Fear Mongering About Range Anxiety Has To Stop — CT Governor Calls Out EV Opponents::Several state governors are fighting fear mongering as they attempt to reduce transportation emissions in their states.
I’ll just repost the parent post to show how irrelevant this is to this specific thread:
I don’t think the issue is the daily basis. It’s the few long trips people take yearly that would blast that 200 mile range out. People don’t want to buy a very expensive new car that they know won’t work for them several times a year. It’s the same reason people who tow something several times a year make sure their vehicle can tow that.
Because renting a vehicle for a trip or to tow is actually a PITA and expensive.
If you go the Tesla route, they have fast charging stations roughly every 100 miles everywhere in the US. Other brands are working on it.
So you’re talking a 30 mins break every 2.5 hours of driving. And if you can charge at your destination, it’s even better. Trade that for never need to stop for gas outside of road trips and it really, really isn’t that bad.
If you have 20 minutes, watch this: https://youtu.be/vXzuFprlyrw?si=deU4W2fAQ5KsBmsM
The end result is that over 18 hours of driving, the Tesla only added 1.5 hours compared to a gas vehicle.
I mean, it’s not how I travel, we usually take about 10 minutes every 2.5 hours if I’m with others, by myself I usually do 4 hours without stopping. The main thing is not that EVs will never be there, it’s that right now the infrastructure still isn’t there. I’m literally just starting to see chargers at WaWas and that’s not guaranteed, and I have no idea what they work with TBH. The great thing about gas is I know every gas station works with every gas car. We finally just agreed on a charger, but I still will wait a few years to see if it actually pans out to be the USB-C of cars.
And we just haven’t yet gotten the chargers where anyone wants to stop. They’re in strip malls as far away from the stores as possible. They’re in downtown parking garages. This in some ways is great, but also TBH backwards - they’re where locals, you know, the people who really ought to be charging at home - would make the most use of them. (at least around me in rural southern NY and northern PA) It’s the places you avoid like the plague on a road trip because you want on and off the highway fast, not to investigate the local downtown. They’re also not by the convenience stores or food places where you might realistically spend 15-40 minutes.
The other thing that I hadn’t thought of till seeing some other road trips (though they were in the UK) was - plan your trip is great, but what if something goes wrong? An unexpected detour? A traffic jam? Until the chargers are in way more places, you could really feel unsafe if you go below 50% charge. I don’t like going below 1/2 a tank of gas to have a buffer. And that’s going to change things also. Because worst case with a gas car on a trip, I can call AAA and get 2 gallons delivered to me on any county road forget about state roads etc. I have no idea - am I getting a tow or something with an EV?
I’ll also say, if I’m driving 18 hours, the last thing I want to hear is I’m going to intentionally make it 19.5 hours.
The great thing about gas is I know every gas station works with every gas car.
Diesel, premium, E85, etc.
We finally just agreed on a charger, but I still will wait a few years to see if it actually pans out to be the USB-C of cars.
There are already adapters. They aren’t that expensive. My Tesla works with every charger in the US at the moment. Tesla’s adapter for other vehicles should be out in the next year. In fact, when I purchased it, my vehicle didn’t have the functionality to communicate using the CCS adapter, but a $140 part and an afternoon gave it that capability. I assume the same will be true for any future changes.
It’s the places you avoid like the plague on a road trip because you want on and off the highway fast,
Tesla’s superchargers are specifically built right off major highway exits by design. Take a look Most larger multi-car stations are also built off highway exists. Urban charging stations are mostly intended for apartment dwellers as a stopgap before curbside charging is more prevalent.
They’re also not by the convenience stores or food places where you might realistically spend 15-40 minutes.
Yes they are. The car even tells you what amenities are available in each location. If you’re still not convinced, just take a look at https://www.plugshare.com/ and play with the filters. I do agree that they tend to be at the end of the parking lot, but any closer and ICE drivers would hog them for convenience. So that’s a 3-5 minute walk both ways I guess.
A traffic jam?
Cars get better mileage when they’re driven slower. Same for EVs.
what if something goes wrong? An unexpected detour?
One thing people tend to ignore is that you start every day and every trip with a full tank. My vehicle starts every day with 250 miles of range and rarely dips below 200. When I drove an ICE, I’d sometimes leave for work with less than 30 miles in the tank. Statistically speaking, you’re more likely to have more range at any given moment in an EV than an ICE provided you can charge at home.
I can call AAA and get 2 gallons delivered to me on any county road forget about state roads etc. I have no idea - am I getting a tow or something with an EV?
Yes, and what kind of vehicle does the AAA person drive? They tow you to somewhere you can charge. I mean it feels a bit silly to purchase a vehicle to make it slightly more convenient only after you already fucked up and have to wait two hours for AAA to show up. Your day is ruined either way. If you’re that concerned, you can replace your jumper cables and jerry can with a few adapters and plug into at a lot of remote locations. A 1 hour stop at an RV site will get you 40 miles of range. I personally like the idea that the worst case scenario for me (no cell service) is finding an exposed 120V outlet, running an extension cord, and camping out for the night. 10 hours gets you about 30-40 miles of range.
The infrastructure is good enough as is, and it’s only getting better. If you really drive long distance more than you drive locally and/or you can’t charge at home, I can see the trepidation, but the benefits of charging at home are tremendous and for some reason, vehicle manufacturers and consumers are ignoring it. The current ads are trying to convince you that EVs are just as convenient as gasoline vehicles which presupposes that gasoline was convenient for everyone in the first place.
