The Electric Car: How it will change commuting
General Motors this week revealed photos of their production plug-in hybrid car, the Chevrolet Volt. Containing both an electric engine and a smaller conventional gas-powered generator, the Volt, when it rolls out in the US in late 2010, offers all the benefits of an electric car — environmentally friendly, freedom from the pump — with none of the drawbacks. If you’re ever out driving and you run out of charge, the gasoline engine kicks in automatically, and you’re in essence driving a standard car — but one that still gets 50 miles to the gallon.
Needless to say, I think this is really really cool.
I also think it has some pretty interesting implications for the future of work. If — hopefully when — these types of cars become commonplace, they’ll contribute significantly to where people choose to work in relation to where they live. In effect, technology like this will give workers an “ideal range” for their commute. In a climate where many are already choosing to work closer to where they live (or vice versa), these cars will push people even further into defining a live/work “zone”.
And it will all be due to an on-board computer, a battery, and good fiscal sense.
Tethered to home — but not in a bad way
From GM’s press release officially announcing the Chevrolet Volt:
At a cost of about 80 cents per day (10 cents per kWh) for a full charge that will deliver up to 40 miles of electric driving, GM estimates that the Volt will be less expensive to recharge than purchasing a cup of your favorite coffee. Charging the Volt about once daily will consume less electric energy annually than the average home’s refrigerator and freezer units.
The Volt can go 40 miles (about 64 kilometres) using its electric motor. The electricity needed for those 40 miles comes at a negligible cost, especially if you charge at night where rates are lower. 40 miles — about three times the length of Manhattan. After hearing that, every working person needs to ask themselves whether they currently work more than 20 miles away from home.
A lot of people do. We live in an era where monster commutes are not uncommon. While I’m not a daily commuter, my drive in to the office is roughly 30 miles. And I know I’m not alone. But an electric car would undoubtedly force me to rethink that drive.
I concede that there already is an economic impetus to work closer to home, especially as gas prices rise — it’s just nowhere near as significant as it would be with electric vehicles like the Volt. When you’re just going by your gas gauge, with the variable price of fuel and the calculation you need to do to determine your car’s cost-per-mile, it’s easy to get into the trap of pushing yourself just a few more miles.
Electric vehicles start making commuting choices for us. Living within a certain range of your home — 20 miles with these first-generation plug-in hybrids, but surely that number will increase some — you can eliminate the gas pump from your life.
That, dear readers, is incentive. That’s a game-changer for many people. We’re looking at a future where it’s feasible that someone may turn down a job because it’s not within their car’s electric range. Some may scoff at the thought, but I think that’s a big step forward.
Photos of the Chevrolet Volt taken from gm.com. All copyrights are theirs.
This entry was posted on Sunday, September 21st, 2008 at 6:28 pm and is filed under News, Transportation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
Matt September 22nd, 2008 at 11:10 pm
Definitely agree, Xebra. The EV’s biggest hurdle will be one of perception, but I think the time is right for them. We’re a long way from where we were in the late 90s…