Here comes the EV philosopher

What's common between electric vehicles, public metros, solar power and home schooling? The opposition to them by people who have their ways cemented in their opposites: fossil fuel powered vehicles, bus/car travel, electricity and schools. Each comparison plays out in the exact same way: shoot the messenger, not in a way that makes people evil, but in way that makes change impossible. They're so defined by one reality that the other reality has to be held to standards at least thrice as high. 

Let's take the case of EV vs. fossil fuels. People who know cars and petrol have a large, consistent network that they can base their trust on. It's become a normality that they've never questioned, and oil companies love the profit (just a side comment from my Earth-loving side! Ha ha!). If you compare the behavior, trust, access, and fears that make up petrol users' ( which consist of most of us) relationship with petrol, you will find that they match the chances of them making sure that there's enough battery in their EV to not leave them stranded with their vehicle and powerless. 

Let's look at a charge/fill cycle. Your tank/battery is empty/becoming empty and you need a refill. As prevalent as petrol access is, you don't always find a petrol bunk is not always at arm's length from such a crisis. To avoid such a crisis, you'd fill up at a petrol bunk on the way, or closer to your route, once you notice it. If you've gone electric, you would take similar precautions to avoid a crisis. 

1. Charge in parts so that you don't have to wait a whole 4-8 hours for an empty-to-full full battery i.e. a half an hour/a full hour instead of just parking. This helps ensure that your battery's full or closest to full, a much as possible. 

   On a long road trip in a petrol, gas or diesel car, you'd fill where you can because you don't know where you will find petrol next.  

   

2. Switch to smarter ways to charge like solar charging or utilizing the time that you park your vehicle idly to keep it charging at a charging facility. This means that you to have to map or mark the facilities around the areas that you live, move around or travel in. 

   Non-EV vehicles also carry extra petrol or map their petrol stops if necessary.    

   

3. Electric charging should be fast (or closer enough to petrol filling speed)

   There are battery swap facilities that are as instant as petrol and reasonably fast chargers. Even quarter or half a charge can easily get you home to do your regular charge.  

   

4. Charging stations should be more in number and accessible 

   Find a place with petrol bunks exactly where you'd like to dream them to be and someone can pinch you awake. Both EV and petrol vehicles will need to take an equal number of detours or travel management.    

Look at the attitude towards (public) transport, educational systems and power generation in the same way. A possible metro user will have a problem with the last mile connectivity more than the rest of the miles it connects. They'd practically be OK with bribing the Government with stratosphere-high petrol prizes than take back control over how transport should be more accessible in small steps. They'd want comfort at the doorstep as a new standard of the next big thing when the present thing fails miserably, yet it is hailed because they've woven themselves into its fabric. Now they're inseparable and comfort (read selling out) becomes king. 

Heralding change is not something we must do selfishly, with a what's-in-it-for-me perspective. The more we depend on someone else to step up and then buy into it because it's a total cake walk, the more we stop paying a ransom in one place and simply start paying it in another place. We're not really taking control back or keeping control at a minimum. 

Walking the extra mile means walking on a yet unbuilt path. Catching that extra watt from the sun for the first time is going to be a new experience by default. Everything always has a first time. The school system has its critical problems but where will they socialize? Ummm, do they live on the moon or is locking them in the house the only other option? Do we want this safe jail, or we want truly unbound terrain that benefits us?