Electric vehicles

My name‿ is Sofia. I have driven‿ an‿ electric car for‿ a year,│ and‿ I have concluded that the vehicle‿ is‿ a solved problem│ while the infrastructure‿ emphatically is not.

The car‿ itself‿ is‿ excellent:│ silent,│ inexpensive to operate‿ an(d) cheaper to maintain,│ there being neither‿ engine nor‿ oil. The battery yields 350 kilometres‿ in summer‿ an(d) some 280 in winter^win-der,│ ample for daily life‿ an(d) requiring forethought for‿ a holiday. Range‿ anxiety is not‿ an‿ irrational‿ apprehension‿ about the vehicle but‿ a rational‿ assessment‿ of charging provision. In my city^ci-dy there‿ are chargers‿ upon‿ almost‿ every street;│ an‿ hour beyond‿ it there‿ are‿ almos(t) none,│ which‿ is why we waited fifty^fif-dy minutes‿ in‿ Augus(t) behind‿ a family with two small children.

The environmental‿ argument‿ also demands care. Lifecycle‿ emissions‿ are lower than those‿ of‿ a petrol car,│ but‿ only│ where the electricity is generated cleanly,│ which‿ in my country it partly is,│ an(d) dependence‿ upon‿ a single‿ energy source‿ is‿ a vulnerability as much‿ as‿ a benefit. Total cost‿ of‿ ownership‿ already favours the high-mileage‿ urban driver‿ an(d) penalises the motorist│ who drives twice weekly. The transition will‿ occur;│ the incentive,│ however,│ should‿ attach to infrastructure rather than to purchasers,│ because‿ I did not require‿ a subsidy. I required‿ a charger,│ an(d) no subsidy compensates for‿ its‿ absence.