What Can Your Electric Vehicle Do For You?
Charging is getting faster and easier. Buses are about to become cleaner and quieter. And it’s all coming in better-looking packages.
Pretty. Clean. Comes with free stuff.
Photographer: Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images
This week’s news brought plenty of evidence that the electric vehicle market is maturing. As they get cheaper and better, and as manufacturers take advantage of the vehicles’ newer, simpler drivetrains, we need to ask: What can an electric vehicle do better for me than a traditional vehicle can?
Audi AG unveiled its flagship EV, the E-tron sport utility vehicle, which comes with 1,000 kilowatt-hours of free charging from Electrify America LLC’s network, enough for at least 10 full charges. Renault SA announced its Ez-Pro concept, an autonomous vehicle “designed to be used not only by logistics and delivery professionals but also by craftspeople, entrepreneurs and traders.” Porsche AG is touting its fast-charging system’s “compelling business case for a wide variety of operators.” And Proterra Inc., a privately held maker of electric buses, took in $155 million in new investment led by Daimler AG, with plans to expand into the school bus market.