jfkmk wrote:
garyemunson wrote:
For the foreseeable future, I expect the cost of the chargers will be spread out over all the customers through higher prices at the businesses that supply free charging.
I agree this is what is probably happening, but I don't necessarily agree with. Why on earth should I subsidize someone else's transportation? Why should the store treat one customer better than another because of the type of car they drive?
I remember talking with an electric car owner at a restaurant. He said he taught at a university near where I worked. Knowing it was about a 100 mile round trip, I asked if he saw any real benefit to electric due to the high mileage of the commute. He told me he got to charge his car for free at the university. Great, so I was subsidizing his commute too (it was a state school). I really don't get subsidizing others like this.
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Yah that's a toughie because it's public money. It's different when it's part of a business plan. No different than coupons. We see lots of public free chargers at learning institutions in BC as well. I suppose the pretense is that an electric vehicle emits no pollution and is better for society as a whole so providing free charging incentives the use of said vehicle. Although this approach might work initially I don't see the need in the long run to provide free power. Maybe a break even amount but not free. As EV drivers we do tend to gravitate places that have free chargers but they are usually part of a larger marketing scheme. They end up getting our dollars anyway and we get the convenience of destination charging. I think destination charging will be huge for attracting EV drivers to business.
