Electric Cars

Electric vehicle enthusiasts are gathering around New Hampshire this weekend for National Drive Electric Week.

Last month, NHPR’s Laura Knoy hosted an Exchange discussion on electric cars and their challenges. Interestingly, the worries and obstacles of alternative fuel cars discussed in this episode were also present in previous Exchange shows aired some 20 years ago.

Both Tesla and Volvo recently announced new innovations in electric car design, as more automobile companies augment their cars with increased fuel-efficiency, battery capacity, and hybrid technology. These new cars also bring new infrastructure, including home-charging stations and electric car ports in parking lots and at businesses. We'll talk about what you should know about investing in an electric car, and how they impact both the environment and the future of driving. 

Electric vehicles are not quite mainstream yet, but the price of one model, the Chevy Bolt, is dropping to an accessible range. Concord Monitor columnist David Brooks was lucky enough to test drive one, and wrote this week that there’s a learning curve for driving these cars. He spoke with NHPR’s Peter Biello about the experience.

About that learning curve—what exactly would we have to unlearn as drivers in order to learn how to drive electric cars?

In the early 1990s, a group of engineers, architects, planners and designers attempted to figure out what it would take for electric vehicles to thrive in Keene. And their ideas came pretty close to what emerged in other locations across the country more than two decades later.

On today's show, taking a critical look at the Tesla's autopilot feature with Consumer Reports, a look back at when we first heard about robots making delicious hamburgers, Sean Hurley does a dramatic [robotic] reading of a job posting at the robot hamburger restaurant, and we listen in to Peter Biello's conversation with author, illustrator, and banjo player Marek Bennett.

Next time you’re heading through Hooksett, N.H. on I-93, look for a Tesla electric car stopped at one of the dozen charging stations. Chances are, you won’t find a Tesla or any other kind of electric vehicle there. These stations are not used very often. David Brooks, reporter for The Concord Monitor and writer at Granitegeek.org, spoke with NHPR’s All Things Considered host Peter Biello about why these charging stations are so infrequently used.

With charging stations expanding across New England, including a new super-charger coming to Portsmouth, this niche automobile market is growing.  We’ll dig into the science of electric cars: how they work, new technology to expand their range, and why – depending on where you live – they may not be as green as you might think.

(originally broadcast August 4, 2014)

GUESTS:

There’s a growing number of electric cars on New Hampshire roads these days. But this part of the auto market may grow slowly in New Hampshire.

Today Public Service of New Hampshire launched its Electric Vehicle Hotline, where consumers can find out about electric cars currently on the market. The move comes as electric car sales have begun to pick up, and utilities see those drivers as a sales opportunity.