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VW is pretty far behind Tesla in battery technology.[0] Still, this seems like a good car for a large number of drivers. The VW charging network is building out
by dreamcompiler 6y ago
VW is pretty far behind Tesla in battery technology.[0] Still, this seems like a good car for a large number of drivers. The VW charging network is building out rapidly (I've noticed that VW's chargers are largely in the same locations as Tesla's superchargers. Wonder why?)
The Tesla Model Y Long Range is rated at 326 miles and in my experience that's accurate and completely practical.
As to your criterion of "500ish" miles, that's unrealistic even for most ICE cars. Granted gas stations are more common than EV charging stations but you also cannot recharge your ICE car at home or at your hotel or at an RV park.
Owning an EV requires a mindset switch; if you approach the EV purchase decision from the ICE mindset and all you see is "OMG the range is too low and what happens if I can't find a charger?" then you're probably not ready for EV ownership. If, OTOH you are able to switch to a mindset where you keep your energy status in the back of your mind (and an EV car helps you with this a great deal) then you might be ready.
For me this mindset switch was easy since I've been RV camping for decades; that's another lifestyle where thinking about such things as energy, water, and waste status are necessary. It's not difficult; it's just different. It requires an awareness that assumptions of infinite sources (of water, energy, etc.) and infinite sinks (for waste disposal) are incorrect, and now you must manage them actively.
[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qx1O4kvjn0U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qx1O4kvjn0U
- varjag 6y agoID4 has 310 miles on its 77KWh, I dunno what "pretty far behind" here is supposed to mean. It's not like Tesla uses some hitherto unknown cell technology…
- rsynnott 6y ago"Has not been blessed by St Elon of Car", I assume. In reality, while many manufacturers have grandiose claims of amazing magical batteries Any Day Now (TM) the battery tech being used in real life cars that you can buy today is all fairly similar.
- the_mitsuhiko 6y agoAlso makes no sense to me. The advantage of tesla is not the battery capacity but the more efficient powertrain / drag coefficient. Teslas need a lot less energy in comparison.
- admax88q 6y ago> If, OTOH you are able to switch to a mindset where you keep your energy status in the back of your mind (and an EV car helps you with this a great deal) then you might be ready. Honestly that's a huge turn off for me. I have enough things on the back of my mind, tracking my "energy status" would have a significant opportunity cost by displacing more productive things.
- toomuchtodo 6y agoUnderstandable, but with governments banning new combustion vehicle sales, the electric transition and need to shift how vehicles are used will occur eventually. I don't think EVs will reach the exact UX of combustion vehicles, nor do they have to (most charging can occur at home at night, people rarely road trip and need to charge from 0 to 100 SOC in 5 minutes), but people will have to be accepting that the experience might be different than they're use to. Something to keep in mind is that electricity is ubiquitous in the first world, and the number and density of EV chargers will only increase over time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase-out_of_fossil_fuel_vehicles#Places_with_planned_fossil-fuel_vehicle_bans https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase-out_of_fossil_fuel_vehic...
- admax88q 6y agoTotally, I definitely intend for my next vehicle to be electric despite my naysaying. I wish that EV vendors would let you "test drive" a vehicle over the course of a week. It's hard to imagine what your day to day charging experience would be by just driving around for an hour. For most people, myself included, I bet the charging will actually be a non issue, probably even more convenient than gas, but it still feels like a big leap to take.
- toomuchtodo 6y agoI agree with you entirely. My Model S has spent more time lent out to friends, family, and others so they can have the experience you describe. Manufacturers must improve on this at scale, as individual efforts alone will be insufficient. Definitely a complex inflection point we're at, but I have hope! (disclosure: I do not recommend buying a Tesla currently due to their QC and support failings).
- datavirtue 6y agoIt is extremely common to fill up any ICE and get nearly 500 miles. It's almost like they sized the tanks to that standard.
- theshrike79 6y agoOf the 8 cars I've owned so far, only one could do over 800km reliably with one tank (VW Passat Diesel). Most could handle around 500-600km (375-ish max). My current EV can do around 280-300km in one go and it hasn't limited me once. Back seat needs a pee-break after 200-250km anyway =)
- dreamcompiler 6y agoI can get that in my diesel pickup not towing (19 mpg and 30 gallons) but no car I've ever owned can get 500 miles from a tank of gas.
- frosted-flakes 6y agoA diesel mk4 VW Jetta/Golf easily gets 1000 km (620 miles) on the highway. Those cars were extremely common in NA at one point.
- dreamcompiler 6y agoThat was also the point just before the VW scandal proved that diesel engines can be high-mileage or low-polluting but not both at the same time. Which is why diesel VWs are rather less common today.
- frosted-flakes 6y agoMk4 VWs are MY 1998-2005. There's still a heck of a lot of them on the road now, but I think the peak was probably well before 2015 when the "scandal" took place.
- sib 6y agoMy last Subaru (traded in for Tesla Model 3) was lucky to get 250 miles.