The Obama administration has been pushing hard for the adoption of advanced hybrids and electric vehicles. And, during a tour of Nissan’s new EV battery plant in Tennessee, Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood said that electric vehicles will be advantageous to the environment, the economy, and the American consumer. However, with the 100-mile range of the 100-percent electric Nissan Leaf, EVs may find a long road ahead before they’ll appeal to a broader range of consumers.
During a recent trip to Los Angeles, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu had rather optimistic remarks about EVs and how they’ll impact the economy. He predicted that demand and competition will fuel the development of electric vehicles that will cost just $20,000 to $25,000 — without a subsidy — and boast a range of 350 miles.
“Because of increased demand, we’ve got to think of all the other things we can do in transportation. The best is efficiency,” Chu said, alluding to the shrinking oil natural resources stemming from China’s insatiable demand for cars.
Electric vehicles will be as good as the batteries that power them, which is why the Department of Energy is funding research that will drop the cost of electric-vehicle batteries 50% in the next three or four years. This research is also said to triple their energy density within the next six years, allowing consumers to “go from Los Angeles to Las Vegas on a single charge,” according to Chu.
Already, new jobs are being created every day due to the arrival of EVs. Three years ago, the U.S. made less than 1% of advanced batteries in the world. But thanks to significant investment in the industry and subsidies, 30 new U.S. battery manufacturing plants are slated to be built, helping to spur job growth.
“Every time we ship one of these [charging stations], three people go to work for a day: one to build it and two people to install it,” said Coulomb Technologies President Richard Lowenthal. “It’s a great job creation benefit to all of us…. Not just jobs, but creating an industry.”
Infrastructural improvements will be the ultimate boon to electric vehicles. Although technology that improves the range of EVs appears to be just around the corner, wider availability of public chargers will be needed before consumers feel comfortable with all-electric vehicles.
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