What does the WSJ have against the future?
Posted June 3, 2010 at 6:31 am 
Filed in: Economic Security, Electricity, Electrification, Energy Security, Oil Dependence, Transportation In a piece this morning entitled, ”BMW Test Prompts Electric-Car Questions” (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703561604575282491734663452.html?), the normally reliable WSJ continues its odd attack on electrification.
The piece leads with this teasing first sentence: “Limited numbers of battery-powered cars are expected to hit American roads over the next 12 months, but a test of one electric vehicle is raising questions about how far drivers will be able to go before needing a recharge.” It goes on to describe how a test case group of folks leasing 300 electric BMW Mini Cooper compacts ”have been getting about 100 miles” per charge — “about a third fewer than BMW had expected.”
Why did BMW expect something more like 150 miles per charge? Well, once again, reliance on EPA’s driving test, which doesn’t ”reflect real-world conditions” has set unrealistic expectations about performance, just as it has for years about fuel economy in conventional vehicles. In this case, as the WSJ points out, “the actual range will vary depending on how people drive and other factors, such as the weather. Heavy use of the car’s heater or air conditioner will also reduce the range.” In fact, as the WSJ points out, the “EPA hasn’t signed off on using the test for electric vehicles and is working on a new methodology for them.”
But what makes this piece troubling is that for most commuter consumers, a 100 mile range is perfectly acceptable. The average commuter travels less than 40 miles. In fact, according to the US DOT’s research arm, two-thirds of American commuters travel around 30 miles a day (http://www.bts.gov/publications/omnistats/volume_03_issue_04/html/entire.html)
So, an electric vehicle that gets more than triple the average consumer’s needs — but somewhat less than EPA’s unreliable and essentially inapplicable test — raises “questions”? Not for people who really understand the issues.
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