CHICAGO — Most drivers may go electric within 10 years as electric and hybrid vehicles are in the fast lane to wider adoption, a new study by the University of Michigan (UM) researchers has found.
The researchers reached this conclusion after analyzing the present status of electric vehicles in the US, their life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions, and progress toward lifting barriers to broader acceptance.
“We feel that within the next decade, electric vehicles are positioned to be more suitable for most drivers to use on a daily basis,” said Brandon Schoettle, project manager at the UM Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI).
“That’s due to recent improvements such as longer driving ranges, faster recharging times and lower vehicle prices.”
Schoettle and colleague Michael Sivak, a research professor at UMTRI, also found that sales of plug-in electric vehicles in the US have increased by more than 700 percent since 2011.
Other findings from the research include: the number of individual electric vehicle models that consumers can choose from has nearly doubled from 13 in 2016 to 23 in 2017; the number of public charging stations has grown rapidly since 2010, with approximately 16,000 now available across the US; and the range of all electric vehicles has increased to an average of 110 miles (176 milometers).
Besides, compared to gasoline, electricity prices have been low and stable over the past decade, and are expected to remain that way over the next several decades. Xinhua-northboundasia.com