5th
#ElectricCar — Difficult Conversations
In his Washington Post review of the new Prius V, Warren Brown remarks that Toyota’s newest hybrid, “…is to appeal to an audience less interested in the science and politics of gas-electric technology and more interested in its practical value.”
I doubt Mr. Brown might make the same remark about any 100 percent electric vehicle on the road today.
Chatting over a cold beverage about my first month of Nissan Leaf ownership, my old friend, Kevin, observed my hand is being forced into difficult conversations most of us can easily avoid.
Digging into the details, the issues we discussed had little to deal with Nissan’s engineering choices in building an electric car. It had to do with the current state of policy affairs, a nearly non-existent national infrastructure, and public awareness of electric cars somewhere in the neighborhood of nil.
This in the same week The Washington Post editorializes that electric vehicle subsidies—for individual buyers and companies entering this burgeoning field alike—should be squashed.
Kevin and I detailed home electrical inspection issues, the sometimes fussy charging station, the ever present range concerns and the acceptance problems from people we ordinarily ignore.
On this last point comes the parking garage management at the building where I work.
I am, I’ve been told, perhaps the third 100 percent electric vehicle owner in my state. Not surprisingly, I’m the first employee in my office building with one, too.
I suppose most people don’t have much ongoing dialog with the management of the parking garage they use most. Maybe a quick hello to the attendant, but probably not so much as a hello with whomever is in charge. These people where I work are now very much a part of my life.
The details are actually not very interesting: there’s one parking space in the garage near a working power outlet. I’m welcome to use the spot and the plug—just not exclusively. The garage management folks are willing to offer an orange traffic cone, but little else to dissuade others from using this particular spot.
I’ve learned that for some of our neighbors, the sight of an orange traffic cone is an invitation for impromptu civil disobedience.
I offered to purchase my garage an “electric vehicles only” sign for this spot, but apparently this would run afoul of my arrangement—I’m not paying for an exclusive, reserved space. I’m caught in a kind of parking extortion, it seems.
While the building owners and the parking lot managers decide whether they will fund a permanent solution, I’m left to parking jujitsu each morning.
The point: in the here-and-now, owning an electric car forces the user into the role of goodwill ambassador and forces various under-the-radar issues into the light whether you like it or not.
Unlike the various hybrids on the market, which require no special accommodation—as Warren Brown points out—electric cars require a lot more personal involvement.
The performance and savings of the Nissan Leaf are impressive. Buyers should be well informed of the opportunity costs before buying.
Caveat emptor.
This is the sixth in a series on the state of electric vehicles in 2012.
« Part 1 of the Electric Car Series: “On the Bleeding Edge”
« Part 2 of the Electric Car Series: “A Recent History”
« Part 3 of the Electric Car Series: “Nissan Leaf Test Drive”
« Part 4 of the Electric Car Series: “Charged Up”
« Part 5 of the Electric Car Series: “Mindfulness”
Part 7 of the Electric Car Series: “Secret Message: Like Really Cheap Gas” »
Part 8 of the Electric Car Series: “Getting Legislative” »
