Electric Cars: The Logical Choice For Homes With Two or More Cars ...

by Nick Chambers

One of the biggest gripes I hear in the US about fully electric cars is that they aren’t practical because they don’t have enough range. But, what’s strange about this is, according to the 2001 US Department of Transportation National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) , the average person drives their personal vehicle less than 23 miles a day—a number that is more than sufficiently covered by the 100-mile range of most upcoming mass-market electric cars .

So, if the average person drives a quarter of the distance an electric car is capable of going in a given day, why do people still say that they aren’t practical? It certainly isn’t a feeling based in how people actually use their cars. No, it’s more of a feeling based on our obsession with risk aversion—trying to avoid potential problems even if those problems don’t crop up during 95% of the rest of our lives.

I only have one car. Its true I only drive less tan 23 miles a day 95% of the time. The other 5% I go to dark skys for astronomy and do genealogy research out in the field which takes me way out of a electric cars range. Another consideration on the 100 mile range. What about evacs. Especially for people on the coast, with only one car. What, I only have this 100 mile range car so I’m going to have to wait for the government to move me, because I don’t need the capacity of a gas tank 95% of the time? Sorry, I’ll stick with a gas engine, and a hybrid in the future when I can afford one I can fit in. Buying a second car is not economically fisable for me either. Especially with insurance to take on top of that.

Often the second car in a household may be an older car that people wouldn’t feel secure driving for long distances.

I have nothing against electric cars, but just like to see both sides of an issue.

Plugin hybrids like the Chevy Volt will eliminate the need for the second car, while behaving like a full electric car for 95% of the time.

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