But fast-charging stations won't grow in meaningful numbers unless there are more EVs sold in the mainstream market, and yet there won't be more EVs sold in the mainstream market unless there are more fast-charging stations around. Same goes for a complete overhaul of the existing power grid infrastructure. It's this chicken and egg thing that will prevent EV from going mainstream in the foreseeable future. Actually on the second thought even with more fast-charging stations available it won't help much, because even 45 minutes (or half an hour if the technologies improve) at a fast-charging station is an awfully huge waste of time when you would only have to spend 5 minutes refueling a gasoline-powered vehicle. So no I don't see any future in EVs in the mainstream market, period.

 

well to correct them slightly - Toyota and its researchers centered around Toyota Battery research, have presented at least 5-6 papers on sodium batteries in Honolulu... but as I said, long way to finished product.

 

Why would you need to sit there for 45 minutes to charge an EV car fully? It is a battery after all, so you can run on 'half power'. There's nothing suggesting you have to charge your car fully to travel minute distances. And most of the EV's are in highly populated areas. You don't drive for 150 miles around town all day unless you're a delivery guy. So your car is going to be sitting most of the time. People charge their cell phones daily. Plugging in your car could become like 2nd nature as well.

What I'm interested in, is seeing a battery technology that is self sustaining. One that for instance uses solar roof panels, and braking regenerative energy to recharge the battery on the fly. There's ways to do this, it's only the cost aspect of the technology involved that's holding it back. And possibly some oil companies that still want you to use gasoline.

 

Prius PHV already uses battery regen... but solar panels are such a small contribution... around 20w :-).

i think eventually most cars will have 20-50 mile EV range... one day when batteries become a lot cheaper than now and lighter/smaller...

 

The Leaf has sold very poorly and the Volt is only selling as leases are like $299 a month. There needs to be far more infrastructure, education and better range.

Hopefully the cars get better and prices lower.