bagwell

Thanks to a single, sweeping decree, Russia could soon become a much more hospitable place for electric cars.

The country is currently home to just a small number of electric cars, and its charging infrastructure is relatively undeveloped.

But the national government now requires that all gas stations in the country must be equipped for electric-car charging in little more than a year, by November 2016.

The order to provide charging stations on such a large scale was signed August 27 by Prime Minister Dimitry Medvedev, reports The Moscow Times.

Gas-station owners will be required to cover all costs of installing and operating charging stations, the paper says.

Estimated costs for a charging station in Russia range from 100,000 rubles ($1,480) for a Level 1 AC unit, to 3.5 million rubles ($51,720) for a DC fast-charging station, according to Maxim Osorin, head of electric-car seller and charging-network operator Revolta Motors.

The government decree did not specify what kind of charging stations owners will have to install, so it's possible many will go for the cheapest option.

Officials hope a mandatory expansion of the charging network will increase electric-car sales.

Only about 500 electric cars have reportedly been sold in Russia since 2011, when the Mitsubishi i-MiEV first went on sale there.

The Mitsubishi was the first modern electric car to go on sale in Russia, and the Japanese firm is still the only foreign automaker officially selling electric cars in the country.

However, the BMW i3, Nissan Leaf, and Tesla Model S have appeared in small numbers, without any factory support.

Domestic manufacturer AutoVAZ also sells an electric car, the EL Lada.
This model went on sale in 2011, but only 49 have reportedly been sold so far, compared to 217 i-MiEV electric cars.

There are currently no government cash incentives or tax credits for new electric-car purchases, like the ones that have been adopted by the U.S. and other countries.

In the capital city of Moscow, the only perk electric-car drivers get is free parking.

There is also a network of 28 public charging stations, operated as a pilot program by Moscow United Electric Grid Company.

From GREENCARREPORTS

Sulu

If the government decree does not specify the category of charger gas stations must install, and so only put in Level 1 chargers, anybody using it will be parked there overnight. A quick 5- or 10-minute charge on a Level 1 charger is not going to add much juice, probably not even enough to get home.

To be really worthwhile, gas stations need to put in the fast DC chargers, where a 5- or 10-minute charge will add something significant.

mmarshall

Just have the government pay for it out of all the taxes collected on vodka. No problem.

Aron9000

Assuming that a "Level One" charger is the same damn thing as plugging your car into a 110v wall outlet, why even bother spending $1400 with a charging station. Just spend $10 and go buy a 100 foot extension cord, charge your customers X amount an hour and have at it. I'd assume that a gas station in central Moscow that has 4 parking spaces is going to charge you some stupidly high amount for taking up their parking.


You also need to consider that electric cars don't really work that well in freezing temperatures. The extremely frigid cold that Russia sees 6-7 months a year will cut the range of the batter from 1/4 to 1/2 of what it would normally be. Then there is the matter of the heat in electric cars. It doesn't work that great to start with and puts a serious drain on the battery.

Read all about why electric cars will never work in Russia, at least with the current technology that's on sale now:

http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars...-model-s-p85d/

mmarshall

Outdoor charging outlets, though, even with only 110V, have to be waterproof and weatherproof....which is not always the case with some home and garage-outlets. If water, snow, slush, etc.....seeps down through cracks to where the prongs are, it can short out the plug and/or cause a fire. (some early Chevy Volts were catching fire even on the vehicle-plug end..a factory defect). And, of course, 110V typically takes all night (roughly 8 hours) to charge up even relatively small hybrid and electric vehicle battery-packs. 220V outlets typically cut that time to about 2-3 hours, and the newest 400V outlets to 20 or 30 minutes.


Yes, that's a good point. Most areas of Russia, except for a relatively small temperate area around the Black Sea and Crimea, are known for the severity of their winters.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Even though russia is a huge global source of oil, i guess they're trying to wean themselves off it due to price volatility?

As far as this 'decree' what if a gas station doesn't have parking for this? Or what's the point if it only allows say 1 car to charge?

mmarshall

Yes, a reasonable assumption, but I think a better one is them simply trying to save what resources they have for when the world oil-price DOES rise and they can (once again) start making profits from it....especially if sanctions against Russia from other countries over the Ukraine/Crimea situation ease, and free-trade returns. It's like holding on to one's stock portfolio and not dumping it when the Dow Jones crashes.

spwolf

they probably produce a lot of electricity as well, so this is likely to curb emissions in large cities, which makes a lot of sense.

If they mandated lvl2 chargers and gave out tax breaks on purchases, they could really kick off EV sales.

When it comes to Europe, only countries where EVs sell is where government offers huge incentives. Norway is leader and there Tesla costs less than 5 series. Selling a lot of EVs means that whole new industry will be built up around charging and maintenance and thus in 10 years, much smaller incentives will be needed while everyone will be able to charge almost anywhere.