Just yesterday I recorded an incredible conversation with the archivist from Ford, formerly of Coca-Cola, about the history of fueling infrastructure in this country and let me just say... when you listen to that conversation, you'll understand why we haven't cracked the code on EV charging yet.
There are two camps here:
One understands what basic-ass AC charging can do and that overnight charging takes care of all local needs full stop. That's me, wishing we focused on this.
The other imagines EVs getting used like ICE vehicles, and pulls the trigger assuming this makes sense.
I would wager every report you see from someone being dissatisfied with an EV is someone who could not charge at home and got one anyway.
And every report you see where EV owners question what on Earth people are thinking comes from people who can charge at home.
And by focusing so much on DC fast charging built up and effectively not at all on getting slow charging at apartment buildings and workplaces, we are setting up a whole class of folks to not understand the best ways to use their EVs.
This includes policy makers who could help renters.
It's also setting up a class division of, "people who can use EVs reliably" and "people who won't get an EV because it's difficult to charge it regularly."
yup yup
And as someone who has installed several EVSEs at this point for family and friends, the biggest, most irritating and infuriating thing in my brain is how few people seem to know that about $150 in materials (breaker, cable, junction box, staples) is what's needed to hook up a charger.
There's that, but there's also a lot of people who rent and would be unable to install those things, either because their landlord doesn't allow it, or because they have to park in a big parking lot or on the street.
Oh no, I'm not dismissing that, I'm just saying there's not a lot to do!
For some reason people seem to imagine electric car charging infrastructure as something much more complicated than it is.
I mean, we have to get electricity to everywhere we want to charge, an entirely new form of infrastructure that we don't have over 100 years of experience with.
Fwiw in many countries (e.g. Finland) power outlets at basically all parking spots are normal because heavy winters and need to keep fuel from freezing/engines warm enough when parked.
We kinda do though? Not necessarily in America, but cold weather nations have designed rental units and workplace parking around easily available power points for decades.
