In the News: Jukka Kukkonen on the Future of Electric Vehicles – Newsroom | University of St. Thomas

Jukka Kukkonen, electrical and computer engineering adjunct faculty at the University of St. Thomas School of Engineering, recently spoke with Minnesota Public Radio about electric vehicle sales in Minnesota. Despite slow sales growth, Kukkonen explained why he still believes EVs are the future of travel in the state.

From the story:

EV advocates agree that so-called “range anxiety” continues to be a roadblock for some consumers. But they argue that this is another example of a perception problem.

“That was a valid concern 10 years ago, when the range of EVs was less than 100 miles on average,” said Kukkonen. “Now the average range of a new EV is over 280 miles. How often do I drive 280 miles a day? Practically never.”

Even in winter, if that range drops to around 200 miles, he said virtually all car trips are still short enough where the charging can be done at home.

“People are charging EVs just like they charge their cell phones,” Kukkonen said. “You come home in the evening, you plug it in in the morning, it’s full.”