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do you include hybrid EVs like the Volt and Prius in your "ugly" list? Personally, I love my Volt. I only use gasoline on rare occasions -- a couple of out-of

do you include hybrid EVs like the Volt and Prius in your "ugly" list? Personally, I love my Volt. I only use gasoline on rare occasions -- a couple of out-of-state trips per year -- but don't have to make long stops (30 minutes is long for me) at charging stations along the way. And I think it's a pretty cool looking car. But then, I'm over 30, so what do I know about cool?

jadei 11y ago
While we are talking hybrids, I love my ford fusion hybrid. Looks exactly like the gas fusions and has all the same options (well besides wheels and engines). Some owners even take off the hybrid badges on theirs.
- sremani 11y ago
  There is a little bit of nuance you might have missed here, we are mostly discussing Plugins, and Prius has a plugin. Ford Fusion Energi is the worst thing that can happen to Plugins and Fusion Hybrid is a good car but does not belong in the discussion here.
shifter 11y ago
A typical time constant for a supercharger stop is 15 minutes.
- lotharbot 11y ago
  according to https://www.teslamotors.com/supercharger https://www.teslamotors.com/supercharger a 30-minute charge will give the vehicle (specifically the model S; they don't have stats up for the 3 yet) 170 miles of range. A 15-minute charge would be a little more than half of that, but not much. Stopping for 15 minutes every ~80 miles would be a moderate inconvenience.
  - Gibbon1 11y ago
    I have this rule for timing out how long trips take. Unless it's just me, for every pee and gas stop add 20-30 minutes. If it is just me then it's about 5-10 minutes. I have no idea why the disparity. But it's consistent. Stops for food are at least 1 hour. If you can stop for food and charge the car at the same time a 200 mile range wouldn't be an issue for most people. All this leads up to; when you see significant numbers of electric cars on the road you'll see roadside businesses start to cater to them. That model isn't bad, customer parks, plugs in the car and goes in for snax and coffee. 20 minutes later the smart phone dings saying the car is good go. That's different than having stand around a gas station for 20 minutes.
    - lotharbot 11y ago
      my road trips involve about a 10-12 minute stop every 250-300 miles, and a longer meal stop of about 35-40 minutes if we go over 700 miles for the day. That's with my wife and our six-year-old son. I've traveled with lots of friends who are the same way, and a few people who make much longer stops like the ones you describe. Who is more representative of "most people"? I have no idea. But I wouldn't want to stop for 15 minutes every 80 miles, or 30 minutes every 170 miles.
      - mikeash 11y ago
        I'm impressed that you can go four hours between stops with a wife and kid in the car. I think most people will find the stops to be more than they're used to, but not onerous. You'll probably hit 4-5 chargers in a day of driving. If you can time it right, two of those will coincide with meal breaks, so you're looking at 2-3 where you hit the bathroom, grab a snack, and maybe have to wait a bit on the car. If you make big trips once or twice a year then it can easily be a net win over a gas car. The gas car wins on long trips, but requires ~15 minutes/month at gas stations even when you're just local. In my year of Tesla ownership, I'd say I've lost about two hours total waiting for a charge, and gained about that much not going to gas stations.
        11y ago
- mikeash 11y ago
  You might have one that short from time to time, but typical is 20-30 minutes in my experience.
  - shifter 11y ago
    Interesting, on a trip from the Bay Area to Tahoe, it's about 15 minutes each. I stand corrected :-)
bendbro 11y ago
I've never liked them either. In Forza I had a volt, but only so I could cover it in vulgar graphics. I think what bothers me is that they don't look like normal cars. Their shape is closer to a toaster than a sports car, they have small little plastic looking wheels, and smiling face headlight and bumper styling. I absolutely think cars should move away from what they are now toward something more like an appliance, but I won't enjoy it. But who am I to talk anyway, my current car is terrible.
ams6110 11y ago
The Volt isn't too bad. Not great. The Prius is definitely ugly. The Tesla Model 3 looks better than either, from what I've seen, but doesn't stand out from anything else from similar priced cars from BMW, Audi, Lexus, or Mercedes. It's all very subjective however.
- sirkneeland 11y ago
  The Prius is ugly, the new Prius, doubly so. I like the 1st gen volt though. It's sort of chunky-yet-handsome from certain angles, esp rear 3/4.
Rafert 11y ago
Yep to both. The Opel Ampera (Euro version of the Volt) looks a bit better imo. I'd rather have a Toyota Auris.

jadei 11y ago

While we are talking hybrids, I love my ford fusion hybrid. Looks exactly like the gas fusions and has all the same options (well besides wheels and engines). Some owners even take off the hybrid badges on theirs.

sremani 11y ago
There is a little bit of nuance you might have missed here, we are mostly discussing Plugins, and Prius has a plugin. Ford Fusion Energi is the worst thing that can happen to Plugins and Fusion Hybrid is a good car but does not belong in the discussion here.

shifter 11y ago

A typical time constant for a supercharger stop is 15 minutes.

lotharbot 11y ago
according to https://www.teslamotors.com/supercharger https://www.teslamotors.com/supercharger a 30-minute charge will give the vehicle (specifically the model S; they don't have stats up for the 3 yet) 170 miles of range. A 15-minute charge would be a little more than half of that, but not much. Stopping for 15 minutes every ~80 miles would be a moderate inconvenience.
- Gibbon1 11y ago
  I have this rule for timing out how long trips take. Unless it's just me, for every pee and gas stop add 20-30 minutes. If it is just me then it's about 5-10 minutes. I have no idea why the disparity. But it's consistent. Stops for food are at least 1 hour. If you can stop for food and charge the car at the same time a 200 mile range wouldn't be an issue for most people. All this leads up to; when you see significant numbers of electric cars on the road you'll see roadside businesses start to cater to them. That model isn't bad, customer parks, plugs in the car and goes in for snax and coffee. 20 minutes later the smart phone dings saying the car is good go. That's different than having stand around a gas station for 20 minutes.
  - lotharbot 11y ago
    my road trips involve about a 10-12 minute stop every 250-300 miles, and a longer meal stop of about 35-40 minutes if we go over 700 miles for the day. That's with my wife and our six-year-old son. I've traveled with lots of friends who are the same way, and a few people who make much longer stops like the ones you describe. Who is more representative of "most people"? I have no idea. But I wouldn't want to stop for 15 minutes every 80 miles, or 30 minutes every 170 miles.
    - mikeash 11y ago
      I'm impressed that you can go four hours between stops with a wife and kid in the car. I think most people will find the stops to be more than they're used to, but not onerous. You'll probably hit 4-5 chargers in a day of driving. If you can time it right, two of those will coincide with meal breaks, so you're looking at 2-3 where you hit the bathroom, grab a snack, and maybe have to wait a bit on the car. If you make big trips once or twice a year then it can easily be a net win over a gas car. The gas car wins on long trips, but requires ~15 minutes/month at gas stations even when you're just local. In my year of Tesla ownership, I'd say I've lost about two hours total waiting for a charge, and gained about that much not going to gas stations.
      - 11y ago
mikeash 11y ago
You might have one that short from time to time, but typical is 20-30 minutes in my experience.
- shifter 11y ago
  Interesting, on a trip from the Bay Area to Tahoe, it's about 15 minutes each. I stand corrected :-)

bendbro 11y ago

I've never liked them either. In Forza I had a volt, but only so I could cover it in vulgar graphics. I think what bothers me is that they don't look like normal cars. Their shape is closer to a toaster than a sports car, they have small little plastic looking wheels, and smiling face headlight and bumper styling. I absolutely think cars should move away from what they are now toward something more like an appliance, but I won't enjoy it. But who am I to talk anyway, my current car is terrible.

ams6110 11y ago

The Volt isn't too bad. Not great. The Prius is definitely ugly. The Tesla Model 3 looks better than either, from what I've seen, but doesn't stand out from anything else from similar priced cars from BMW, Audi, Lexus, or Mercedes. It's all very subjective however.

sirkneeland 11y ago
The Prius is ugly, the new Prius, doubly so. I like the 1st gen volt though. It's sort of chunky-yet-handsome from certain angles, esp rear 3/4.

Rafert 11y ago

Yep to both. The Opel Ampera (Euro version of the Volt) looks a bit better imo. I'd rather have a Toyota Auris.