Electricity demand is not really so drastic
The demand would not be overwhelming. Furthermore, the recharging pattern of e-cars smooths out consumption cycles. You need 1.6 kWh to refine crude oil and obtain one litre of fuel. If you need 10 litres per 100 kilometres, it is almost the same for an electric car (using about 20 kWh per 100 kilometres), according to an article on the INSEAD business school website.
Range and charging anxiety
One of the main concerns regarding electric cars clearly is the practical point of view – the fear that it takes too long to power them up and the driving distance they can achieve is too short. These two fears are also known as charging anxiety and range anxiety.
When it comes to range anxiety, according to a European Commission survey (based on 6 European countries):
- The average trip ranged from 15 to 35 kilometres.
- The average total range per day ranged from 40 to 80 kilometres.
For occasional longer road trips, the rapid development of fast-charging networks looks promising.
One advantage of e-cars is that you don’t need to take them to a petrol station since electricity is literally everywhere. Charging opportunities for e-cars require no real estate and can be added very easily to the infrastructure that is already being used today, especially the numerous garages and parking places. This means e-cars could be charged constantly when not being driven. In developed countries, a car is usually used less than 5% percent of the day. So the charging time should not be a major issue.
An e-car can be plugged in whenever possible, not only when the battery is completely depleted: for example, it can be charged even with as much as 80% of its energy remaining.
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