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> There are tons of people who like the idea of EVS but who won't by them because they're not practical based on range limitations or charging infrastructure th

> There are tons of people who like the idea of EVS but who won't by them because they're not practical based on range limitations or charging infrastructure that isn't sufficient for their needs. Anyone thinking like that is using outdated information. Current EVs have sufficient range for effectively all but the very most extreme use cases. Charging infrastructure could be better, and will rapidly become better, but it is sufficient now if you have access to a plug overnight and don't go on weekly long-distance road trips, which covers a lot of people.

hn_throwaway_99 2y ago
> Anyone thinking like that is using outdated information. No, it just means people have different personal situations. I have a friend who was excited to get an F-150 Lightning, and ended up selling it because it was not practical - he needed to take it places in rural areas where he lived where there wasn't sufficient charging infrastructure. I'm a huge EV fan, but I hate it when people say that an EV won't work for them and the response from other people is essentially "you're holding it wrong". For a lot of folks, even if they only take a trip, say, every 3 months where an EV wouldn't be a good option, it still means they would never consider getting an EV. As for charging infrastructure getting better all the time, I agree, but that's not something I would factor into a buying decision today, especially if I travel places that would be in the "long tail" of getting sufficient charging stations.
- asadotzler 2y ago
  The average commute in this country is ~40 miles which is easily covered with weekly charging on 60-70 mWh battery packs. A typical $30,000 EV (matching the average price of US ICE sedans and hatchbacks) with those sized batteries today gets 260 miles on a full charge or about 200 miles driving it down to 20%. So half the country today could charge weekly or less and commute just fine with an EV that costs the same as an ICE, even if they live in apartments with no charging infrastructure, even if their town or city has little to no public charging infrastructure, and it's cheaper than ICE for most of them who have some access to cheap charging, like home charging or work charging. That's the tipping point, half can have their needs met with today's tech at today's prices. Most others could get by but they might have some slightly higher burden in charge times or vehicle price, especially outliers with very long commutes to and from locations with no good infrastructure. For example a truck driving construction contractor in a rural home commuting to a new subdivision under development also in a rural area but 65 miles away has a 130 mile daily commute and his truck has a 150 mile range from 80% to 20% so he has to charge daily, either at home, or at the construction site. Hopefully being rural he's in a house and not an apartment building so can charge overnight, but if he lives in a suburb that's pretty rural and has no charging at home, he's kinda screwed. Or, if he's gotta carry 20 bags of cement mix in the bed or tow a trailer, then he's gotta charge at home and maybe also at the construction site to even finish the commute. So, for some rural construction workers, EVs may not quite be the optimal solution (yet.) But most people, yes, they're holding it wrong. They're holding their 20th century car notions in 2024, where we're now decade before ICE cars get phased out in the US and as we're on a clear trajectory toward enough range and infra for no one to care just like no one cares about ICE cars and the gas stations they visit weekly.

hn_throwaway_99 2y ago

> Anyone thinking like that is using outdated information. No, it just means people have different personal situations. I have a friend who was excited to get an F-150 Lightning, and ended up selling it because it was not practical - he needed to take it places in rural areas where he lived where there wasn't sufficient charging infrastructure. I'm a huge EV fan, but I hate it when people say that an EV won't work for them and the response from other people is essentially "you're holding it wrong". For a lot of folks, even if they only take a trip, say, every 3 months where an EV wouldn't be a good option, it still means they would never consider getting an EV. As for charging infrastructure getting better all the time, I agree, but that's not something I would factor into a buying decision today, especially if I travel places that would be in the "long tail" of getting sufficient charging stations.

asadotzler 2y ago
The average commute in this country is ~40 miles which is easily covered with weekly charging on 60-70 mWh battery packs. A typical $30,000 EV (matching the average price of US ICE sedans and hatchbacks) with those sized batteries today gets 260 miles on a full charge or about 200 miles driving it down to 20%. So half the country today could charge weekly or less and commute just fine with an EV that costs the same as an ICE, even if they live in apartments with no charging infrastructure, even if their town or city has little to no public charging infrastructure, and it's cheaper than ICE for most of them who have some access to cheap charging, like home charging or work charging. That's the tipping point, half can have their needs met with today's tech at today's prices. Most others could get by but they might have some slightly higher burden in charge times or vehicle price, especially outliers with very long commutes to and from locations with no good infrastructure. For example a truck driving construction contractor in a rural home commuting to a new subdivision under development also in a rural area but 65 miles away has a 130 mile daily commute and his truck has a 150 mile range from 80% to 20% so he has to charge daily, either at home, or at the construction site. Hopefully being rural he's in a house and not an apartment building so can charge overnight, but if he lives in a suburb that's pretty rural and has no charging at home, he's kinda screwed. Or, if he's gotta carry 20 bags of cement mix in the bed or tow a trailer, then he's gotta charge at home and maybe also at the construction site to even finish the commute. So, for some rural construction workers, EVs may not quite be the optimal solution (yet.) But most people, yes, they're holding it wrong. They're holding their 20th century car notions in 2024, where we're now decade before ICE cars get phased out in the US and as we're on a clear trajectory toward enough range and infra for no one to care just like no one cares about ICE cars and the gas stations they visit weekly.