I was watching this person’s videos on the matter. And was wondering what your experience has been with EVs and your opinion on the different connectors?
EV owner in the US with home charger. It’s the best. The convenience of never having to go to a gas station is huge. I was so worried about range and charging speed before I got the car, but it’s all bullshit. The reality is that I wake up in the morning and I’m ready to go wherever I want to go. I take a few longer trips a year, and I’m always able to find a charging station along the way. The apps make it pretty easy to know where to go. I have a CCS plug, and we’re supposed to get the Tesla adapter sometime this year. But even without it, we just took an 800 mile road trip, and there’s a CCS fast charging station at least every 80 miles, so it’s not like we were ever in danger of not making it. The only thing I don’t like about the CCS plug is that they’re so damn heavy. The Tesla ones are supposed to be nicer, so there’s that to look forward to.
So the road trip item you’re talking about is incredibly subjective. I just had an ev for a few months, yes I was able to find CCS on the highway, but you’re looking at ~1hr charging per 3 driving (give or take). That’s a deal breaker for a lot of people.
But youre right, leaving every morning with “a full tank” was wild.
I actually don’t think it is a deal breaker. How many 300+mi road trips does a person take? So what if it takes longer a few days out of the year?
And you can always prioritize fast charging when shopping EVs, if that’s important. We knew full well we weren’t getting the fastest charging EV when we bought ours. But, like I said, it was fine on our big trip, and really we didn’t stop more often than we usually do, even if our stops were a bit linger, and it didn’t have a negative impact.
You are right, it is incredibly use dependent. In a weird way, EVs kinda of outline a lot of the cultural divide in America right now. The majority of America is freaking BIG. If you live on the coast, and are road tripping on the coast, odds are 300 miles seems like a lot because it was settled by horses, but that just doesn’t work for a lot of people. At least 3-4 times a year I do 400+ miles one way.
So EVs do make a ton of sense for a LOT of people, but it’s definitely not all people. From what I can tell, most of the people that have that need for that range are also 2 car families, in which one EV and one ICE works perfectly. It is so close to almost there, and in many, mannnny use cases it already is. But adding 20% to my travel time was not acceptable when I was shopping for a new vehicle.
Until the government successfully establishes a standard charge port (republicans go “reeeeeeeee!”) then I will want a out in hybrid that can still use gas in an emergency. I have never found a compatible charger for my Chevy Volt, but I can still road trip since my gas tank will take me hundreds of miles. Daily driving though? Never use a drop. I even keep my gas at 1/4 tank just to save a couple lbs of weight because I can charge it in the normal outlet in my garage.
Price-wise, I got it used, 4 years old for 20k. I think you can get a 2017 now for about 10-15k so they’re not crazy pricey
As an EV owner, I love my EV. My state had a tax rebate that paid for my home charger, and my SO installed it (though it can be very costly to get a power line run to your parking spot if you can’t do it yourself). It’s easier to drive (1-petal driving, regenerative breaking), I like how quiet it is, and I can go (almost) anywhere roadtrip-wise and have chargers available. However, there is a need for more chargers out in the world as there are places it’s hard to travel because the chargers have too much distance between them.
As a pedestrian, I wish more people drive electric cars because my walking path is so noisy (and sometimes smelly) on the main road because of the ICE cars. I would prefer a world where we didn’t need cars, but I commute 30 miles at the moment, so that’s out of the question for me.
I’d like to see more data but I always love to hear people complain bout smoking killing people, when car exhaust is killing possibly twice as many.
Pointlessly politicized. They are metal tools designed to move people around. I can’t imagine how anyone thinks that the future of private transportation isn’t EVs. That being said, they’re far from the savior against climate change that many people think they are. The only way to sustainably move forward is with public investment in public mass transportation.
They are a step in the right direction, though.
Climate is already and is going to continue to change and we cannot stop it via anything we do.
As an electric car owner:
- We need more fast chargers on Interstates. Preferably at places travelers would want to stop for thirty minutes. Places like Starbucks or McDonalds. NOT gas stations or WalMart. People just want somewhere clean they can use the rest room and grab a bite or drink while they wait for the charger to finish.
- If you are living in a house or duplex, you don’t need a 240v charger. Plugging your car into a normal outlet overnight is usually enough to add 40 miles back onto the car.
- The Tesla connector feels like the right choice. I’m glad the industry settled on it in North America. It’s much lighter and easier to handle.
40 miles overnight? Goddamn I commute 50 a day.
That just means you would need a level 2 charger for your house instead of the 120v ones.
