I set it to show only CHAdeMO (DC Quick) charge points (click on “all” to get options). It shows hundreds of quick charge points in the US.

Politically motivated? I don’t see that. Installing rapid chargers along travel routes is nothing different than how the government supports installing gas stations along new highways. When I5 (the interstate I discussed) was opened through the Central Valley area of California it ran away from existing towns, there were no places along to fill ones tank. The government subsidized gas stations every 35 miles (I think that was the distance) until business picked up enough to support the new stations. The government also funded rescue trucks which cruised the highway with tanks of gas for drivers who didn’t pay attention to “Next gas availability 35 mile” signs.

Yes, I can see different sweet spots for different countries, even different parts of single countries. And routine charging infrastructure will have to be installed. (We had to build gas stations, ‘back then’.)
What that infrastructure will look like is fun to speculate about. If wireless, induction charging pans out then we could see simple “charging bumps” in all sorts of places where people park – home, shopping, work, train station, streetside. RFID signals from the EV could signal the ‘bump’ to start/stop charging and tell it where to send the bill. The ‘bump’ could even signal the bobbies when someone not charging has parked in a charge-only spot.

People in the most limited parking parts of cities – the historical towns of France, for example, might need to rely on L3 rapid charging. Pick up their weekly 150km/whatever as part of their weekly shopping routine. And then go home to park on the sidewalk….

Your ‘sweet spot’ is a bit high for the UK and, indeed, most of Europe where ‘long’ drives are probably only half as long. So, 120 miles between high speed charges (30 mins or so) would be all that we would need.

But this is only half the story. For those in Europe without the ability to charge at home (probably the significant majority), there is a much more widespread, yet lower key – lower cost, infrastructure required. Just a simple weather-proof socket with GFI and the electricity cost charged at a flat rate included in the ‘EV’ parking ticket, perhaps. It’s needed at train station car parks, in multi story car parks ideally all car parking spaces, really, but then we are getting more expensive again ie inductive charging and L3 chargers at supermarkets etc.

MW

The ‘sweet spot’ for range, IMO, is about 175 miles. With <20 minute 90% charging (already being done) one could drive almost 500 miles with only two moderate breaks. Most gas-fueled drivers are going to stop that much for fuel and food.

What is the G’ment doing in the US to install a national grid of L3 chargers? If it is the same as the UK – ie nothing – then they really need to put up or shut up. It’s no good banging the EV drum and spending $B’s on incentives to make EVs if there is no support infrastructure to go with it. Tesla says it is committed to installing such a grid but of its own system – and they are doing the same here in the UK too. Yet another ‘standard’. This really is a complete mess.

Having been a daily EV driver for 3 years or so I don’t really see the difference in general terms between having to take 8 hours to charge or even 2. If you are on a trip then it needs to be a full charge in less than an hour and range needs to be a good 2 hours worth. Thus you can drive for 2 hours and rest for one (or less). This is a practical scenario, certainly for Europe, anyway. Tesla is currently the only production EV offering this. The batteries I had in my DIY converted van could take an 80% charge in 20 minutes (LiFePO4). Why can’t all these production EV’s do the same?
There are alternatives. You could introduce a Motorail-type system where you load your car on a train (preferably electric) keep it plugged in on the way so it arrives fully charged and climate controlled. Or you could leave your EV at home and hire a car or swap with your friend/neighbour.
It seems a shame that whilst billions will be spent in the US on diesel and petrol extracted from tar sands only to waste fully 80% of it due to the hopelessly inefficient internal combustion engine, ruining vast swathes of Canadian forrest for ever in the process, no money will be found to expand the US train electrification and expansion program, especially high speed ones that could easily compete with fossil-fuel burning jet aircraft and might tempt more people out of their cars for long trips.
Or perhaps we should just bring back airships – but helium filled, 1/2 a mile long, built of composites and powered by a skin of thin film solar PV!
MW

I’m sure that recharging opportunities would be built into the system as well.

I wholeheartedly agree that for a 16 kWh battery vehicle a level I charge (120 v) could be adaquate, but a switching portable charger (EVSE) could be better.  The only level II chargers available in my area of NYC were at the many Nissan dealerships.  

And US homes have 240vac available.  That’s what we use for electric stoves and clothes dryers.  It’s not expensive to add an outlet for the EV if one is an above average mileage driver.

The range anxiety part of this article will be outdated once we have our system of rapid chargers up and going.  Even a few minutes at a Level 2 would brought our adventurer home w/o sweat stains.

Would more be better?  Isn’t it often?

A three phase system would also be of some help using the EV as a household UPS through its Level III charging port. 

However there is another argument that says this is what we have.  What is the best we can do with this?  While infrastructure is being built, a portable switching (120 or 240) EVSE.with some agreement on the final plug (Nema L6 -30 twist lock? with associated adaptors) could go a long way to bridging a gap.  Presently this would be considered an aftermarket purchase or a “Hack” of the supplied level I EVSE.  I will have another article to go into more detail on this shortly.  Please come back there.   

It is really awkward that the 3-phase system was invented and patented by Nicola Tesla in the U.S.A but was never adopted for residential use:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-phase_electric_power 

Taisto Leinonen, M.Sc.(electronics)
Helsinki, Finland
ex Editor-in-Chief (Electronics News in Finland 1969-1975)