The Community Approach to Electric Vehicles

摘要

The challenge of weaning Americans off the automotive internal combustion engine and getting them to love electric vehicles (EVs) has taken a new turn lately. Rather than trying to persuade the public to simply buy EVs by extolling their advantages and downplaying the substantial disadvantages, the EV industry is being joined by the Obama administration and lawmakers in promoting a community-based approach to personal electric transportation. The community-based approach proceeds from the concept that it is easier to build acceptance of EVs— and also build the essential charging and maintenance infrastructure—on a small scale rather than taking a nationwide approach that does not focus on the different needs and capabilities of individual communities. If successful, the community-based approach can produce EV deployment models that can be applied nationally by both government and business. But success will depend on substantial support from government as well as from buy-in by a long list of key stakeholders.