Shift Magazine - July 2021 - 3

I
set a goal about a decade ago to get an
electric vehicle someday. At the time, short
driving range was a deal-breaker, so I went
with a hybrid. Now, with batteries improving
STAFF
and the variety of models continuing to expand,
EV ownership seems within reach.
I can't help wondering how I would handle
the experience. Surely I would have a Level 2
charger installed in the garage, so I could power
up at home. In a pinch, maybe I could charge
at work.
In a real pinch, I suppose I could head to the nearby AAA office and use
the DC fast charger there. But hmmm - how practical would that be at
night, when the parking lot is otherwise empty and there's nothing to do but
wait? I don't think so.
Nope. Be it ever so humble, I'm thinking there's no place like home ... for
charging. Studies show I'm not alone in that sentiment. (Check out Deputy
Mobility Editor Pete Bigelow's Q&A with J.D. Power's Stewart Stropp on
Page 10.)
But convenient as it is, home charging simply is not an option for many
people. Solutions are needed for people without driveways and garages.
People also need access to energy while far from home, whether on an
interstate or a country road in small-town U.S.A.
That's where public charging outlets come in. At last check, close to
105,000 public Level 2 AC chargers and DC fast chargers dotted the
landscape in the U.S.
Amid a federal push to create a network five times as large, there are
many factors to weigh, not the least of which is where the chargers should
be placed to best serve EV owners (see " Driveway or the Highway? " on
Page 8 and " Rural and Ready " on Page 18) and how automakers can help
ensure a seamless experience ( " Power Play Goal, " Page 14).
In this issue of Shift, we also explore alternative approaches, including
Cornell University's research into charging vehicles in motion, using
electrical wires embedded in the road. ( " Rolling Recharge " on Page 20.)
There's also battery swapping, which has yet to take off in the U.S. but is
gaining popularity in China. Yang Jian reports from Shanghai in " Awake at
the Switch " on Page 16.
With automakers rolling out grand plans for EVs, the need for better
charging infrastructure is no longer a chicken-and-egg issue. From all
appearances, these EVs are coming, ready or not. It may take at least
a decade for them to make a substantial dent in U.S. sales, but in auto
industry time, that's right around the corner.
Editor
Leslie J. Allen
Chief of Editorial
Operations
Dave Versical
Chief Content Officer
Jamie Butters
Managing Editor
Mary Beth Vander Schaaf
Deputy Mobility Editor
Pete Bigelow
Reporters
Alexa St. John
Richard Truett
Larry P. Vellequette
Copy Editors
Amy Butters
Tim Good
Elizabeth Hardy
Cindy Orosco-Wright
Contributors
Sebastian Blanco
Dale Buss
Yang Jian
Jack Keebler
Calli Townsend
Design Director
Steve Massie
Associate Publisher
Karen Rentschler
CORRECTION
A story on Page 24 of the
May issue misspelled the
surname of Antonello De
Galizia, a functional safety
engineer at Jaguar Land
Rover.
Leslie J. Allen, Editor
lallen@crain.com
july 2021 * shift
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Shift Magazine - July 2021

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