Demand for electrical autos in Johnson County is creeping upward.
As of December 31, 2021, Johnson County drivers owned the second-highest variety of registered electrical autos in Iowa, with 883 in comparison with Polk County’s 1,889, in response to an Iowa Division of Transportation report.
Johnson County’s inhabitants is one-fifth the dimensions of Polk’s, which means the county has probably the most electrical autos within the state per capita.
In March 2020, Johnson County had solely 549 registered electrical autos, in response to the Iowa DOT.
Sarah Gardner, Iowa Metropolis local weather motion coordinator, mentioned the growing demand for electrical autos in Johnson County and throughout Iowa is seen not solely within the variety of autos bought, but in addition within the knowledge from town’s electrical automobile charging stations.
From 2017 to 2021, the 12 electrical automobile charging ports in Iowa Metropolis within the parking garages mixed to save lots of over 136,000 kilos of greenhouse fuel, in response to the report.
In 2019, the variety of distinctive customers in a given month peaked at simply over 100. Since mid-2021, the variety of distinctive customers in a month has not dropped beneath 120 and reached a brand new excessive in March at over 160.
Daniel Bissell, Iowa Metropolis local weather motion analyst, mentioned the rise in electrical automobile drivers speaks to the supply of various electrical automobile fashions and the market penetration that’s beginning to occur in Johnson County.
“The town is monitoring the utilization and planning on increasing because the utilization and because the demand grows,” Bissell mentioned.
Charging on the stations is at the moment free, however that might change if a brand new Iowa regulation requiring the industrial dishing out of electrical gasoline charging to be taxed, beginning in 2023, applies to town’s charging stations, Gardner mentioned.
Bissell mentioned whereas Iowa Metropolis has made extra charging out there across the metropolis, 80 p.c of electrical automobile charging happens at residence.
Iowa Metropolis Local weather Motion and Outreach rolled out a rebate program a few month in the past for flats and condos to make electrical automobile charging extra out there to renters and folks with out garages.
The program will cowl half of the set up prices for residence and condominium associations that select to put in electrical automobile charging stations.
“Greater than 50 p.c of the parents who dwell in Iowa Metropolis lease,” Gardner mentioned. “So, attempting to get these assets to rental items, I believe, is a key initiative of ours.”
Gardner mentioned the Iowa Metropolis Local weather Motion and Outreach division is combatting the a number of misconceptions surrounding electrical autos together with that they’re:
- Just for the rich
- Unreliable and gradual
- Unable to final very lengthy on a single cost
Gardner mentioned there’s a wide range of reasonably priced autos with the flexibility to travel 250-350 miles on a single charge, and since there are fewer shifting components in an electrical automobile’s engine, the vehicles can speed up with better ease than these with combustion engines.
Bissell mentioned a standard false impression he sees is folks considering Tesla is the one maker of electrical autos.
In actuality, firms like Toyota, Chevrolet, or Nissan make a wide range of electrical autos. Bissell mentioned availability and consciousness of those vehicles will play an enormous issue within the variety of folks shopping for electrical autos.
“An increasing number of producers are popping out with autos on a regular basis and in all segments of the market: sedans, minivans, vans,” he mentioned. “Having that availability in all market segments and from a wide range of producers will, I believe, get extra folks to change.”
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