City uncertain how to best serve the cars of the future
CITYWIDE Uncertainty in the auto industry over the future of electric vehicles has left city planners perplexed as to what types of charging stations to install throughout Santa Monica.
With the surge in popularity of neighborhood electric vehicles and the emergence of the “plug-in hybrid” — which uses both electricity and gasoline — chances are that City Hall will go with the same standard electrical sockets used to power toasters, hair dryers and cell phone chargers, said Craig Perkins, City Hall’s director of environmental and public works management.
“We are trying to figure out what type of public chargers we need to have, based on what type of vehicles are out there,” Perkins said. “The problem is, we really don’t know what the auto industry will lean towards in the coming years.”
When electric vehicles were first developed, there was some inconsistency in the type of technology used. Advocates for electric vehicles claim automakers deliberately chose different types of chargers, creating confusion in the marketplace as a means of stifling consumer demand.
The inability to drive long distances without recharging was also a drawback for consumers.
According to the (US) Electric Auto Association, as many as 10,000 full-sized electric cars were in use on American roads in 1996. Six major automakers built about 5,000 full-sized electric vehicles for U.S. drivers in the 1990s. Almost all of those have now been repossessed and crushed by their makers. A few hundred electric vehicles survive, mostly Toyota RAV4 and Ford Ranger models.
Hybrids, which use both electricity and gasoline to extend battery life, have caught on in popularity and seem to be the wave of the future, as opposed to straight electrics.
“There is a lot of talk about plug-in hybrids that use a standard outlet, and we have seen an increase in the number of neighborhood electrics that also use the same type of outlet,” Perkins said. “So it looks as if that’s the way to go.”
At the National Automobile Dealers Association’s annual convention in Las Vegas last weekend, plug-in hybrids were dominating along with other electric vehicles, including roadsters that boast a zero-to-60 time of 3.8 seconds, showing that just because a car is electric, doesn’t mean it has to be slow and stodgy.
The City of Santa Monica has 20 RAVs, which can often be seen charging at the Civic Center, where solar panels provide the fuel.
In addition to the charging stations there, City Hall has installed similar centers at the Santa Monica Pier, Montana Avenue, Virginia Avenue Park and in the Santa Monica Place mall parking structures.
A charger normally sells for between $6,000 and $7,000, according to Perkins.
Private companies have them too, including the Ralphs supermarket on Cloverfield Boulevard, which has two stations.
AHEAD OF THE CURVE Regardless of what automakers ultimately decide, Santa Monica will be prepared, given its relatively extensive network of charging stations, said Chelsea Sexton, executive director of Plug In America, an advocacy group for electric cars.
“Santa Monica is certainly one of the most progressive cities when it comes to providing an infrastructure for electric vehicles,”Sexton said.“Chargers in Santa Monica are still getting used every day and we are encouraging those who have chargers to leave them there even when they are not being used.
“SANTA MONICA IS CERTAINLY ONE OF THE MOST PROGRESSIVE CITIES WHEN IT COMES TO PROVIDING AN INFRASTRUCTURE FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES.” — Chelsea Sexton Executive director of Plug In America
“They are easy to retrofit and there is no urgency to remove them at this point.”
As for new construction, Sexton suggests saving several spots for future electric-hybrids and installing the electrical wiring necessary to charge them.
“Just make them outlets,” she said. “You can always add a charger later. It’s no big deal. There is a lot of flexibility.”
Plug in America has been fighting to save electric vehicles from being demolished by automakers. Of the 5,000 electrics manufactured for California over the last decade, only 1,000 remain on the road, Sexton said.
One of those drivers is Paul Scott, who owns a RAV4 electric and can often be seen powering up at Montana Avenue and 11th Street, where he frequently stops for a break at Peet’s Coffee & Tea.
Scott will be talking about his experience with the RAV4 tonight at the Main Library, following a 7 p.m. screening of the documentary “Who Killed the Electric Car?” which examines the life and death of the electric car, as well as the role of renewable energy and sustainable living in the future.
“I’m going to drive it until it dies,” Scott said of his RAV4. “I love it. It rides clean, it goes faster than the gas version and if you take care of it, you can sell it on eBay and make a few bucks.”
Scott said a RAV4 recently sold on eBay for $61,600, nearly double what the original owners paid for it.
An advocate of solar power, Scott envisions a day when all parking meters have outlets for people to plug in their cars and charge while they’re shopping or watching a movie. When they return, they could easily swipe a credit card and be charged for the power they consumed.
He’d also like to see city-owned parking lots be installed with solar panels so that cars could charge while their drivers are out at the beach.
“Instead of giving your money to big oil,all of it could remain within the city,” Scott said. “It just makes more sense to keep it local.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 7, 2007. Read the original PDF.