fyaeger said:
Thx to ColumbusMike for finding a study about power plant needs. Assuming that study is accurate, I think it's reasonable that the the best case scenario would not happen. So, more power plants would need to be built. Clearly, Central Ohio is deep within a region that very heavily depends on individual-vehicle transport. So, more pollution (nuclear or coal) would need to be created to maintain our current style of driving. And if more than 25% of drivers choose electric vehicles, then even more pollution will occur. There is a way to avoid this, but it would require us to change our style of living - drive LESS (walk & bike more), drive in vehicles that hold more than one person (carpool or bus or train), live closer to the places we need to go. I think most Americans would choose more power plants rather than change life style, especially since the costs of pollution are not appreciated or recognized by most people - I hope I'm wrong about that.
The biggest issue I have with that study is its timing. March, 2008 - so they're looking at data that is likely a year older than that. Since 2008, electric usage has actually decreased - something that no one saw coming, much like the financial crisis. While industrial usage is coming back up, consumer-level usage isn't. People have gotten more savvy, more aware of how their own actions can impact their electric bill. The technology for being more energy efficient has gotten cheaper - from appliances to simple timers.
The most interesting thing though, is the utter dismissal that it would work to charge electric cars post 10pm. Sure, some would have to be charged at various times throughout the day, but the technology already exists to have a timer on a particular outlet. Heck, there are "smart" timers out there now, working in coordition with various electric companies (most programs still in testing phases) that know what the electric rate is per kw at any given time, and will operate according to pricing.
So, I don't think electric useage is the thing that will necessarily be the barrier that electic cars face. Most people will still be concerned with how far they can travel on a charge & will they be able to charge on the road, along with that initial vehicle cost, which is currently significantly higher than a similar fuel efficient car.