Tesla Model ≡ Thread

[Josh (PA)]

Originally Posted by JST

Would it? I don't know--I don't see a huge difference in usability between a 250 mile range EV (which I own) and a 300 mile range EV. The number of times my car has been below 50 miles of charge is...maybe once?

Now, my driving is not your driving, and that extra 50 miles might be critical for you. But to me the real watershed mark is 200-250 miles, which we've already reached. At this point, it strikes me that the key is to make the batteries lighter and cheaper so the cars don't weigh and cost so much.

Strictly from a personal use perspective, from my house to our lake cottage is between 267 and 297 miles. We do the drive at least 2x / month. We fill up when we leave, average 78mph and don't stop the whole way and make to the cottage in exactly 4hrs. When we get there, we have plenty of gas left to go to town the next morning for breakfast and fill up.

I'd want this car to be my family vehicle and be able to make that drive reliably and plug in when I get there without having to slow down or add more time to the drive. 300 miles is the minimum range a pure ev needs to have for it to work for me.

[JST]

Originally Posted by Josh (PA)

Strictly from a personal use perspective, from my house to our lake cottage is between 267 and 297 miles. We do the drive at least 2x / month. We fill up when we leave, average 78mph and don't stop the whole way and make to the cottage in exactly 4hrs. When we get there, we have plenty of gas left to go to town the next morning for breakfast and fill up.

I'd want this car to be my family vehicle and be able to make that drive reliably and plug in when I get there without having to slow down or add more time to the drive. 300 miles is the minimum range a pure ev needs to have for it to work for me.

No, it's not. If you want to do that drive, you need a range of more like 400 or 450 miles.

300 miles EPA rating means 300 miles in weather that is generally pretty good at speeds that aren't crazy high; add rain (or cold, or god forbid snow), or speed up and average 80 mph, and your range drops, sometimes precipitously.

It will be a long time before an EV can do the kind of drive you're talking about, if only because that's a pretty edge case in terms of usage. There aren't that many people who have to be able to drive 4 hours non-stop at 80 mph. I know I wouldn't want to do it, ICE or EV.

Ultimately, a 250 mile EV coupled with strategically placed DC fast chargers can do nearly everything an ICE can do. Can it do everything an ICE can do? No. There are a whole range of scenarios where you have to modify your driving, modify your route, or do something else to take account for the fact that your range is limited and your refueling time is (relatively) slow compared to an ICE car.

If you are waiting for an EV that demands literally no change in behavior, it's going to be a long time. Which is fine! Nothing wrong with that.

But in my experience, for the majority of people, the changes in behavior that you need to make are small, relatively infrequent, and are offset by some pretty compelling advantages. I can't tell you how happy I am to not have to go to the gas station, e.g.

EDIT:

I'm mainly trying to challenge the assumption that there is some magic mark at which the compromises that EV ownership demand disappear. There isn't (or at least, there isn't a realistic one). Instead of thinking "EVs have to hit range X before I pull the trigger," you have to sit down and examine where and how you use the car, and whether there's any change you'd accept in your driving habits to accommodate EV ownership.

[bren]

Originally Posted by JST

...that many people who have to be able to drive 4 hours non-stop at 80 mph. I know I wouldn't want to do it, ICE or EV.

Really?

edit: Of course, those are the trips where the autopilot would actually be useful. Ironic.