Ever since the documentary film Who Killed the Electric Car? debuted, the three questions, "How far? How fast? How much?" are the metrics by which every new electric vehicle is measured. At the time of its release in 2006, auto manufacturers were still preparing to build the first round of modern electric vehicles (EV). At that time, the three questions were very straightforward. How far can the car go on a single charge? How fast, literally, can the car go? How much does it cost to buy the car?
As times and context change, however, the fundamental nature of those questions also change. While the question of "How far?" remains to this day a question that most buyers ask, it has become less straightforward as networks of fast chargers are built across the United States and across the globe. The question of "How fast?" is no longer relevant in its original sense as modern EVs are fully capable of freeway speeds. Even the question of "How much?" is no longer as focused on initial purchase price because other costs have become worthy of equal consideration.
With each EV and with each set of circumstances, those three questions continue to guide discussions and inform purchases. While my primary goal for this site is to inform prospective, new, and experienced EV owners, I will use those questions to frame many of my news stories, updates, and op-ed pieces. I believe that they will help to explore the effectiveness of EVs as replacements for personal transportation.