Automakers BMW and Volkswagen are partnering with ChargePoint, the largest electric vehicle charging network, to install 100 express high-speed charging stations along two busy highways on the east and west coast.
The companies made the announcement on Thursday, Jan. 22, specifying the stations will be placed 50 miles apart on the Interstate 5 between Portland, Oregon and San Diego, Calif., and the Interstate 95 between Boston, Mass. and Washington, D.C.
“A robust network of conveniently located DC Fast charging stations will go a long way toward increasing electric vehicle adoption and making electric vehicle ownership even more enjoyable,” said Robert Healy, head of EV Infrastructure at BWM North America, according to CBS News. “The express charging corridors are another important step in the development of the U.S. e-mobility infrastructure that makes longer distance travel a real option for consumers.”
The first of these stations has been built in San Diego. The rest should be completed by the end of the year, and the companies plan on expanding afterward.
Last year, 120,000 electric vehicles were sold, up 20 percent from 2013. However, that figure is only a small percentage of the 16.5 million vehicles sold overall. The lack of charging stations is one of the biggest reasons these vehicles more widely accepted, according to The New York Times. The automakers working with ChargePoint admit that the lack has made it challenging to sell their electric vehicles, the BMW i3 and Volkswagen e-Golf.
“There are more than 100 gas stations just in Santa Monica,” said TrueCar senior analyst Eric Lyman, according to the Times. “It’s going to be extremely difficult to reach the level of convenience of gasoline, which is a system that’s developed over a century to put stations on nearly every commercial corner.”
Both analysts and automakers say efforts toward the installation of express charging stations is indicative of a miscalculation made when electric vehicles were introduced to the market five years ago, the Times reported. Carmakers assumed consumers would be content with charging their vehicles at home, and possibly at other locations, such as the office.
“What we learned is people want to use their cars beyond a single charge range; they want to take longer trips, to drive like they were always used to driving, Healy said, according to The New York Times. “Especially important is they want one car that can be their primary vehicle.”
The fear that a vehicle may not manage to make it to its destination – also known as range anxiety – is a dynamic affecting most people’s decision to switch to electric cars.
Across the United States, there are approximately 9,000 electric charging stations, according to the US Department of Energy. Most of these are concentrated in California and up and down the Atlantic.
Automaker Tesla has previously taken steps similar to BMW and Volkswagen by installing 358 solar-powered charging stations throughout the country, although its stations are built for its proprietary chargers. It plans to further its expansion throughout the next two years.
Governments have also lent a hand in increasing the availability of charging stations. For instance, San Diego said it would install 117 stations, while Tucson, Ariz. has installed 100.
(With reports from CBS and The New York Times)
