Bill LeBlanc’s Post

Why do some people want an EV, while others are actively negative about them? Recent in-depth market research conducted by E Source for the Colorado Energy Office, shows the 'Why' behind some of these attitudes. One of the key outcomes of the research was to segment buyers based upon their attitudes, knowledge, and expectations about adopting an EV. There are six segments, with the two that are most ready to buy an EV being "In the Driver's Seat" and "Ready to Roll" (about 23% of Coloradans). But there's a very interesting group called "Last Gas" (about 25% of the population), who dislike EVs and don't want to ever get one. Why? 1. TRUST: When asked about trusted sources of information, the differences between Last Gas and the top EV segments is quite profound. Here are some examples of trusted sources: a) The electric utility? Trust for In the Driver's Seat 4.0 out of 5, and Last Gas 2.9 out of 5. b) Colorado government: 4.0 vs. 2.5. c) Tesla: 3.9 vs. 2.6. d) Social media: 3.5 vs. 2.0 Trust along about 20 sources of information was lower in every case for Last Gas. 2. Environmental Factors: This one is more obvious, but still incredibly pronounced. For the top EV segment, 81% gave a 4 or 5 response regarding importance of the environment, while this was a very low 31% for Last Gas. 3. Experience/Exposure: Among key factors, the data says that familiarity with EVs is a key driver for adoption. Specifically, for those most ready for an EV to be their next car, 43% have ridden in one, while this was 19% for Last Gas. This in-depth research, while conducted in Colorado, is largely applicable to everywhere in the US and can provide great detail into what barriers actually exist for growing EV adoption. The link below will take you to the EV CO highlights page, where you can see why Colorado's EV growth is so high. #tesla #rivian #GM #ford #stellantis #electricvehicles #EVs #electriccars #sustainability #electrification #evcharging

Don't you LOVE studying and talking about electric vehicle charging patterns and load shapes! I sure do. For example in the graph below, the EV charging load spikes right after a high priced period and is going to cause major problems for the distrubution system first, then cascade up to the supply level. We can learn so much from looking at EV load shapes...so I'm giving a talk at the 49th Peak Load Management Alliance (@PLMAdr) Conference in Portland just on this topic. Big takeaways from analyzing 10s of thousands of actual EV charging patterns include: - Both active and behavioral managed charging programs work very effectively to move demand from high price to low price periods. Messaging using behavior science is essential for success. - Smart charging, in which we (ev.energy) assist the driver to charge in times of lowest cost and highest renewable energy, is the most effective way today to minimize the need for infrastructure investments for the utility. As mentioned above, time of use rates can actually CAUSE a new problem to occur, instead of solving the problem. - The electric grid is more dynamic than ever, and will be increasingly so as solar and wind make up the bulk of future energy supply. We need end-uses such as vehicles to help balance the grid, and are looking forward to vehicle-to-grid #V2G applications in the coming years. If you'll be at PLMA, come to my session on Wednesday at 10:00! I promise it will be fun and educational...I'm even having a game show in the middle of it called Name That LoadShape! #utilities #demandresponse #loadmanagement #electricvehicles #electriccars #evcharging #tesla #rivian #DSM #sustainability #gridofthefuture #smartgrid

When is a utility NOT a utility, and how can they affect massive change for EV charging optimization at scale? In California, one of the largest Community Choice Aggregators (#CCA) is MCE which provides retail electricity to nearly 1.5 million residential and business customers in the Bay Area. Our company, ev.energy, provides MCE and its customers with a method to ensure that EV charging happens 1) to avoid stress on the electric grid and 2) when the most abundant renewable energy is available. In the video here, MCE's customers explain in their own words how the ev.energy app allows them to "set it and forget it" to optimize charging to keep electricity bills as low as possible, while keeping their EV charged and ready to go when they need it. We at ev.energy are bringing this forward-looking approach to managed charging not just to utilities around the country and the world, but also to emerging organizations dedicated to clean transportation. #electriccars #electricvehicles #virtualpowerplant #vpp #EVcharging #utilities #tesla #marincounty #loadmanagement #demandresponse

Is the electric vehicle market really stalling out? Is Tesla starting to lose their magic touch and market dominance? It seems that for the past 2.5 years, the EV industry was growing complacent that EVs would "sell themselves." They don't, and we are now realizing this. There was a lot of pent up demand for both clean vehicles and a new brand, and now we are getting to the harder part of the EV adoption curve. This should have been expected, and we should not be alarmed or particularly worried IF we recognize that our collective EV marketing has been nearly non-existent. Tesla, the US EV market leader, has not advertised. The legacy car companies have advertised EVs a bit but these are brand ads, not EV ads. A real EV ad would explain to people how it fits into their own lives, how it saves a significant amount of money on fuel, that batteries are a mature technology, and fueling at home is simpler than going to a gas station. Instead, we actually complicated the approach to charging by talking almost exclusively about complex public charging (about 15% of all charging thus far), L2 and superchargers, lots of different charging companies and associated apps. Why would someone who already likes their gas vehicle chase after this life complexity? Who is going to do this base level educational marketing? In Colorado, we are fortunate to have the Colorado Energy Office doing a research-based broad marketing campaign called EV CO ( https://lnkd.in/gCJRrRjC ) which explains EVs in a straightforward manner. Some #utilities are also promoting the benefits of EVs, but often #regulators do not allow utilities to spend money on these important campaigns. The result? Unnecessary confusion about EVs, and in particular, the approach to charging. If we just spent 5% of the money on education that we spend on public charging networks, we could largely solve this problem we are running into with lower sales growth. Price cuts for EVs are necessary for the next generation of buyers, so I'm happy to see that coming from Tesla. EVs need to be 1) about the same price or less than their gas counterpart, and 2) AS easy or easier to fuel than the gas alternative in order to see sales soar. The faster we can achieve these goals the faster we can reduce carbon and pollution. #PUC #tesla #rivian #GM #ford #stellantis #electricvehicles #EVs #electriccars #sustainability #electrification

First, I didn't know the country had EV euphoria, so I'm shocked that it's already over (did you also miss it?). Did everyone think EVs were going to magically sell themselves and displace gas vehicles that fast? The author says that EV sales expectations have dropped, but every forecast built on future EV adoption up until 2021 showed much lower adoption that has actually happened. So EV sales "only" went up 50% year over year instead of 60%? What IS true is there's a persistent misunderstanding of how to charge EVs among mainstream drivers, AND they have a substitute product (their gas car) that works really well. Going from a gas car to an EV is not as big of a functional boost as going from a flip phone to a smart phone, for example. What does this all mean? It means we have to do a MUCH better job of explaining: 1) How fueling an EV works in real life, 2) How easy it is to plug in at home (yes, we need to fix the multifamily charging problem as well), 3) How you can have a plug-in hybrid household with one gas car and one EV (65% of HH have 2 or more cars), 4) That plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) are a fantastic bridge technology, 5) How to focus on the populations that can easily adopt EVs now, and build up expertise to bring used EVs to additional customer groups as that market builds and public charging gets solved. EVs are NOT right for everyone right now, and we shouldn't pretend that they are. These barriers can largely be overcome with strong marketing and education campaigns, such as the one in Colorado called EV CO [ https://lnkd.in/gGFGFzYB ] Lets take some of the money being put towards public charging stations, and pump up our ability to have a population that understands the true benefits, options, and limitations of going electric. P.S. I know that some OEMs are excited about selling more hybrid vehicles, but these are still 100% gasoline based, so will help on the margin but will never be able to drive on renewable energy. So, better than no change, but not that great from a carbon standpoint. #evcharging #electrification #electricvehicles #electriccars #tesla #rivian #gm #stellantis #ford #utilities #environment

"China’s Electric Vehicles Are Going to Hit Detroit Like a Wrecking Ball" is the provocative lead from today's #Newyorktimes article. Can the U.S. automakers pivot and succeed? Or will they end up as the Sears and Kmart of the auto industry? The author does a nice job of covering many bases and scenarios, but leaves it up to us to decide what's likely to happen. I'd recommend reading the whole thing, but here are some of my favorite sections. "The biggest threat to the Big Three comes from a new crop of Chinese automakers, especially BYD, which specialize in producing plug-in hybrid and fully electric vehicles. BYD’s growth is astounding: It sold three million electrified vehicles last year, more than any other company, and it now has enough production capacity in China to manufacture four million cars a year." "BYD’s cars deliver great value at prices that beat anything coming out of the West. Earlier this month, BYD unveiled a plug-in hybrid that gets decent all-electric range and will retail for just over $11,000. How can it do that?" (read the article to find out...) "Ford and GM plotted an ambitious E.V. transition three years ago. But it didn’t take long for them to stumble. Last year, Ford lost more than $64,000 on every E.V. that it sold (??source??). Since October, it has delayed the opening of one of its new E.V. battery plants, and GM has fumbled the start of its new Ultium battery platform, which is meant to be the foundation for all of its future electric vehicles." "In the coming years, these companies must cross a bridge from one business model to another: They must use their robust truck and S.U.V. earnings to subsidize their growing electric vehicle business and learn how to make E.V.s profitably. If they can make it across this bridge quickly, they will survive. But if their S.U.V. profits crumble before their E.V. business is ready, they will fall into the chasm and perish." The article goes on to describe whether the Big 3 will need another bailout, what Chinese tariffs could be, how the IRA may or may not be enough to help American companies, and other juicy topics. #stellantis #ford #gm #tesla #rivian #evcharging #electrification #electricvehicles #evs #gasguzzlers #utilities

How will EV drivers choose their public charging station once we get to "steady state" and public charging is more or less ubiquitous? - Will people shop primarily on price, similar to what they do today with gas stations? At gas stations, the "experience" is pretty similar from one gas station to another, so that's kind of a wash when choosing a station. But while the price difference among gas stations is pretty small, it's still a big factor (see Costco stations.) - With public EV charging, will price still be the dominant factor? Today, it often costs 2x as much to fill at a public station compared to home base. As EV drivers move into the Early Majority, this group will be much more cost sensitive than today's Early Adopters. (See speed-of-charge vs. charging situation below). - I'm guessing that 'convenience' will become a more dominant factor in fueling an EV than with gasoline when people are around town, not on a road trip. People will want to find a spot they can spend 20-30 minutes (fast charger) in a nice, safe, environment if they want to minimize charging time. But the other typical scenario is with daily activities such as visiting the grocery store, shopping area, gym, trailheads (yay Colorado!), restaurants, etc. People will probably charge in these spots IF it's nearly as inexpensive as charging at home base. - The other choice factor, as implied above, is 'speed of charge'. Speed is essential in a "must charge" situation, and price will likely be a secondary factor. But how much will people be willing to pay to charge faster? And how will people learn about the real speed of their charge? Today it's a total mystery for non-Tesla owners, or for Tesla owners not using Tesla chargers. When someone expects a 300kW charge (which they don't really know what that is anyway, so should translate into a standard charging speed such as miles added/minute) and only gets 50kW, that's a terrible experience. Good market research about future charging experiences is very difficult to find. A recent AutoPacific survey (https://lnkd.in/g982_GD9 ) concludes that people want an EV charging experience similar to that of a gas station. Hmm...maybe that because it's all they've known? If EVs were the first vehicle to exist, I don't think they'd say their ideal fueling experience would be on busy street corners, out in the elements, that serves rolling hot dogs, expensive chips and cheap slushees. Better research would involve in-depth experiential interviews, daily logs, probing questions during current charging sessions, and other methods used in #ethnography and #designthinking. Please add your ideas on the future of the charging experience below. #EVs #evcharging #tesla #ford #GM #sustainability #electrification #electricvehicles #utilities #electriccars #rivian

Let's discuss a challenging issue in the electric vehicle landscape: charging accessibility in multi-dwelling units (MDUs) without incurring significantly higher electricity costs. Consider the purchasing journey of an individual interested in a plug-in vehicle (BEV or PHEV) residing in a suburban low-rise dwelling. While I"ve created a detailed journey map exists for this segment, below are the key points. Can this individual overcome these challenges? If not, how can we address this issue for 30% of the population? Share your thoughts on potential solutions in the comments and provide links to organizations making strides in this area for collaborative learning. 1. Investigate Charging Options (general): •What type of charger will I need? •Are all the plugs the same kind? •Is charging a car more or less expensive than gas? •How fast of a charge to I actually need? Does the equipment come with the car? 2. Investigate Charging Options (property specific): •I pay my own electricity bill (has a meter). Will the EV be on that account? •Can I get a specific parking space to put a charger? •Is there an existing plug in the parking lot already? If so, can I use it? •How long will it take to charge my car if I use that one? Will the landlord charge me extra? •Is the space going to be shared? 3. Engage with HOA, Landlord, Utility: •Who's responsibility is to provide charging? •Does the HOA already have rules around electricity use for common areas? •Does the utility have a program for me? How would I know? •If I approach the property manager, what do I need to tell/ask them? 4. Figure out how to pay for the electricity: •How is electricity in common spaces charged now? •How much electricity will I use in a month? What's a kWh ? •How are other multifamily buildings doing this? •Do regular chargers come with a way to pay? •Can my utility just put in a meter for my EV consumption? 5. (If they get this far) Figure out how to install a Level 2 charger: -Where will I get a 220 charger? Is it compatible with my car and electricity system at the complex? -Will the HOA pay for the charger?  Will the property manager pay for the charger? -Who can install these devices?  - How will I pay the monthly bill?- Are other multi-family complexes putting in EV charging? How did they do it? 6.  Get charger installed: •HOA decides they want to put in a L2 charger •Who do they call first? Electrician? Utility? •Can the utility bill the customer and put in another meter? •Utility says a service upgrade is needed. Uh-oh. I would conclude that an individual would rarely take on this journey successfully. Rolling Energy Resources conducted a DOE funded study on MDU charging last year, which highlighted that public chargers will rarely solve the problem. Onsite solutions are needed, and this sector needs help. #electriccars #evcharging #equity #utilities #tesla #electrification #evs #electricvehicles

I have critiqued and scored the #EV advertisements from the #superbowl the past few years, but this year there really wasn't much to see. I thought the Kia ad was excellent from a brand perspective, but hinted maybe a bit too subtley about the EV's capabilities. (I am VERY happy that the grandfather lived where there was a large pond!) I'm looking forward to seeing how the #kia EV9 sells. Anyway, I'm piggybacking on Matt Teske's post that dives into more details on what continues to be missing from our conversations with real car buyers: we need to explain the change-over in fueling more effectively. Also, please see the article from AdWeed Matt links to, as well.