How to Eliminate Range Anxiety When Buying an EV
VW takes a page from Tesla and removes range anxiety with a comprehensive charging solution at point-of-purchase. Also, a new form of fast charging.
Plugged In informs subscribers of all aspects of EV ownership, and one impediment to more EVs on the road has been the lack of public charging stations in the U.S. and Europe, or at least the perception.
A January 2020 Triple A survey confirms this range anxiety perception:
According to AAA’s survey, prior to owning an electric vehicle, a majority of owners (91%) said that they had at least one concern – things like insufficient range, implications for long-distance travel and finding a place to charge. Post purchase, many of these worries disappeared. AAA believes that if consumers have a better understanding of the real cost and experience of owning an electric vehicle, then the gap between expressed interest and adoption will begin to close.
However, hard data counters this perception since the U.S. has more than 78,500 public charging connectors — 24,800 actual station locations — while Europe has 170,149 public charging stations!
VW’s Move to Eliminate Range Anxiety
With the release of its ID.3 compact car in September 2020, VW is rolling out the Level 2 ID. Home Charger to be sold while purchasing the vehicle. Customers will have the choice of three different home charger options, starting at €399, which is the equivalent of $450 USD. All charging options have a power output of up to 11 kW, but they offer different connected features (Smart Charger), see image below.
The sales integration of EV and charging is important, especially at the dealership level. It’s been well documented that EV owners can feel overwhelmed by the lack of home and public charging resources from dealerships, especially in the U.S. In Europe, VW and its dealers are providing a complete turnkey solution, not only a home charger product but also installation.
The majority (96%) say they would buy or lease another electric vehicle the next time they were in the market for a new car.
Peter Diekmann, Key Account Manager at the Volkswagen subsidiary Elli which is responsible for the ID Charger, commented, “In the past, buying a wallbox (home charger) was often a tiresome and long-winded exercise for customers. We want to change that and are offering a single-source solution for the ID. Charger – from purchase and installation through to commissioning.”
Tesla took the same approach when it introduced the Model S in 2013 with dual-charging home solution.
Plus, Thomas Ulbrich, Member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Brand responsible for E-mobility, hints at a “complete charging network around the ID.3.” In the past, VW has announced that ID.3 owners will have access to the IONITY charging network in Europe, though no pricing has been released for just ID.3 owners.
For the home chargers, VW didn’t provide the Amp rating but a higher rating for the high-end model could prove handy if you eventually have two EVs in the same garage, as the Triple A owners survey indicates. See below:
Triple A’s EV Owner Survey Findings:
The majority (96%) say they would buy or lease another electric vehicle the next time they were in the market for a new car.
Three quarters (78%) also have a gas-powered car in the household, yet they report doing a majority of their driving (87%) in their electric vehicle.
Two in five (43%) say they drive more now than when they owned a gas-powered car. On average, electric vehicle owners drive 39 miles per day. (Source: Owning an EV is the Cure for Most Consumer Concerns)
Battery Storage Meets Ultra Fast Charging
If there’s been one upbeat story in the EV world in 2020, it’s been charging station momentum from utilities, car companies (GM & EVgo) and new third-party companies like FreeWire Technology. The northern-California company recently announced the first deployment of its Boost Charger (TM) at an AM/PM fuel and convenience store in Lodi, Calif.
The ultra-fast charger uses an integrated battery as buffer, and is able to “boost” the existing power at the site, which is timely as California is asking energy consumers across the state to curtail energy demand as fires range and excessive heat move into the region.
While some would say it’s another fast-charging station, this technology provides a cheaper alternative to the traditional DC fast charging stations and installation. According to FreeWire, the system can be installed in hours without requiring expensive new grid power supply that can push installation costs higher for the charge point owner (CPO), and those costs are passed along to EV owners.
“With Boost Charger, EV drivers can get 100 miles of range in 10 minutes, and businesses can drive more revenue from new visitors to their store – all at a dramatically lower cost,” aid Arcady Sosinov, CEO of FreeWire Technologies. The charging stations support CHAdeMO and CCS connectors, while Tesla drivers can use it with an adapter.
The takeaway is this kind of fast charging could lower the costs for installations and result in more charging stations for EV car owners, as more EV drivers rely on public charging for their routine charging.
EV Charging Levels
