Volt Customer Advisory Board Member Runs Into Charger Issues

Edward Niedermeyer
by Edward Niedermeyer
When I embarked on the Volt press launch, I made a public promise to keep my impressions of the car itself separate from concerns about its overall viability. My review of the Volt is coming on Monday, but a new issue is already raising its head to confront GM’s extended-range electric car. The Volt’s home charger costs $490 on top of the Volt’s $41,000 (pre-tax credit) price, and costs another $1,500 to install. But, according to BNet’s Jim Motavelli, money isn’t the only obstacle to obtaining the home charger that’s necessary to tap the Volt’s 40 miles of electric range. EV advocate and Volt Customer Advisory Board member Chelsea Sexton, of “Who Killed The Electric Car? fame, is one of the first Americans to live with the Volt, and despite enjoying the backing of GM, she’s run into a problem that she and other EV advocates worry will blunt enthusiasm for home-charged EVs like the Volt: she needs a “time of use” meter.Motavelli explains the conundrumCalifornia puts its electricity users in pricing categories based on their usage patterns. Since Sexton uses a “stunningly low” amount of electricity, she’s on the lowest tier. But the addition of the Volt would push her into a higher bracket, making it likely that EV charging “would be more expensive than putting gas in my Saturn.” With the time-of-use meter, the EV is billed separately and doesn’t count as part of her home use.But California’s public utilities commission requires all of its customers’ electric meters to be grouped together, and that meant running a one-inch thick metal conduit along the face of her building. The other option is to punch through three neighbors’ walls. “I can just see the homeowners’ association going for that,” she said.GM and its allied EV advocates never miss an opportunity to tout the low cost of electricity, but in California, rates increase with use. Without a separate meter to break out Volt charges, Sexton would likely end up paying considerably more for electricity, further damaging the Volt’s already-tenuous value proposition. And in order to install a compliant time-of-use meter, many customers may be facing major logistical issues and even more unexpected costs. Sexton herself seems committed to the EV cause, and is willing to sacrifice for it. But she clearly worries about how this charger installation issue will affect the mass market that GM clearly wants to target with its Volt. Sexton tells MotavelliThere’s nothing about my installation that they shouldn’t have seen coming. We could have been resolving this a month ago. And the point is that it happened to me, someone who understands the process as well as anyone, who has access to all the right people, who’s been party to hundreds of installations. So the average person is likely to get incredibly frustrated, and may end up walking away –- unless they’re so enthusiastic that they’ll put up with it.And Motavelli points out that the problem isn’t limited to Sexton or the Volt, citing the example of Richard Lowenthal, CEO of the home-charger firm Coloumb Industries. Despite his obvious clout and interest in promoting home EV charging, Lowenthal admitted to Motavelli that his MINI E home charger took months to install. Motavelli concludesI am convinced that none of the relevant parties, including car companies, utilities, state and local officials, have fully thought through the installation of charging infrastructure, including contingency plans for problems like Sexton’s. I’ve become frustrated by the vagueness emanating from parties issuing assurances that all will go smoothly. Frankly, it won’t. And here’s exhibit A.Sexton is looking into her options, and making an appointment with the neighborhood association. Meanwhile, her garage is staying locked. And the Volt is supposed to be delivered next week.With misunderstandings and debates over the Volt’s technical details and efficiency measurement already rampant, it’s clear that a mass-market rollout for the Volt is going to face a number of unforeseen challenges, and this charger issue is just another log on the fire. And it points to a larger issue: namely, that people who don’t own their own homes will face numerous challenges installinga home charger, particularly if they’re part of the urban loft-dwelling crowd who might be expected to form the vanguard for EV ownership. Regardless of what the Volt, Leaf, Coda and other EV hopefuls are like as cars, they face the inevitable challenges of changing how consumers interact with their automobiles. And that’s not something that can be fixed simply with education and PR.
Edward Niedermeyer
Edward Niedermeyer

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  • Nonce Nonce on Oct 25, 2010
    There’s nothing about my installation that they shouldn’t have seen coming. So now it's GM's responsibility to manage her condo association? Sheesh.
  • Timlocke Timlocke on Jan 07, 2011

    At some risk of sounding smug. I am just about to start a basement reno. I think I'll have the electrical contractors run a cable capable of 50 amps from my panel through the easily accessible basement ceiling to the garage and just cap it off in a box. I have a 200 amp service, and plenty of space on the panel for another dual breaker. I estimate that this will cost maybe $250 extra on the reno. I estimate that I can run 40 amps of charging + the A/C ( new 15 SEER) + the dryer on low or medium at the same time. In the winter, no A/C of course. Furnace is gas. Stove is gas. Water heater is gas. I do not permit the power Co to turn off my A/C. My municipality in Ontario has just installed time of use metering so that is all ready. If we should sell the house, the next owner will be already set up for charging. However, I have absolutely no intention of buying any sort of Electric car for the rest of my life. If I should feel that I need better economy than my Golf GTI I'll buy a Golf Diesel.

  • ToolGuy This might be a good option for my spouse when it becomes available -- thought about reserving one but the $500 deposit is a little too serious. Oh sorry, that was the Volvo EX30, not the Mustang. Is Volvo part of Ford? Is the Mustang an EV? I'm so confused.
  • Mikey My late wife loved Mustangs ..We alway rented one while travelling . GM blood vetoed me purchasing one . 3 years after retirement bought an 08 rag top, followed by a 15 EB Hard top, In 18 i bought a low low mileage 05 GT rag with a stick.. The car had not been properly stored. That led to rodent issues !! Electrical nightmare. Lots of bucks !! The stick wasn't kind to my aging knees.. The 05 went to a long term dedicated Mustang guy. He loves it .. Today my garage tenant is a sweet 19 Camaro RS rag 6yl Auto. I just might take it out of hibernation this weekend. The Mustang will always hold a place in my heart.. Kudos to Ford for keeping it alive . I refuse to refer to the fake one by that storied name .
  • Ajla On the Mach-E, I still don't like it but my understanding is that it helps allow Ford to continue offering a V8 in the Mustang and F-150. Considering Dodge and Ram jumped off a cliff into 6-cylinder land there's probably some credibility to that story.
  • Ajla If I was Ford I would just troll Stellantis at all times.
  • Ronin It's one thing to stay tried and true to loyal past customers; you'll ensure a stream of revenue from your installed base- maybe every several years or so.It's another to attract net-new customers, who are dazzled by so many other attractive offerings that have more cargo capacity than that high-floored 4-Runner bed, and are not so scrunched in scrunchy front seats.Like with the FJ Cruiser: don't bother to update it, thereby saving money while explaining customers like it that way, all the way into oblivion. Not recognizing some customers like to actually have right rear visibility in their SUVs.
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