I’ve been mulling over purchasing an electric car (well, one that goes farther than a block, anyway). I found one that’s being sold locally and is in pretty good shape. One thing about electric cars is the question of range. Depending on the batteries used, an electric car can range from 30 to 100 miles without being recharged. Thus, with some trips it becomes important to know where a recharging station might be found.
This reminded me that the City of Raleigh announced some sort of electric car partnership in February. In partnership with an initiative called Project Get Ready, Mayor Meeker announced that experimental charging stations would be installed around downtown, which would seem to solve the charging station problem.
The only questions are where will these charging stations be and when will they be there? Also, since one can’t get any meaningful charge in two hours, will the city’s 2-hour street parking limits apply to cars at these charging stations?
Also, if we’re going to create parking spots for electric cars with the use of charging stations, why don’t we provide special parking spots for gasoline-powered-but-shared cars from ZipCar and other carsharing companies? By providing cars for sharing, folks who need cars only occasionally can sell their own cars in favor of a carsharing service. Providing these cars reserved parking downtown would encourage smarter driving habits, I think.
I really think the two ideas go hand in hand. Electric cars are good for medium-distance trips but there are still occasions where one needs a longer-range car. By promoting both electric cars and carsharing, you provide answers to both needs.