I think the central problem for me boils down to some fairly essential math.
When you are fueling up a gasoline vehicle, you are drawing something like 10-20 megawatts of effective power for the duration. And remember, this is pretty much any gas station. Now, what kind of power output can I expect at the highest end supercharging station under the best possible circumstances?
The solution seems to be hybrid where you have options. Certainly, using electrical charging allows you to manage the prime mover's carbon emissions better, but you'd be able to dramatically improve adoption if you had a backup plan for less enthusiastic or diligent customers. I suspect most consumers don't have "minimize carbon emissions" set as their #1 priority when purchasing or operating an automobile.
If we really wanted to, how dense could we make a gasoline generator? I know we can make the actual generator incredibly tiny. What about the engine? What if we are hedging for the "just in case" and aren't managing full-time emissions? Remember - most consumers just need a psychological safety blanket. You are probably never going to run this thing.
I now know a few people who own an EV without the ability to charge at home.
For what I hear that is a non issue. Most of them need to charge 1-2 times a week and do that during their grocery shopping or sport activity at public charge points. Non of them complained about that even during longer trips.
So if the infrastructure is there (it is where I live) this doesn't really seem like a big issue if you drive ~50km/day with current gen models.
I agree most people don't care about carbon emission. EVs (even mid-range ones) are fun, powerful and silent cars.
When you are fueling up a gasoline vehicle, you are drawing something like 10-20 megawatts of effective power for the duration. And remember, this is pretty much any gas station. Now, what kind of power output can I expect at the highest end supercharging station under the best possible circumstances?
The solution seems to be hybrid where you have options. Certainly, using electrical charging allows you to manage the prime mover's carbon emissions better, but you'd be able to dramatically improve adoption if you had a backup plan for less enthusiastic or diligent customers. I suspect most consumers don't have "minimize carbon emissions" set as their #1 priority when purchasing or operating an automobile.
If we really wanted to, how dense could we make a gasoline generator? I know we can make the actual generator incredibly tiny. What about the engine? What if we are hedging for the "just in case" and aren't managing full-time emissions? Remember - most consumers just need a psychological safety blanket. You are probably never going to run this thing.