For all of us supporters of green technology, seeing more and more electric vehicles on the road, somehow brings back the hope that one day society will be ready to place the environment on top of the priority list.
It is true that as it stands right now, being an owner of such a car is not entirely a matter of choice, considering the current prices, although the number of drivers, who are now starting to obtain one, is growing fast. But who are they?
Ecotality Inc., one of the makers of electric charging stations in the U.S., has been collecting data from thousands of EV drivers, as part of the company’s EV Project, financed by the U.S Department of Energy. The company was determined to gather enough information so that they can recreate the profile of a typical EV driver. The survey was conducted in order to gather information that can aid construction, maintenance and operation of the power grid, and prevent aging of equipment and power outages in areas where EV owners are concentrated.
So, how do we recognize them? For starters, according to the company, these guys are not very keen on driving long distances. Possible explanation behind this is the fear of being left in the middle of nowhere with an empty battery and not being able to reach the nearest charging station. This is probably why we are more likely to see an EV parked in front of a movie theater or a supermarket, than in a car park of a roadside motel. Well, the latter might also be true because owners of electric cars were found to be quite wealthy in comparison with the average driver so that the motel is more likely to be replaced by a classy hotel. This was expected, considering that not everyone can spare $30-40,000 for a Chevrolet Volt or a Nissan Leaf, or a $70,000 for Tesla’s Model S.
The company also established that most EV drivers are a lot “greener” than the rest. According to the survey, if you see one of these cars parked in a driveway, it is very likely that if you look up to the roof of their house, you will see solar panels. Interestingly, the EV owners tend to live in the same neighborhoods and charge their cars at the same time, often putting pressure on single transformers.
