Craig Farrand, Zondits guest, 10/19/2022 When Robert Anderson strapped a non-rechargeable battery and motor onto a carriage nearly 200 years ago (arguably driving the first EV) it also started a scientific frenzy to determine how to extend the life of batteries used for transportation. And here we are, two centuries later, and the frenzy continues … Read more
Craig Farrand, Zondits guest, 10/6/2022 By the second decade of the new century, the success of Tesla had lit a fire under the butts of U.S. European and Asian automakers. Ford, BMW, Audi, Volvo, Toyota, Nissan, and others have all introduced fully electric vehicles (EV) and plug-in hybrids. In addition, new firms such as Rivian … Read more
Craig Farrand, Zondits guest, 9/27/2022 This is the second article in a multi-part series on the history of the electric vehicle. For those of a certain age, the early- and mid-’70s in the United States were a time of long lines at empty gas pumps, thanks to the oil embargo imposed by OPEC (the Organization … Read more
Craig Farrand, Zondits guest, 9/21/2022 This is the first in a multi-part series on the history of the electric vehicle. In the beginning, there was the hand crank. NOT! Contrary to schoolbook history — and silent movies — some of the earliest iterations of the “horseless carriage” required no such effort: they were electric. And … Read more
Craig Farrand, Zondits guest, 8/23/2022 Before there were personal electric vehicles (EVs) there were electric streetcars. In Detroit, the first electric streetcars went into service in 1886 — 10 years before Henry Ford took his first trial run in a small, four-wheeled vehicle he called a “Quadricycle,” and long before Detroit became the “Motor City” … Read more
Craig Farrand, Zondits guest, 8/15/2022 It’s well publicized that California leads the nation in electric vehicle ownership, with EVs representing 23.2% of all vehicles on the road. So, who would have suspected that the Midwest would be a region with one of the most aggressive plans to put more EVs on the road — by … Read more
Craig Farrand, Zondits guest, 8/12/2022 With all the current interest in EVs and both private and government investment in charging infrastructure, Zondits was surprised to see this headline from July: “People Suddenly Losing Interest in Electric Cars?” That article, first published by the marketing website “Tell Me Best” references Edmunds.com — a recognized trade site … Read more
Brian McCowan, Zondits staff, 8/1/2022 There is, perhaps, no clearer sign that the transition to EVs is rapidly progressing than the fact that the rental car industry is jumping in with all four wheels. Hertz, Avis, and Enterprise are all making significant fleet purchases of 100% electric vehicles, as well as hybrid cars. Zondits recognizes … Read more
Brian McCowan, Zondits staff, 7/12/2022 Fifteen years after the introduction of the iPhone, large portions of rural America still have no cell phone coverage. And 20 years after broadband internet became common, rural areas struggle with dial-up or rely on satellite dishes. Now as electric vehicles (EVs) gain market share, rural areas in the U.S. … Read more
Susan Stefanovich, Zondits staff, 7/5/2022 To improve electric vehicle adoption, governments and utilities should implement programs that incorporate point-of-sale incentives that are easy for buyers to access and effectively improve affordability. Electric vehicle adoption has not been fast enough to meet the climate goals set forth by many companies and governments, partly due to the … Read more