Lack of infrastructure slows state electric vehicle sales
- by WFIU
- May 03, 2024
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Electric vehicles are struggling to gain traction in Indiana. The culprit? Lack of infrastructure.
State electric vehicle sales account for about 4.5 percent of new vehicle sales, increasing approximately 3.6 percent in the last year. Regardless, Indiana is still falling behind the rest of the country in developing adequate infrastructure, such as more charging stations along highways.
Eve Brendel leased a Hyundai Ioniq about six months ago. She opted for a lease instead of purchase because maintenance costs were lower, and it came with a three-year warranty.
Eve Brendel chose to lease her electric vehicle because it comes with a warranty and it was cheaper to lease. (Clayton Baumgarth)
“I was driving a very large SUV,” she said. “And I didn't want to have a real gas guzzler.”
Hyundai also provided a home charging station, which Brendel said makes it easier to charge her car overnight. It takes about six hours to charge her car fully. Even though she does not charge her car around town, she thinks more should be done to make charging more accessible, especially on highways.
Brendel doesn't have to worry about finding a place to charge her car around town because she has an at-home charging station. (Clayton Baumgarth)
“I haven't taken a road trip yet…I might just rent a car still,” she said. “I do think that that in the Midwest is something that might be a little bit less convenient. You wouldn't just say, ‘hey, I'm tired. I'm on my way to the East Coast, I'm just going to pull over and Pennsylvania get some gas.’ You probably need to plan better.”
This past winter, Brendel drove to Indianapolis with an 80 percent charge. Due to the cold, she only had 40 percent when she had to drive back. She’d tried to go to a nearby charging station, but the charger was broken.
“I was able to drive home and I ended up home and I think I still had 30 miles or 10 percent charge on it,” she said. “But it was nerve racking.”
Brendel thinks electric vehicle sales are slow, not just because of lack of infrastructure, but also because they are more expensive and very technology-driven.
The Hyundai Ioniq has many different safety features and is fuel efficient. (Clayton Baumgarth)
“This car has so much technology that I'm pretty sure I only understand about maybe 50 percent of it,” she said. “It's still to the point where if I don't understand how to do something, [like] change my settings, I need to go to the dealership and ask someone to help me.”
Rish Naran, executive general manager for Andy Mohr Honda and Hyundai in Bloomington, said electric vehicle sales have slowed down significantly in the last few years in the Midwest due to infrastructure limits. Fewer charging stations are available in the Midwest than on the west coast, where electric vehicles are much more popular.
“Most of the car manufacturers started the electrics on the east and west coast and then moved into Texas, which are more battery electric vehicle friendly states versus Midwest,” he said. “Public perception has not really changed towards saying, ‘I'm okay with the charging range. I'm okay driving to southern Indiana, northern Indiana, and knowing that I'm going to be able to get back.’”
Rish Naran, executive general manager for Andy Mohr Honda and Hyundai in Bloomington, said hybrid vehicles are in the most demand. (Zoom)
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