Some of the most talked-about vehicles at this week's Charlotte Auto Show won't be muscle cars pumping on eight-cylinder engines and high-octane fuel. Instead, they'll be whisper-quiet and plug into your wall.
Plug-in hybrids and all-electric cars, including the 2012 Chevrolet Volt, Nissan Leaf and Tesla Roadster racecar, will be on display for drivers to learn about, sit in and compare. The auto show comes as the federal government steps up its push for electric vehicles, joined by the city of Charlotte and Duke Energy.
What's still unknown is how many consumers will actually buy the cars. The vehicles face hurdles, including cost and limited availability, and boosters admit adoption has been slower than expected.
"Getting cars on the road is going slower than I think anybody would like," said Chad Schwitters, vice president of Plug In America, a nonprofit group dedicated to promoting electric cars. One problem: The cars can still be tough to acquire, with wait lists and tight supply.
President Obama's stated goal is to see 1 million electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles on the road by 2015.
Schwitters said an estimated 20,000 such vehicles are on the road. He said he believes the 1 million-vehicle goal is achievable, but that even if the goal is reached, the electric car movement might have trouble pushing past that.
"By the time you get to a million (cars), there might be questions about demand," Schwitters said.
Gas prices' tipping point
Dick Lewis of the Charlotte Automobile Dealers Association said many consumers still don't know much about the new cars.
"There's still a lot of mystery about electric vehicles," said Lewis, producer of the auto show, whose sponsors include the Observer. "I don't think, nationally, sales have been as strong as manufacturers have hoped. ... The price of gasoline has been dropping to $3, $3.20 a gallon. It doesn't seem to be a tipping point until gasoline gets to $4."
To try to prime the pump of consumer demand, Charlotte will install 26 public charging stations over the coming weeks at CATS transit facilities, uptown streets and the government center parking garage on Fourth Street. The $215,000 project is funded by a federal grant, and the chargers will be free to the public through July. After that, the city may charge customers, with an estimated cost of about $2 for a full power-up.
The city also is buying seven Nissan Leafs and one Chevrolet Volt for employees. A federal grant will cover $15,000 of the purchase cost of each car, while the city will pay $20,000.
Charlotte has touted itself as a potential hub for new and sustainable energy technologies, attempting to lure new companies here and diversify away from the financial sector. On Friday, the Charlotte Chamber is hosting a summit focused on growth and innovation in the energy sector. And the city is preparing to show itself off to the Democratic National Convention next fall.
Duke Energy is conducting a pilot program, paying as much as $1,000 for customers to install charging stations in their homes. There are about 125 such stations in the Carolinas and Indiana, Duke said.
But the program hit a snag recently when a serious house fire in Mooresville was traced to the home's garage, where an electric car charger was installed. Duke has advised customers to consider not using charging stations until the investigation is complete.
Cost comparisons
Electric car models still cost more upfront than comparably sized sedans. For example, the Chevrolet Volt, which has both all-electric and gasoline motors, carries a suggested retail price of $39,145. The gasoline-powered Chevrolet Cruze is similarly sized, with an estimated 42 mpg highway, and starts at $16,720.
The disparity should become less of an issue if the price of gasoline continues to creep higher each year, Lewis said. Every increase in the price of gasoline makes electric cars more competitive, he said.
At South Charlotte Nissan, general manager Steve Suggs said the dealership has sold 10 Leafs. The all-electric vehicle became available in the Charlotte area this fall, Suggs said.
Ordering the cars is a three-step process. Buyers contact Nissan to express interest, then make a deposit on a Leaf and specify exactly what they want. The car is then shipped to a dealer and delivered to the customer.
Among the buyers, few have been new to electric cars. "Most of them have hybrid vehicles or electric vehicle experience," Suggs said. For most of the buyers, he said, the "environmental aspects" of driving a gasoline-free car seem to matter more than saving money on fuel.
Events like the Charlotte Auto Show and test drives with electric cars will be essential to convince non-electric car drivers that the vehicles are an acceptable form of transportation, Schwitters said.
"Most people have still never even seen an electric car," Schwitters said. "Their perception is based on golf carts and electric carts. ... There's really no obstacle today to electrifying transportation."
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