The death of range anxiety in electric vehicles

The Driven

One of the more enduring myths about electric vehicles is that driving a full battery electric vehicle (BEV) means a worry-filled trip waiting to unexpectedly run out of energy, with no chance of a recharge to get home again.

It’s a myth encouraged during the recent election campaign (“you’d be better off walking to Dubbo”) and ever since. But early adopter battery electric vehicle owners have long known that this is not the case.

Running out of charge turns out to be no more likely than running out of petrol. (Plus, if all else fails, power points are a lot easier to find than a jerrycan, funnel and organising a lift to/from a petrol station).

The Range Anxiety label was created when those first BEVs were put into the hands of motoring writers and others unfamiliar with the technology.

Unsurprisingly, they approached them like an internal combustion engine (ICE) car and followed the paradigm of refuelling only when forced by a low fuel warning to go to a refuelling station. They were then apparently surprised that a petrol pump nozzle didn’t fit into a charging socket.

To read the full story on RenewEconomy’s electric vehicle dedicated site, The Driven, click here…