Random Data Points Regarding EVs And Electricity Demand -- June 19, 2018

Updates

June 20, 2018: Vast majority of American voters say they do not want to pay others to buy EVs. From Rigzone:

AEA president Thomas J. Pyle said in a statement that “it is good to reaffirm that people don’t really want to pay for the toys of the rich. Those who seek to expand tax credits for electric vehicles should be aware of how the issue is viewed in the public’s eyes.”
Other survey results follow:

• 72 percent said they did not trust the federal government to make decisions about what kinds of cars or transportation technologies should be subsidized or mandated.
• 69 percent said that electricity customers should not be forced to pay for charging stations.
• About 80 percent said that they prefer to make their own decisions about what kinds of cars or fuels they should buy and use.
• With respect to the CAFE mandate, 51 percent think that it is unfair that those who purchase larger vehicles subsidize those who purchase smaller cars, and just 45 percent favor the program.

Original Post

A reader alerted me to a story suggesting that EVs are going to "suck up 9% of world's power demand." The headline catches one's attention but the graphic at the linked Bloomberg article is not all that impressive. Actually, I was quite surprised to see that with all the stories about EVs, electric demand generated by EVs worldwide would only account for 9% of total electricity produced.

This article was more surprising: an update regarding EVs from the EIA. I think I have previously posted this:

The verbiage:

Electrified vehicles (hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid electric, and battery electric) have been sold as high fuel economy alternatives to conventional gasoline vehicles for a number of years but collectively have been slow to gain market share in the United States.

From 2012 through 2017, electrified vehicles consistently accounted for between 2.5% and 4.0% of total light-duty vehicle sales, even as the number of available models increased from 58 to 95. Hybrid electric vehicles accounted for the largest share of electrified vehicles, but their share of sales has fallen as plug-in hybrid electric (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicle (BEVs) shares have slightly increased.

The BEV share of total light-duty vehicle sales has grown the most since 2012 but only accounted for 0.6% of 2017 sales. The PHEV share grew from 0.1% to 0.5% and non-plug-in hybrid electrics declined from 3.0% to 1.9% of total light-duty vehicle sales between 2012 and 2017, based on Wards Automotive sales data.

Several factors may account for the limited growth in these vehicles. Gasoline prices have remained relatively low in recent years, and the fuel economy of conventional vehicles has increased—factors that diminished the potential fuel savings of switching to electrified vehicles. Initial purchase prices for many electrified vehicles remain relatively high, especially for several PHEV and BEV models, despite federal and state incentives. Also, in most locations, limited charging infrastructure for plug-in vehicles has hindered wider adoption.

Data from the 2017 National Household Travel Survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation offers insight into the use and ownership of electrified vehicles. Households that own BEVs and PHEVs tend to have more vehicles per household, owning 2.7 vehicles compared with the household average of 2.1 vehicles. BEVs and PHEVs also tend to be used about 12% less than other vehicles in terms of annual mileage per vehicle.