First thing most people ask about EVs is what the range? To me this was never a factor when considering one. As long as it’s not something off the charts low like 100, I don’t care what it is.
On a typical day, I drive 10-20 miles a day. Maybe 50 miles here and there. The odd 150 if I go skiing or something like that.
Other than road trips, all of my driving days will be under the range of pretty much every EV sold today. I charge at home, so I have a full or near full battery every morning.
I suspect most people’s driving habits are similar to mine. Yes there are the ultra commuters who drive 100 miles each way to work every day. But those are edge cases.
So given all that why is everyone so focused on range?
Some people drive more miles for commute.
Some people drive more miles for weekend activities.
Some people don’t have the ability to charge at home (living in apartment etc).
Some states have limited accessibility to charging stations.
Some (almost all) people are used to filling up at gas stations in less than 5 minutes and continue their journey for the past (i don’t know maybe) 100 years.
EVs are relatively new, give it few more years.
My eqb range is fine for my need. I did philly - nyc n philly - DC. Thus, I’ll be fine with lower range sport sedan ex: etron gt. I hope they came out with small cabriolet hardtop with 200 miles range.
I live Colorado and like to ski, so it’s gotta make it a certain distance and back home without charging and do so in below freezing weather. The ID.4 seems to fit the bill and there’s enough DC quick charge options to fill in the gap. One ski area even has numerous Level 2 chargers at the base of the mountain which is a bonus. 200 miles doesn’t quite cut it, would it work most of the time? Sure, but very little buffer. As far as commuting and driving around town, sub 200 is fine, my FWD Ariya fits that role perfectly. The key is availability of charging at work or home, relying on public DC quick charging sounds awful. Experience is important too, I’m on my 4th EV and the range anxiety becomes less of a factor the more I drive, I just dread the day where I’m counting on a charger to be available and it’s not. That can be an issue here because some the mountain towns/west slope don’t have many options, although I haven’t looked into Tesla’s charging network and it’s pretty extensive.
It’s the absolute poor charging infrastructure if you don’t have a Tesla.
Did LA to Mammoth and back, there were only 2 EA options the whole way there. One was fine, the second had a charger broken and there was a line for the rest (Bishop, it’s terrible). So that added a nice 75 minute unscheduled break.
Maybe it improves with the opening of more stations and Tesla to the public, but for now any roadtrip is endlessly frustrating. The anxiety of maybe you get a charging spot maybe you have to wait 30-60 minutes for it, it’s not worth it to me.
Personally without home charging I’d never consider an EV. The big selling point for me was how cheap it is to charge at home. If I have to pay for it at a public station it’s no cheaper than buying gas. At home it’s about 15% the cost of buying gas.
It’s fine if you just using it for commute and have other cars. My Amg eqe range is only 220 but it’s more than enough, but I only use it for 15 miles commute. If you use it for road trip even 4-500 miles range is a pain, as charging at destination is not guaranteed, and charging stations are usually packed on long holiday weekends.
We are paying $0.498 per KWH(delivery+generation charge) at home off peak, already on EV plan here in NorCal.
We still charge at home from time to time for convenient reason, with the electricity rate, it’s almost the same as our gas price, currently at $5.5/gal. for 87 octane…
Sometimes it’s cheaper charging it outside with public charges…
Some of us travel. Maybe not everyday but several time per year. I often leave after work and it can be a real struggle sitting at a charger at midnight anxious to get back on the road. Since the charging rate often tapers aggressively after 80% and it’s not ideal to find a charger at 0% the realistic usable battery capacity for trips is 70-75%. If the weather is cold a car with 200 miles of EPA rated range can travel less about 120-130 miles between charging. That doesn’t work for me.
Damn that expensive. My rate is 10.2 cents and there is no time of day charge. It’s one rate, 24/7. Public stations charge anywhere from 50 to 65 cents. And they’re usually empty because the difference is so high. Unless it’s free, from a manufacturer, nobody in their right mind would use it over charging at home.
Most overemphasize range needs, and furthermore, the loudest voices on this topic will never buy an EV anyhow.
I’m not worried about range for road trips I never take. 300 miles? Man I can’t drive that far without a break to stretch and move this battered frame, a bio break, and some coffee.
Over 300 miles? Damn that! Delta is ready when I am.
I’d not own an EV right now if I could not charge at home. No way, no chance, NOPE. That is the limitation for many buyers today.
I think range is only important if you drive 3+ hours. With plenty of charging stations having plenty of issues in maintaining proper delivery, it’s really frustrating going from say New Jersey to Boston without spending significant time trying to identify chargers and routes. Additionally spending time switching from charger to charger until you find one that works, or waiting 2030 minutes for a charger to free up, and possibly charging multiple times, Drives you absolutely nuts if you have to do it frequently enough. However, if you have to travel 300+ miles once every quarter or twice a year or once a year, I agree range should never be a factor in buying an EV.
I once drove from New Jersey to Hartford, Connecticut And it took almost 6 hours, when a gas powered car with no stops would take me 3 1/2 hours. That’s a significant waste of time.
