What types of infrastructure improvements will it take to speed the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs)? In a Nature Energy paper published January 21, SFI External Professor Jessika Trancik and her co-authors at MIT report a new methodology designed to identify which locations for vehicle charging stations could be prioritized to ensure a wide diversity of drivers’ energy needs are satisfied without causing interruptions to their daily schedules.
They recommend installing charging stations on residential streets, and anywhere people park when at home (on- and off-street); adding high-speed charging stations along highways, along with workplace charging; and making supplementary vehicles easily available for outlier days when people travel unusually long distances.
“Essentially, these solutions allow for predictable, convenient charging to enable the widespread adoption of EVs with today’s technology—without waiting for additional battery/charging technology advancements and the cost reductions necessary to make them affordable,” says Trancik.
Read the paper, "Personal vehicle electrification and charging solutions for high-energy days," in Nature Energy (January 21, 2021)
Read MIT's press release (January 21, 2021)
Read the article, "The Transition to Electric Cars," in The New York Times (January 29, 2021)
Read a related article, "Electric Cars are Better for the Planet — and often your budget, too" in The New York Times (January 15, 2021)