More electric cars are beginning to come on the market here and around the U.S. What do consumers need to know? Is the Northwest power grid ready for them?
This year a number of plug-in electric vehicles are coming to the Portland-Vancouver market. And consumers interested in buying the technology need to do their homework.
Nissan has begun selling the Leaf, an all-electric mass-produced vehicle with a battery range of up to 90-plus miles. In 2012, Mitsubishi’s i-MiEV, which likely by then will be called simply the “i” will go on sale. The Chevy Volt, which already is being produced at General Motors’ Michigan plants, won’t be available in Vancouver until late this year, though it’s already for sale in California.
Other car makers are joining the race, with Ford out in 2012 with a plug-in electric commercial van and Chinese and South Korean manufacturers expected to bring vehicles to the market in the next two years. Honda will have an offering. Toyota, which introduced its Prius hybrid 10 years ago, is back with a plug-in RAV4 electric car.
Dealerships as well as public and private electric utilities throughout the region are beginning to install plug-in charging stations. Washington and Oregon are among six states that are part of the ECOtality EV Project, which will use $230 million of mostly federal money to put in 15,000 charging stations in 16 cities, including Portland and Seattle.
Vancouver will install at least two charging stations, one downtown and another in east Vancouver.
Clark Public Utilities is adding a Nissan Leaf to its motor pool, and will use grant funding to have ECOtality install three charging stations. Two will be for fleet use and one for the public. The public station will be in the utility parking lot at Fort Vancouver Way.
ECOtality looks for high-traffic locations, where people tend to visit for 45 minutes to three or four hours. It targeted a spot close to the utility’s community room.
Portland General Electric is adding Leaf vehicles to its fleet. The private power company is contracting to install charging stations in its service area. PGE estimates 90 percent of battery recharging will be done at home on chargers either using 120 or 240 volts.
Studies show the existing electric grid in the Northwest could handle the load even if there was a 75 percent adoption rate for the plug-in vehicles throughout the region, a PGE spokeswoman said. However, in the long-term, upgrades to infrastructure may be required in areas where plug-in vehicle adoption is particularly high.
The Obama administration is considering a $7,500 tax credit as an incentive for electric vehicle buyers. Such a subsidy program would resemble the “cash for clunkers” program from 2009.
Electric vehicle prices are likely to range from about $30,000 to $35,000 for the Leaf and Mitsubishi products, with the Volt selling for $41,000. Buyers also may want to invest in a 240-volt home charger —at more than $2,000 — which will charge the car battery much faster than using regular 120-volt power.
Consumers should consider these buying tips:
- Do your homework. Read reviews and learn about the positives and negatives of electric vehicles before walking into a showroom. Dealers want their buyers to be informed.
- Make sure you understand cost trade-offs. Plug-ins and hybrid plug-ins use little or no gas and don’t generate polluting emissions. But a separate charging station will add cost.
- Ask about battery range in miles, range at higher-speeds, and range when you turn on the air conditioning or drive in colder weather. What’s the cost to replace a battery? What’s the cost of battery recycling?
- Ask about battery and vehicle mileage warranties. The Leaf and Volt are offering an eight-year, 100,000-mile battery warranty.
- Check out power company plans for installing convenient charging stations.
- Look into the status of the federal $7,500 tax initiative program.
The Energy Adviser is written by Clark Public Utilities energy counselors, who provide conservation and energy use information to utility customers. Send questions to energyadviser@clarkpud.com or to Energy Adviser, in care of Clark Public Utilities, P.O. Box 8900, Vancouver, WA, 98668.
