Think! Rebuts Ten Myths Surrounding Electric Vehicles

Norwegian electric-vehicle maker Think wants to set the record straight as it prepares to start selling its City EV in the U.S. later this year.

In honor of Earth Day, the former Ford Motor Co. division posed what it says are the 10 biggest myths about EVs, and set out to "bust" them with simple rebuttals that Think CEO Richard Canny uses to support the cause of the EV - especially its own.

Myth #1: "You are just moving the pollution out of the cities to the countryside."

Think CEO Richard Canny: "Electric vehicle motors are three-to-five times more efficient than gasoline-powered vehicles...Efficiency of EVs makes them cleaner, producing less carbon - even when they are charged using coal-fired electricity."

Myth #2: "Customers will never buy a car with less than a 200-mile range."

Think: "So-called 'range anxiety' diminishes when people get used to driving EVs on a daily basis. It's just like charging a cell phone overnight. You plug it in, and in the morning it's ready to go, fully charged..."

Myth #3: "The battery won't last."

Think: "EV batteries are designed to last at least 10 years and more than 100,000 miles..."

Myth #4: "You'll need to build a lot more power plants."

Think: "There's enough off-peak electricity in the U.S. to power 79 percent of U.S. driving demand. As more EVs are deployed, it's important to ensure that the smart-charging (time-based charging management) and vehicle-to-grid connectivity progresses as well..."

Myth #5: "We're going to run out of lithium - and isn't it poisonous?"

Think: "...The industry will not have a shortage of lithium for the next decade. It is also possible that new battery technologies will be based on other light metals like zinc or nickel. Lithium from used batteries will be recycled in dedicated recycling plants. Lithium batteries contain no poisonous heavy metals like lead in lead-acid batteries or cadmium in NiCd batteries."

Myth #6: "The infrastructure has to come first."

Think: "In our experience working with more than 20 cities across Europe, the best way to deploy EVs is to get cars on the road first, then add infrastructure..."

Myth #7: "They're not safe."

Think: "Highway-certified EVs like the Think City meet all the same safety and crash test requirements as regular production cars with some important extras..."

Myth #8: "The technology is too complicated."

Think: "A modern electric car has only about five main moving parts compared with hundreds in an internal combustion engine. There are no regular visits to the dealership for an EV. No oil changes, no filters - even brake pads last two-to-three times longer than in conventional cars, because EVs like the Think City use regenerative braking to recapture the energy that would otherwise be lost while braking."

Myth #9: With plug-in vehicles in their relative infancy, it's too early judge how re-charging habits are affecting battery life, but just like most drivers fill up at a gas station instead of getting a couple of gallons at a time, sheer convenience would dictate that EV owners are far more likely to arrange for full, longer charges than shorter, quicker ones.

Think: "Modern prismatic lithium batteries can be developed with fast-charging in mind - like Think's EnerDel battery solution. The critical technology is in the cell design to manage battery temperature during charging. Limiting fast charging to the 0-80 percent range also protects battery life. Think's view is that 95 percent or more of all EV miles will be driven on EVs charged during overnight off-peak periods when electricity is cheaper and readily available."

Myth #10: "Plug-in hybrids are the best solution."

Think: "Carrying around the extra weight and cost of two powertrains makes little sense...As plug-in hybrids get bigger and heavier, they need more batteries and stronger gas- or diesel-powered generators or engines. It becomes a 'vicious circle' of more cost and more weight to achieve acceptable range and performance in both modes."

We here at Alt Energy Autos feel that Plug-In Hybrids are merely a means to an end. The end goal being the adoption of pure electric vehicles. We need to put an end to combustion engines being used in urban and suburban settings where long ranges are not necessary. For longer hauls we want to see the use of alternate energy vehicles such as CNG and bio-diesel.