San Diego is leading the rest of the country in putting electric cars on the road and is building an infrastructure of charging stations to support an expected influx of plug-in vehicles over the next few years. U-T
The majority of plug-in electrical vehicles in California are identified as a primary car by their owners, according to a statewide survey by the California Center for Sustainable Energy.
Nine out of 10 owners said plug-in vehicles represent their primary ride -- though almost all had a second, conventional car, according to a survey with more than 1,400 respondents released this month. The study was conducted by the California Center for Sustainable Energy in coordination with the state Air Resources Board.
Monthly mileage averaged about 800 -- the equivalent of almost 10,000 miles a year.
"These aren't hobby cars, these aren't weekend cars," said Mike Ferry, transportation programs manager for the energy center. "They are everyday use cars."
The questionnaires were sent out earlier this year to people who have owned their plug-in vehicles for six months or more, allowing enough time for the drivers to settle into commuting and battery charging routines.
Results highlighted new strides toward greater adoption of zero-emission personal transportation -- along with some enduring barriers.
About two-thirds of plug-in vehicle charging took place during over-night hours, placing minimal stress on the power grid, according to the survey. That bodes well for expanding electric vehicle ownership without major infrastructure upgrades, Ferry said.
Plug-in vehicles are a key component of the state's goals for greening its car fleet. Gov. Jerry Brown recently set a goal of 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles (electric and hydrogen-powered) by 2025.
But hurdles still stand in the way.
Of plug-in owners surveyed, 97 percent live in a single-family homes that easily accommodate car charging equipment. That leaves 3 percent of owners living in a multi-dwelling units or other housing situations.
"To make it practical to own a plug-in car, you have to have some place where you can park it overnight and plug it in," Ferry said. "If we want to expand this market, we need to make it available to people in all kinds of settings."
California, with more than 12,000 plug-in vehicles, accounts for one-in-three plug-in electric vehicle in circulation nationwide.
Government incentives still help sustain the plug-in car market. The state's Clean Vehicle Rebate Project provides a rebate of $2,500 on pure-battery electrics like the Nissan Leaf, or $1,500 for plug-in hybrids like the Chevy Volt or plug-in Toyota Prius. A federal tax credit can offset up to an additional $7,500 of a vehicle's cost.
The survey found more than half of owners also received subsidies for a high-voltage home charging station.
Large batteries and other technology make plug-in electric vehicles more expensive than their gasoline power equivalents. Prospective buyers still must weigh that initial investment against the pay-off from lower fuel costs combined with government incentives.
Special utility rates for the San Diego area allow plug-in vehicles to recharge for the energy equivalent of between 90 cents and $1.90 a gallon of gasoline, according to the energy center. Net metering provisions for solar customers can also provide savings.
Ferry said high-mileage drivers in some instances are achieving immediate savings through competitively priced leases.
Most plug-in car buyers are motivated by the potential for savings on long daily commutes, said Yeves Perez, a 32-year-old Chevy Volt owner in Rancho San Diego who organizes social gatherings among fellow Volt owners through a Facebook page.
Perez, who works at an ad agency, has logged over 20,000 miles in his Volt since early 2011. The car’s hybrid technology is a source of fascination and entertainment in itself, as owners compete for efficient driving marks at the website and smart-phone app Volt Stats.
The service tracks “real world usage of Chevy Volts in the wild,” as owners squeeze the most out of batteries before the hybrid car's gasoline engine kicks in as designed.
Of the respondents to the the statewide survey, 71 percent said they had access to public-access or work-related charging station. Those charging locations help extend the effective range of a plug-in car's battery power.
Plug-in electric vehicles account for a small but growing fraction of the California vehicle fleet -- 0.9 percent of new passenger car sales since the introduction of the Nissan Leaf in May 2011, according to data from the California New Car Dealers Association.
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