4 ms·

> Define "middle of nowhere", I guess? Not a lot of places, even in Utah and Wyoming, are more than 100mi from an interstate. In Utah and Wyoming you can be on

> Define "middle of nowhere", I guess? Not a lot of places, even in Utah and Wyoming, are more than 100mi from an interstate. In Utah and Wyoming you can be on the interstate and still be far from a gas station[1]. I don't think most people who don't live out west are aware of how remote parts of this country truly are. [1]: https://www.deseret.com/2013/9/23/20526064/about-utah-no-bull-no-service-for-106-miles#fair-warning-motorists-see-this-billboard-well-before-the-salina-exit https://www.deseret.com/2013/9/23/20526064/about-utah-no-bul...

ajross 5y ago
I've been there (though not recently and not in an EV). And you'll find charging of some form everywhere you find gas, including the stretch of I70 in that article. (Actually in this case it's trivial for Teslas: there are superchargers in both Green River and Richfield, 123mi apart. I don't see any non-Tesla DC supercharging in Green River though.) Check https://plugshare.com https://plugshare.com if you just want to see charging facilities. In general anywhere in the USA that is "on" an Interstate is solved problem for EVs. If you want to drive on I-whatever you're covered. The question above was about getting to remote areas far from infrastructure. And even there you need to work really hard to be far from a wall outlet. Again, incremental costs to build out (non-supercharger) vehicle charging is much cheaper than installing a gas station, because it's ultimately just freeloading on the long-established electrical infrastructure.
- 2trill2spill 5y ago
  Ohh so I need a specific brand of car so I can use a specific charger, and If I leave the interstates I have to be very careful about where I can charge? Also I'm not counting anything that is not a fast charger, I don't want to have to wait somewhere for hours to charge my vehicle. Edit: Do the downvoters really think the above scenario is acceptable? Being limited on where you can go, what chargers you can use and the increased time to go places?
  - Retric 5y ago
    Presumably your going to sleep somewhere. Anywhere you sleep that has a 120V outlet is effectively a charging station. Which means staying in a rustic cabin in the middle of nowhere for a weekend is still going to fully charge you for the return trip. Generally you end up spending less time filling up in an EV than gas powered cars due to this kind of convenience. Filling up once or twice a week gets replaced with 2 or 3 fast charger stops on long trips and simply plugging in at home.
    - 2trill2spill 5y ago
      What about a long day trip or a weekend camping trip not in a cabin, which I do all the time. For the day trips I will be sleeping at home, so I don't want to have to take an extra day to charge my vehicle overnight. And for weekend trips camping there is again no place to charge when your in the middle of the woods, mountains or deserts. And a 120V outlet is going to be slow. Seriously why would I spend 30,000 - $50,000 on an electric car when it's less capable than my current vehicle?
      - Retric 5y ago
        So you’re going to travel 400+ miles in one day for a day trip? That doesn’t leave much time to do anything while you’re there. Still a long range model 3 will do ~530 miles with a single 15 minute charge stop, actually spending 450+ minutes driving is a larger issue. If that’s not enough for a day trip I have questions. IMO, even traveling that range for a weekend is questionable.
        2trill2spill 5y ago
        What EV gets 400 miles on a charge? And all I'm talking about is driving for a couple hours, rock climbing until its dark and driving back. For many of the places I like to go an EV is unpractical or not even an option.
        Retric 5y ago
cschneid 5y ago
We enjoy mild backroads - dirt, sometimes rutted or washboarded or sandy, but not strictly "offroading" in the sense of Jeeps. I drive a Subaru Outback. My dad & I have done driving around Bears Ears, Grand canyon, various national parks & forests in Colorado & Utah, and have basically had to roll downhill into Loa (if I remember the town right) when we were at the bottom of a tank. Blanding, UT surprisingly shows a tesla supercharger, but Monticello doesn't. So I imagine the overall situation will get better over time too. Sorta another side question - I assume any sort of car-hauled solar is too weak to meaningfully charge a car? Totally back of the napkin math (80kwh battery @ 200w portable solar = 16 days to charge). Obviously a partial charge could be had quicker, or a larger solar setup, but not really feasible, even if you figure out all the connections.

ajross 5y ago

I've been there (though not recently and not in an EV). And you'll find charging of some form everywhere you find gas, including the stretch of I70 in that article. (Actually in this case it's trivial for Teslas: there are superchargers in both Green River and Richfield, 123mi apart. I don't see any non-Tesla DC supercharging in Green River though.) Check https://plugshare.com https://plugshare.com if you just want to see charging facilities. In general anywhere in the USA that is "on" an Interstate is solved problem for EVs. If you want to drive on I-whatever you're covered. The question above was about getting to remote areas far from infrastructure. And even there you need to work really hard to be far from a wall outlet. Again, incremental costs to build out (non-supercharger) vehicle charging is much cheaper than installing a gas station, because it's ultimately just freeloading on the long-established electrical infrastructure.

2trill2spill 5y ago
Ohh so I need a specific brand of car so I can use a specific charger, and If I leave the interstates I have to be very careful about where I can charge? Also I'm not counting anything that is not a fast charger, I don't want to have to wait somewhere for hours to charge my vehicle. Edit: Do the downvoters really think the above scenario is acceptable? Being limited on where you can go, what chargers you can use and the increased time to go places?
- Retric 5y ago
  Presumably your going to sleep somewhere. Anywhere you sleep that has a 120V outlet is effectively a charging station. Which means staying in a rustic cabin in the middle of nowhere for a weekend is still going to fully charge you for the return trip. Generally you end up spending less time filling up in an EV than gas powered cars due to this kind of convenience. Filling up once or twice a week gets replaced with 2 or 3 fast charger stops on long trips and simply plugging in at home.
  - 2trill2spill 5y ago
    What about a long day trip or a weekend camping trip not in a cabin, which I do all the time. For the day trips I will be sleeping at home, so I don't want to have to take an extra day to charge my vehicle overnight. And for weekend trips camping there is again no place to charge when your in the middle of the woods, mountains or deserts. And a 120V outlet is going to be slow. Seriously why would I spend 30,000 - $50,000 on an electric car when it's less capable than my current vehicle?
    - Retric 5y ago
      So you’re going to travel 400+ miles in one day for a day trip? That doesn’t leave much time to do anything while you’re there. Still a long range model 3 will do ~530 miles with a single 15 minute charge stop, actually spending 450+ minutes driving is a larger issue. If that’s not enough for a day trip I have questions. IMO, even traveling that range for a weekend is questionable.
      - 2trill2spill 5y ago
        What EV gets 400 miles on a charge? And all I'm talking about is driving for a couple hours, rock climbing until its dark and driving back. For many of the places I like to go an EV is unpractical or not even an option.
        Retric 5y ago

cschneid 5y ago

We enjoy mild backroads - dirt, sometimes rutted or washboarded or sandy, but not strictly "offroading" in the sense of Jeeps. I drive a Subaru Outback. My dad & I have done driving around Bears Ears, Grand canyon, various national parks & forests in Colorado & Utah, and have basically had to roll downhill into Loa (if I remember the town right) when we were at the bottom of a tank. Blanding, UT surprisingly shows a tesla supercharger, but Monticello doesn't. So I imagine the overall situation will get better over time too. Sorta another side question - I assume any sort of car-hauled solar is too weak to meaningfully charge a car? Totally back of the napkin math (80kwh battery @ 200w portable solar = 16 days to charge). Obviously a partial charge could be had quicker, or a larger solar setup, but not really feasible, even if you figure out all the connections.