Life Near A Gravity Well Submitted by Ted Crane Why is Ithaca different from a Black Hole? Unlike the gravity well surrounding a black hole, it is possible to climb the hills surrounding downtown and escape into the surrounding countryside. This difference raises an interesting question for the EV (electric vehicle) owners who travel up and down the hills: where is the best place to charge an EV--downtown at the bottom of the gravity well or somewhere on top, where the slope approaches level? This question invites policy questions related to different ways to charge EVs. The simple answer, of course, is to charge the EV wherever it's most convenient and cheapest to do so. This might be at home (slow, usually, but cheap) or at work (if a charger is nearby and free). What's beyond the simple answer? Starting with a full charge at the top of a hill often means arriving at the bottom with the same full charge. So, if work or errands are downtown, there may be little or no need to fill up. Back at the top of the hill, however, the EV fuel gauge has swung low, and charging is imperative. In the other direction, with a charge supplied by a (free) charger at local business destinations, there's enough charge to travel uphill. What remains is enough to start the self-sustaining downhill return trip. The second scenario depends on the availability of charging stations at the destination. It also illustrates the difference between the traditional "gas station" model and a more modern, destination-based model. Both charging models are important to EV-based travel. The commercial gas-station model, with specialized, high-capacity, high-speed chargers, is required to service long-distance travel, but it is overkill for local trips. The destination model, with smaller chargers supplying a few pennies of electricity at a time, is more appropriate for short trips and errands. What's a destination? Everywhere that a visitor might spend an hour or two. A shopping mall, a supermarket, a restaurant, a hotel, a health club, a movie theater, a government building, a parking lot, a place of worship, and, of course, a workplace. A rural park-and-ride is a great destination. Leave the EV and use public transportation to handle the steep part of the gravity well and return to a battery that's ready to handle the longer-distance flatland travel. Part of the equation is the need to have charging stations with enough ports to provide access to all visitors. The destination model, with its free charging, fits well in this scenario. Much of the installation cost of network-based for-fee charging stations is attributable to the need to collect user fees. Just-plug-it-in chargers can be one tenth the cost. New York State offers substantial incentives to businesses and governments to install chargers; these incentives will go a lot farther with $1,000 chargers than with $10,000 chargers! Just as destinations have already found it cost-effective to install free Internet (and, before that, air conditioning, bathrooms, and other conveniences), destinations will find that free low-capacity EV charging is a magnet that draws visitors.