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I grew up on Long Island and do get back occasionally. I've always wanted to see what became of Tesla's lab...
My wife and I both love our EV! We have a Chevy Volt which we basically run on battery only (<35 miles/day) with a nightly top off. I am expecting to trade this in for a Tesla Model X P90DL which arrives in about 2 weeks.
I really don't understand why pure electric vehicles don't get more traction with the public (no pun intended). I do believe, however, that there is public prejudice towards anything not gasoline powered. Its not that I'm a conspiracist (as some might be), but its interesting how a large portion of the population seems to cast EV's in a dark light. Maybe they find them threatening, maybe its some sort of jealousy, or perhaps just plain ignorance. I don't mean to cast this in a condescending way (honestly), but I expect it must have been that way when the majority of our vehicles consumed hay and the new kid on the block was burning gasoline...
The EV is here to stay for my family. Its cheap, quiet, efficient, and a much easier vehicle to maintain. Quite frankly, I can't see our garage without one. Yes - I would still maintain one ICE vehicle for longer road trips, but as the range of EV's become longer, those requirements start to diminish. Tesla has been building vehicles with 200+ miles range for very many years. Even the original GM EV1 had a 70-100 mile range on lead-acid batteries. How is it that BMW couldn't do any better than about 70 miles with current battery technology?
Overnight charging is all we do. The 40 or so miles we get with the Volt suit my wife and I very well (we work together). I understand that those numbers might not work for other people. But that's the model which really works. Just plug it in when you get home. Or maybe even also when you get to work. The 70 miles or so that the i3 gets is better yet but its nothing outstanding in the current crop of EV's. Once again, the i3 should have been what Tesla's upcoming 200+ mile, $35K Model 3 will be.
Anybody who's driven a decent EV will easily understand the value. 200+ mile range EV's are going to make it much easier for multi-car families to keep at least one in the garage as a daily driver. The EV is here, and although there is still public prejudice (and I really don't understand why), market penetration is only going to increase. Regardless of where you get your home electricity from (Solar, Wind, Hydro, Nuclear, Geothermal, Coal, Oil), your EV can run on it...
$0.02 (Sorry for the commercial)
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