Commuter: Looking for a Smooth Commute

Intro:

David was driving a lot and wanted a comfortable ride that was affordable. It led him to an EV. This is David’s story.

User Profile

Who: David Bouwmeester

Where: Oshawa, ON

How Many Years Driving an EV: 2

What Model: Hyundai Kona

Home Charging Station: Yes

Charging at off-peak times: Always

David’s EV Journey

On Influence…

My car had to be good for commuter use for an hour-and-a-half 100km round trip every day. I did not want to spend a lot of money on a high-end vehicle, and didn't want a small car to have to climb up out of, but wanted a little more room, and capability to use it to drive our family of 4 from time to time. I checked out many models, and test drove a few EVs at the auto show, one of which was the Kona EV. I liked the firm handling and discovered the incredible acceleration all EVs have. After more comparison shopping and test drives, I finally settled on the Kona EV: it had a good price, as a small SUV it was higher off the ground, it had enough legroom in the back seats, and had really good range. At a range of 415km, that allows an extra day or two without charging and can take me on a long trip on a single charge if needed. You could even install a roof rack on this EV!

I was commuting with a minivan and spending $70 a week on gas lugging it around with one person in it. It was sluggish and a waste of resources. I have always liked the idea of an EV, as it is so simple and efficient. And once I test drove it, it is quiet, handles well with its low center of gravity, and it really takes off when you want it to. And not freezing when you have to refuel in the winter was a bonus! The cost savings versus a gasoline vehicle and less maintenance was also a great thing.

Any advice for potential EV drivers, John?

Don't worry about range, figure out your daily use and as long as your EV has more than enough to handle one day, you'll do almost all your charging at home anyways. If you do need to go on a longer trip, there are lots of public DC fast chargers now that you can use while stopping for lunch, and at least one hotel chain has EV chargers to charge up overnight. And if range is still a concern, as long as someone else in the household has a gasoline vehicle, you'll be covered for long trips and you can safely reap all the benefits of an EV.

For daily use you will normally do all your charging at home each night. EV's are really fun to drive and have amazing acceleration when you need it. Be aware deliveries of EV's can take a while, they are not all stocked on lots, and not all dealers service EVs - but you don't go there often, no oil changes! And you won't regret your purchase, my EV is absolutely the best car I've ever owned.

And what about encouraging greater EV uptake?

Address the main concerns head on: range (show typical charging is done at home, best ways to plan a longer trip, and no concern if household has one other gas car); price (show incentives, how it costs so much less to operate, and could last much longer than a gas car); performance (may sound quiet and seem 'wimpy' but can accelerate like the fastest muscle cars); and style/selection (showcase the different styles available and make comparison shopping to find the right EV easy). Set up a network of existing users prospective buyers can connect with to answer their questions from experience.

There are a few things to learn and myths to dispel with EVs, there needs to be an easy place for prospective buyers to get their questions answered and to guide them through the selection process. It is now a lot of work to learn what you need to know, research the vehicles, and find the right EV, especially since dealers don't promote them well and most have only one or two models, and often not on the lot to test drive. Set up a local test drive center like Plug’n Drive EV discovery center in Toronto, that would really help prospective buyers the most.

And with larger batteries now, I think adding more AC chargers is a waste of money, you don't get enough charge at a one hour visit to a mall or region office to get a lot of range. If you want spend on chargers, subsidize home level 2 AC chargers, people get a shock when they find they have to spend $1000 installing one at home.

Find any holes in the network of people travelling between cities and install DC chargers instead, like Tesla did.

Add links to charging apps to websites so people can find chargers.

On barriers to purchase….

Price was a big barrier, as the incentives ended in Ontario a few years ago. I bought just as the federal incentive started up, which brought a number of EVs down to a better price. Dealing with range was a concern, as the older 200km range vehicles just would not have enough buffer for a 100km total commute. However when I bought, many lower cost EVs started having ranges 300km and up which was enough for a day's travel, and I realized that as long as I have enough range to handle one day, I could do all my charging at home and never have to worry about public chargers. I actually only need to use public chargers on special long trips.

 Final thoughts?

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