In the last few months, more and more media has cropped up about the next gen electric vehicle. Not just specifically about the vehicle technology itself, but about the supporting infrastructure, and what it would take (network effects, behavioural change) to get the EV to stick. Latest post I’ve seen is from Dot Earth, one of my favourite blogs.
From a responsible mobility perspective, I’m intrigued by this new dialogue. There’s new promise and new hope because we’re experiencing a brew of special events that gives the EV a chance this time around.
- Price of gas: It’s up, it’s down… While OPEC and other oil-producing nations sort themselves out, consumers are looking for options that will get them off oil-dependency. Even if those options aren’t available right now, we want to know they’re on the way. For example, Chevy has been posting info about it’s Volt and taking orders on its wait list. Clever?
- Detroit vs. Washington: If the Big Three want a big cheque from Washington, they better be ready to play by new rules. While the debate continues on whether the Detroit auto manufacturers should be bailed out, it’s pretty clear that there is a great opportunity now to turn them around. President Obama has been quite consistent about new rules for Detroit, even when he was pounding the campaign pavement. Check out Thomas Friedman‘s suggestions.
- Network effects: New infrastructure is being developed to push the EV along. Not just being “developed”… a company called Better Place has actually signed on with some auto makers in Japan, and with actual STATES (California being the biggest, and the most car-dependent in the world) to implement charging stations. Without the supporting “stuff”, people won’t adopt something new, even if it is really cool. Think HDTV and HD programming; think iPods and iTunes.
- Oh yeah, and climate change: sometimes we forget about it. Especially when it keeps snowing and covering everything in cold white stuff here in BC. But the latest science suggests we’re at the brink of no return. I know climate change is too vast a concept to make everyday people switch consumption patterns. But chipping away at our oil-dependency and greenhouse gas emissions just might.
What’s in store for British Columbia? We’ve had our share of relationship ups and downs with the EV. We’re also supposed to be publicly carbon neutral by 2010. Here’s keeping our fingers crossed.
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