While those of us who read (or write for) EV Obsession are well aware that the future is largely electric as far as ground transportation goes*, if you were to ask the average person on the street, you would probably get a different answer. For that matter, they may well not even know what an electric vehicle (EV) is, or that they are being sold in quantity now.
This will change over the coming years as they become more and more economical, as quality models hit the second-hand market, as pop awareness grows, etc. Part of this change in awareness can be seen in the way that products catering to electric vehicle owners become more and more common.
A commentator on the Tesla Motors Club forum by the name of “TaoJones” recently started a discussion on a related note, highlighting that Home Depot seems to now be stocking Level 2 home EV chargers.
Here’s the comment: “Received this in the morning spam — the Home Depot ‘Special Buy of the Day’ — a Level 2 home charger (GE EV Charger Indoor/Outdoor Level-2 DuraStation Wall Mount with 18 ft Cord-EVDSWGH-CP01) for $399. Any awareness is good awareness, one might say, from a ‘more the merrier’ perspective.”
A follow up comment by “Ulmo” included pictures that he apparently took at a Home Depot location. Here’s the comment in full: “Just saw this myself at the Campbell Home Depot. I’m 99.9999% sure the ‘in/out’ mentioned on the shelf tag is ‘indoor/outdoor’ (not referring to using car as home power battery).”
As EVs become increasingly affordable over the coming years, this sort of thing should become very common.
(*Yes, I fully expect that there will be niche areas where petrol/gasoline and diesel remain in use for quite a while.)
Image via Home Depot
Home Depot does have more choices than most. They even have USA Made Energy star CREE LED lights that are the best in the world.
I Wonder if any of the Canadian Home Depo’s have started to bring them into the Store? Last I hear, they were only by special order, Online at Home Depot.ca (and I guess – in the USA – homedepot.com)!
What I would REALLY LIKE to See – is that they put one of Each of the ones they are carrying – in the parking lot – in a Row, with a big Sign, and SHOW – (Actively) all the Types and Brands they are carrying – at Each Home Depot Store! That would be a ‘New Day’ too!
I mean – what would it do to sales of EV Charging Stations (EVSE’s) if Each Home Depot showed how many they had to sell, had them in Store Stock, and would help people to understand – this is the future – now!
Plus – with Level 2 Stations out Front – in a line, people would get an ‘EV Show’ in front of them – more frequently, talk to owners more easily, and start to understand – that – They Too – could actually use an EV! (might even be better than the ‘Islanding effect’ we currently get – where street neighbors buy one because the other guy on their street has one!)