Are electric cars finding their niche in the market? Maybe with Charging Stations They Can

Although car sales have been lower than expected for October, there is one classification of a car that continues to meet expectations. Whether it is about changing attitudes or more efficiency for use and recharging, electric vehicles are hitting the market with more luster than analysts forecasted. On the heels of projected autonomous cars making their surge in less than five years, can the new technology last and be a viable option to overtake gas-powered automobiles for the future?

The technology

The technology in the auto industry has altered exponentially in the past two decades. Already available is autonomous driving technology, helping to curb some accidents caused by human error. And, there are forecasts for cars that will soon take to the skies. Hoping to change the American thirst for fossil fuels and to increase their independence on the Middle East and foreign oil supplies, the US Department of Transportation is ramping up an extensive attempt to create a nationwide network of charging stations for electric cars. Targeting the most populated and highly traveled highways in the nation, they want to set up stations to change attitudes.

Maybe the last of the Obama Administration’s attempt to overtake traditional energy sources, the initiative to set up charging stations may just be the catalyst to change for car owners looking for cheaper and greener transportation alternatives.

Electric vehicles

Electric vehicles currently make up less than one percent of auto sales. The reason many spectators believe that they haven’t caught on is that they are not easy to maintain and have limitations when it comes to battery life. Tesla, one of the leaders in electric cars, hopes to develop and launch a more inexpensive electric car to the public. Their Model 3 sedan is attempting to break into the market and attract a whole new niche audience.

Also, trying to bridge limited attraction in the auto industry is General Motors, who is attempting to increase the appeal of their electric car model, the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt.

The problem?

To date, the car can only go 238 miles on one full charge. That makes it an impractical and high maintenance car that is highly expensive. Many car buyers just don’t see the payoff as being realistic or beneficial as Financing Nissan cars. Although much better than their current counterparts, which can only go 100 miles, the lack of means to charge cars presents a hurdle for many who would rather pull over when necessary and fill up than to wait for a car to charge.

The government appears to be stepping in to overcome what they have termed “range anxiety” by creating a network that will span over 35 states including the District of Columbia. The plan is to build 48 charging stations that will cover an estimated 25 thousand miles. That may make the electric car more attractive and appear to have fewer hurdles to the average car owner.

Working against electric car alternatives are things like cheaper gas prices and the obsession that many Americans have with large SUV models and pick-up trucks. Overall, car sales are down by as much as 36%, which is an all-time low.

The electric car

The electric car industry believes that the limitations of charging stations have led to low adoption rates, while other analysts aren’t as convinced. How much the charging stations will change consumer’s minds will probably be minimal at best. Even if charging stations are available, who has the time to sit around and wait for a full battery charge? A much easier and more convenient alternative, the gas pump will be a hard thing to replace in the mind of the American car audience.

To make electric vehicles even more attractive, an initiative is underway to make routes more accessible and advertised. The more people encounter charging networks, the more familiar they will be with them. The hope is that they will see electric cars as more realistic. The new electric corridors, as they are being termed, are like electric marketing stations. Tesla has already developed its own set of “Superchargers” for their Model X and Model S owners to make them more mainstream. Whether that will work or not is anyone’s guess.

For now, electric cars appear to be holding their own stand, in the fraction of the market that they covet. If charging is quicker, electric cars drop in price, and people can get over their gasoline obsession, the electric car may just be the wave of the future. Adding on more, electric cars that drive themselves, or take to the skies to get you there quicker, may make gasoline-guzzlers a thing of the past. The future is likely to revamp the relationship that Americans have with their traditional modes of transportation.