Another prediction — this one about the state of our electric grid — has been validated. This time by Axios: “Tesla opening up its chargers could spur electric car adoption.”
Our prediction about the electric grid covered several different aspects but we feel that as the numbers of electric vehicles sold is rising, one thing that will get attention and also will limit sales is that “The current availability of charging stations is sparse even as the government has set a goal of 500,000 charging stations by 2030.”
Note the first paragraph from Axios’ article:
Tesla’s agreement to open part of its proprietary car-charging network to drivers of other brands should make it far easier for electric vehicle (EV) owners to charge away from home, potentially accelerating adoption.
Axios also notes a problem we identified:
“What’s needed: Charging should be as simple as filling up with gas.”
Axios also chronicled the challenges of EVs in an article entitled, “Pack up the electric car, honey! We’re hitting the road,” in which long-time auto industry reporter Joann Muller wrote about a 2,700 mile roundtrip journey from Michigan to Florida. Here are three key points Muller makes:
- “Why it matters: If Americans are going to switch to electric cars, they want charging to be as convenient and seamless as filling up the gas tank.”
- “But U.S. public charging infrastructure is spotty, which is why the federal government is investing $7.5 billion in new charging stations, mostly along highways.”
- “Even though most people will do their daily charging at home, they want the security of knowing there are abundant highway chargers for that rare road trip.”
We expect more coverage about the state of our electric grid, especially in terms of the electric vehicles for the next couple of years.
