The challenge of making people buy EV's

One of my friends does this type of nursing. Yes, he does a lot of miles. Fortunately he has many afternoons where he only has to change out a couple catheters, and then that's it for the evening.

The challenge of making people buy EV's is made to be more complex then it actually is. I just watched a speaker that I know nothing about. His talk revolves around, "The Earth is Full". That, in essence means, in order to sustain our economic (and energy) growth for any real amount of time, we'd need 1.5 Earth's ... or its equivalent amount of resources:

I understand much of this Technology conference revolves around using mankind's genius to figure out ways for things to keep getting better and better and better. That being the case, there's a bit of irony hearing a TED speaker talk about (to put it in a benign manner) 'consolidating'

All that to say, that imo, the real trick of getting folks into EV's will be to convince the masses that the earth is not an ever bubbling spring of endless energy, nor is the earth's sewer pipe so lengthy, that it's contents will never effect us. But the 'quick- buck' / 'quick-answer' folk's agendas fly in the face of the consolidation philosophy. Because of that, I'm not so optimistic that I can imaging the masses getting on board with EV, either. So getting people into EV's can be simple ... but there are very serious competing interests.

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i will assume "you" does not mean "me"

your choice of username is becoming clearer however

 

Probably not you Dave.. I'm the one that questioned the need for 36K miles and the choices behind it.

I did not mean to insult your profession, but I've met lots of people that justify long commutes in irrational ways. I know many as I used to commute 2+ hours each way to work (though most was mass transit).

Well at least it is a noble calling that keeps you on the road. (My mom was a hospice nurse too, though only for a short while before returning to more consistent hospital work.) At least you choose the second or third most fuel efficient car for the job. Based on my mom's experience and how giving her patients were, I'd expect many of the people you visit would he happy to let you plug in while at their house.

I understand the case/limits of a pure EV, which is why I have an EREV. I could not get the the airport and back in a Leaf. Like you, only $90K Model S would work for me an a EV, and that might even be tight. Luckily the Volt solved that problem nicely, and even on 130mile trips with no remote plug, I average 75+ MPG. (see this thread http://priuschat.com/forums/chevrolet-volt/108629-volt-mileage-data-130-mile-trip.html)

Our family's second car is a awd outback, so we also take the volt on all fair weather long trips and a few nastier ones in winter (when I need to fly). Luckily for me those are 15-20 times a year, and on the rest of the days I can drive pure EV.



:focus:

As I said earlier, education is the biggest challenge about EVs.. not just understanding the cars, but the owners self-understanding of needs vs wants. For some people the Volt is showing them they could do a BEV, for others like me, it is just what the doctor ordered with respect to balance of EV and ICE.

 

Kudos to you for taking on such a profession!!
My neighbor did that for some time and I thank you, and everyone else that does that, for your dedication.

Especially since, in your case, you spend a tenth of your life on the road.

 

Yes, hopefully we all can keep that in mind

 

It is even easier than that though, as that is only one method.
As people get a chance to experience EVs they may also be attracted to its quiteness and smoothness of operation and acceleration.
Or they may be attracted to the added national security aspect of being self reliant as a nation.

 

Everyone says that, and I know they are well intentioned, but the mortality rate for their patients is terrible.



Tom

 

the only question i asked is a little background on your driving needs. i had NO other comment concerning my thoughts on why you drove that much.

And; the mileage you drive is above average but you barely rank in the top 10 of people i know and i have no issues with the mileage they drive including 2fas4u who drives 3 times more than you do

now, i do understand how intent can be misunderstood and with my 2 word response, a lot of alternative meanings could be read into it. i am ok with that

 

Long Commutes Are Sucking the Life Out of You:
Shortening Yours by 20 Minutes Could Save Your Health

Long drives to and from work don't just suck up your time; these long
commutes may also be hazardous to your health. Besides draining you
mentally and forcing you to sit for extended periods through traffic
jams, long commutes are linked to less sleep, high cholesterol, and
obesity.

Read more: Long Commutes May Be Killing Us

It looks to me that driving 36K miles/year, whether by choice or
necessity, includes accepting some non-vehicle related compromises.

I suppose it can be argued that many of those miles/hours "aren't
really commuting miles/hours." (what, maybe 800-1200 hrs/year.)
You have to wonder though; splitting hairs and all.

Be careful out there...

 

You wouldn't try to find another solution rather than spending $3,600 per DAY on gasoline? Color me amazed. You could buy a new Leaf twice a month for that price. You could garage them all over your area, including buying the garage and charger.

And if it is rationed, it doesn't matter how much you are willing to pay.

 

commutes can be Hell. for years, i declined much higher pay to work locally. i finally decided the financial burden was too much, so left my 4 day a week 12 mile RT commute for a 5 day 50 mile RT commute.

it took me 5 weeks to get tired of driving. so now, i just changed to another job and am back to 5 days a week still but a 10 mile RT commute but in the same profession i changed to which still provides me the financial opportunity i am looking for

 

I would hope not. He has spent, Lifetime $427.95 on fuel, not much there to make a living from. What if everyone had one though?

 

I wasn't disagreeing with dave in the direction, but the size. He was talking about a 7x multiplier for his money. In reality its small, but in the right direction. The efficiency has much to do with not spending the money. Every dollar spent importing oil from opec, is a dollar leaving the US economy with very little coming back. Some of it does go to US refineries, but these will operate any way, but export the gasoline instead of selling it to the EV driver. The gas stations are highly automated so it won't greatly affect them either.

When he buys electricity, less money is spent on energy and that can be used in a better way. Of that money spent for energy though, some stays in the community, it will be a low multiplier though. Certainly if you are worried about the dollars staying in north america, waiting for the leaf to be produced in Tennessee, would have a much greater effect.

The overwelling effect on economic security is an oil price spike from OPEC. This ripples through the economy. Having a plug-in reduces the size that this bad economic effect will have.

 

I believe to some degree there is actually something wrong with people who tolerate a long commute. This does not apply to truckers, couriers, or the like (e.g. a person who's job necessitates a lot of driving as part of the job), but to people who are spending vast amounts of time in the car simply getting back and forth to work. I really think they are shortchanging a portion of their life; it's a little tragedy in fact. I spent my time doing it and would happily take lower pay than a long commute. There's just something so damn terrible about leaving work at 5:00 and not getting home until 6:00.

--

To answer an earlier question I have not sat in a Leaf or Versa recently.

 

i dont know about that, but commuting "can" be a waste of time. it seems the more you try to do with the time, the less able you are to drive. having to drive as part of the job before, i can say it really is two different worlds. when driving for the job, i am getting paid so i accept it as part of the program.

but i have also had the 55 mile one way commutes before because it was not convenient to move for a short term job plus the cost of living was simply too much. but never liked that option and avoid it if i can.

now in Evan's Alaska case. that would be different. with lack of traffic, it would be easier to concentrate on audio options even things as mundane as catching up on the news or your podcasts

 

Skoorb, you also forget that in some cases, it is simply not practical to live within 10-20 miles of some cities.

A classic example would be Los Angeles. There are 'houses', but also in areas that are not convenient. There are apartments, but families all can't live in apartments. And some places of work are not in convenient places for people to have a house or an apartment either due to density and the changing structures of cities where it is not practical or desirable to live.

Also, in some cases, people, like myself and Dave here... You can't move to a more convenient location for a job unless it is something for sure. Some have also found cost of living in some cities, such as where I live, will not be 'affordable' without looking for towns or cities further out with a lower price point. For example, my co-worker who moved from New York to here in California... He works in Santa Barbara... He lives in Oxnard. Not because he can't find a place to live in Santa Barbara, but the cost of a house in Santa Barbara is 2 to 3x more than going about an hour or so out. That is roughly about 75-80 miles from where he works, one way.