Tag: plug-in owners

by Jon LeSage, editor and publisher, Green Auto Market 

Here’s my take on the 10 most significant and interesting occurrences during the past week…….

1. More on what plug-in owners think about charging and paying for it: More is being learned about the charging habits and preferences of electric vehicle drivers, based on a study by Morepace Inc. A community of more than 250 battery electric vehicle (BEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) owners were polled in June and July on usage of public charging stations and other chargers. BEV owners are much more likely to have home chargers, with a rate of about 90%. BEV owners tend to use public charging stations when necessary, while PHEV owners use them whenever they’re available. About 88% of all the owners said they could always find an open charger when visiting stations – and they prefer to visit establishments that do have charging stations than those that don’t. As for how much they’ll pay, respondents said they’ll generally pay about $2-to-$3 for a one-to-two hour charge. About 71% do pay to charge their vehicle; of those who do not pay, about half said they will still not pay to charge if there was a fee required. All different types of payment schedules will need to be explored, according to the research company. Paying a monthly fee for a charger is only going to be worth it to the driver using that charger frequently.
2. Four green cars made the list for the Vincentric Best CPO (certified pre-owned) vehicle values in the compact hatchback (Nissan Leaf), premium compact hatchback (Lexus CT 200h), compact sedan (Honda Civic Hybrid), and wagon (Volkswagen Jetta Diesel) segments for 2014. Vincentric’s list includes 41 segments and the vehicles that offer the best value for resale after initial ownership.
3. Tesla Motors resolved a trademark dispute in China –Zhan Baosheng, who had registered rights to the company’s name in China before the automaker had entered the market, agreed to settle the dispute last week “completely and amicably,” Tesla said in an email statement.
4. Why I enjoy getting my daily email from Green Car Reports – Catchy titles and spot-on analysis. Here are a few of today’s stories…… “Don’t Be Fooled: Only Three Electric Cars Are Sold Nationwide Today”……. “Electric Cars Bought By Fleets: Cost Still An Impediment” ……… “Where Are Natural-Gas Vehicles Most Popular And Most Numerous?” ……… “More ‘Tesla Truth’ Reveals Depths Of Derangement Over Electric-Car Maker.”
5. Propane and natural gas vehicles have new and expanded websites – Propane Education & Research Council launched a new website, Propane.com, to serve as a source for information about propane safety and newly developed propane-powered technology across the fuel’s top markets: agriculture, commercial landscape, industrial, on-road fleets, and residential. NGVAmerica launched a new website with improved and expanded features. The homepage features a navigation bar and drop-down menu with a new Stations section that provides current station counts and analysis, as well as detailed pages covering CNG and LNG station design, construction, and economics.  The Vehicles section now contains content covering the consumer, fleet, and high-horsepower market segments.
6. Nearly three quarters of Americans surveyed by Consumer Federation of America (CFA) favor that truck manufacturers be required to increase fuel economy of large trucks to reduce their fuel costs – with much of that saving being passed on to consumers. A new CFA report estimates that the average American household spends $1,100 extra on consumer goods and services to cover the cost of fueling up inefficient medium- and heavy-duty trucks. These costs are passed on by companies to consumers through price hikes on everything from milk to large appliances.
7. National Electric Drive Week 2014 will be taking place Sept. 15-21, 2014; cities across the US will host their own ride and drive events on one of these days. Each event is led by local plug-in electric vehicle drivers and advocates; they typically include some combination of EV parades, ride-and-drives, electric tailgate parties, press conferences, award ceremonies, informational booths, and more. Plug In America, Sierra Club, and the Electric Auto Association serve as the national team providing support to the events throughout the country.
8. Clean transportation and advanced vehicle technologies were key themes at this year’s CAR Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Mich., organized by Center for Automotive Research….. Lighweighting vehicles is bringing significant side benefits to automakers hoping to increase fuel economy……. Dodge Ram 1500 EcoDiesel sales have been strong since launching the highest-mileage ever full-size pickup……. Advanced technologies like active grille shutters are another way automakers are moving forward on hitting the CAFÉ standard of 54.5 mpg by 20205….. The race for domination in pickup truck fuel economy is getting more intense.
9. Biofuels groups are taking on Big Oil again for playing a role in squeezing the Renewable Fuel Standard and the US Environmental Protection Agency’s stance on it. Taxpayers for Common Sense say that oil companies paid only 11.7% of US income on federal taxes during the past five years, compared to the statutory 35% corporate tax paid by other companies. Fuels America released its list of the top 10 people that benefit from a weakened Renewable Fuel Standard including Big Oil executives and oil spill cleanup crews.
10. Volkswagen is taking a “holistic approach” to offset its carbon emissions including a carbon reduction project to offset emissions created from e-Golf production and distribution. The automaker also named SunPower as its official solar energy partner power provider; Bosch Automotive Service Solutions as its preferred home-charging and installation services provider, and selected ChargePoint to provide charging stations to its dealer network and to provide US e-Golf owners access to its network of more than 18,000 charging stations nationwide.