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Polestar has just introduced an EV with 400 miles range UNDER OPTIMUM CONDITIONS. i.e. warm enough weather, overnight 'warm' parking, plenty of charging station
by simonblack 3y ago
Polestar has just introduced an EV with 400 miles range UNDER OPTIMUM CONDITIONS. i.e. warm enough weather, overnight 'warm' parking, plenty of charging stations, no other cars at the charging station to allow a charge big enough in a short enough time. (It's the old 'How many appliances can you plug into a single outlet?' problem. The more appliances plugged in, the less energy is available for each of them.)
That Polestar will have the same problems that Tesla drivers had this winter: The LACK OF EV-SUPPORTING INFRASTRUCTURE
It's the old chicken and egg problem: Can we afford to spend billions on infrastructure before we have millions of EVs? On the other hand, without that infrastructure nobody will buy millions of EVS because they're not usable.
The biggest infrastructure problem, even bigger than the lack of charging stations, is the lack of an electrical grid robust enough to be charging millions of EVs at any time of day or night. Last year the Texas electrical grid was not robust enough to be able to cater for several weeks of cold temperatures, even without having to charge millions of EVs.
EV sales are exploding in China
China has a history of providing infrastructure beforehand.(High-speed rail, anyone?) You would probably discover that there are lots more and better charging stations there. Europe also. I can remember seeing charging points in ordinary parking spaces on Paris streets about 12 years ago.
- jaggs 3y agoYes, I guess the problem is the US is rapidly falling behind the rest of the world in terms of EV adoption and infrastructure. In the UK and Europe it's perfectly feasible to charge at home, and keep the car running happily for more than a week or two with general local or even commuter motoring. And there are over 56,000 public chargers available to use in the UK alone. Including ones embedded in street lamp posts in big cities. And yes cold weather reduces the range a little. But even when it gets extremely cold, it just takes a bit of preparation. Ask the Norwegians how they cope with their huge EV population. https://insideevs.com/news/705338/norway-winter-ev-charging-no-trouble/ https://insideevs.com/news/705338/norway-winter-ev-charging-.... The other thing folks don't often mention is just how easy it is to maintain an EV. It doesn't need oil changes, brake pads, complicated engine tuning or servicing. It's so much simpler to own. Which is probably one of the reasons the legacy automakers are having a problem - once EVs are everywhere, bang goes the massive aftermarket and servicing requirement. The only major thing to keep spending money on is tyres.