While EVs fill a range of roles, there are applications where EV technology comes up short.
By John Eichberger
A couple of years ago, I purchased the first generation of the wildly popular plug-in hybrid Jeep Wrangler 4xe. It has been awesome—20-25 miles of all-electric range followed by hybrid fuel efficiency. Compared with my prior Wrangler, my average efficiency has jumped from about 18 miles per gallon (going downhill with a tailwind, that is) to 30-40 miles per gallon on average when I am leveraging the electric powertrain for trips close to home. In fact, on one tank this summer, my average eclipsed 50 miles per gallon because most of my trips were within 20 miles of home and I recharged every time I parked in my garage.
This proved to me what I already expected—in certain conditions, electric power (even with limited range) can be a huge benefit. Yet, my experience during camping season is very different.
I purchased a travel trailer last year. It’s a very small one because my Wrangler can tow only 3,500 pounds. But I realized very quickly that the benefits of my plug-in hybrid powertrain vanish almost as soon as I connect the trailer to my tow ball.
The 30-50 miles per gallon of local travel became non-existent. In fact, I averaged 8-11 miles per gallon when the trailer was connected. When you consider that the fuel tank in the Wrangler is five gallons smaller than the tank in my previous Jeep due to the expected increased efficiency of the powertrain, my range is abysmal. I must stop about every 150 miles to refuel my tank. Getting to a campground in nearby West Virginia requires at least one stop in each direction, especially considering the incline required to traverse the beautiful mountains of the state. Fortunately, I am able to recharge the Jeep with a Level 1 cable while at my campsites.
When my tank runs dry, I pull over and refuel. It takes maybe 10 minutes depending on the configuration of the station and its proximity to the highway. But I wonder what the impact on my trip would be if I was driving a full battery electric vehicle. Would I still get 150 miles before I must stop? Would I be able to find a compatible DC-fast charging station that was operable and could recharge my battery in less than 30 minutes? Not to mention, what would those 30 minutes do to the spirit of my trip overall?
According to the RV Industry Association, more than 11.2 million American households owned an RV in 2021, up from 6.9 million in 2001. This may not be an overwhelming share of drivers in the nation, but it’s not insignificant. Just in the past three years, more than a million travel trailers were shipped in the United States. This is the same type of camper I pull. And when we consider the millions of drivers who may not own RVs but who engage in other activities that can compromise vehicle fuel efficiency (i.e., towing trailers with all-terrain vehicles, carrying kayaks and bikes, etc.), the number grows exponentially.
Which leaves me wondering—when might EVs provide sufficient power and range to accommodate the various lifestyle choices of American drivers? Yes, fast recharging infrastructure and vehicle charging capabilities will help alleviate some of this challenge, but will it be enough and how long will these improvements take to penetrate the remote regions in which many of us travel for our recreational purposes? What about those who take their RVs (while towing all-terrain vehicles) to remote locales for the weekend? Will they be able to get there and back with EVs?
With these questions, I don’t mean to suggest that new technologies cannot evolve to satisfy the diverse needs of the motoring public, but rather to encourage us to think about the wide variety of use cases to which we task our vehicles. The Institute does not advocate for or against any solution or policy, but it is incumbent upon our organization—and I believe all stakeholders—to ask questions to ensure that the direction in which the transportation industry is evolving is able to satisfy the various needs of all consumers.
Which raises another critical question—equitable access to affordable transportation for all. This issue is why we are taking time to evaluate what role the Institute might be able to play with regards to equitable access to affordable and reliable transportation. In the past, I have written about the cost of new vehicles exceeding affordability for most consumers, and this is certainly true for those living in underserved communities. These consumers continue to drive older, less efficient and higher emitting vehicles because transitioning to newer vehicle technologies is not an affordable option for them.
To elevate this topic in the national discourse, the Institute will be publishing a white paper examining the various issues that affect equitable access to affordable transportation. This is already a key priority of the Biden Administration through its Justice40 Initiative. The intent is basically to lower the transportation energy burden on American consumers. We must ensure that this priority extends beyond this program and is a key element of every policy and market development discussion related to the transportation sector.
John Eichberger is the executive director of the Transportation Energy Institute. This is a condensed version of a blog post available at www.transportationenergy.org.
