public charging stations become more common, there would seem to be no reason why an all-electric vehicle could not be used for the large majority of trips made by American drivers.

As researcher Rob van Haaren said, “’Range Anxiety’ is something that is overemphasized and it can be dealt with by simple planning.”

To find out more, read the entire article at http://www.treehugger.com/cars/range-anxiety-versus-reality-why-evs-havent-won-our-hearts-and-minds.html.