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Even if there are charging stations every ten miles along the exact route you were already planning to take, it’s just straightforwardly true that it’s more ann

by ketzo 1y ago

Even if there are charging stations every ten miles along the exact route you were already planning to take, it’s just straightforwardly true that it’s more annoying to charge vs. get gas. I can fill my tank and be back on the road in <5 minutes in most cases, and I only have to do that once every 350 miles. With an EV, I would be stopping anywhere from 10-30minutes (depending on the kinds of chargers available) (assuming I don’t have to wait for one to open up), and I’d be doing it twice as often. It adds a very meaningful amount of time to long car trips.

slg 1y ago
I think this is overstated. My Ford EV gets ~300 miles. If I leave my home with a full charge, I can get ~500 miles with ~30 minutes of charging. If a ~30 minute break in the middle of an ~8 hour drive is a problem for you, you probably aren't a safe driver. There is a reason that truckers have mandatory breaks. A person shouldn't be driving all day nonstop.
- ketzo 1y ago
  Really? Maybe my knowledge of EV ranges is way out of wack. I was assuming avg ranges look much more like ~200mi on a full battery in real-world conditions, and that a 30-min charge usually only gets you 80%. Sounds like I’m at least somewhat misinformed.
  - floxy 1y ago
    Assuming OP has a Ford Mustang Mach-E, RWD, Long Range model, you might expect: 286 miles at 70 MPH 249 miles at 75 MPH 232 miles at 75 MPH with 2kW of heating https://evkx.net/models/ford/mustang_mach-e/mustang_mach-e_long_range_rwd/rangeandconsumption/ https://evkx.net/models/ford/mustang_mach-e/mustang_mach-e_l... ...that model seems to take about 45 minutes to charge from 10-80%: https://evkx.net/models/ford/mustang_mach-e/mustang_mach-e_long_range_rwd/chargingcurve/ https://evkx.net/models/ford/mustang_mach-e/mustang_mach-e_l...
    - slg 1y ago
      I tend to get better range than that, I'd like to claim it is my driving style, but more realistically it is because I live in Southern California so the battery is generally at ideal temperature, I often don't need heat/AC, and probably most importantly I'm not sure if I have ever driven 70+ mph for 300 consecutive miles without hitting traffic. Also when I do road trips, I'll tend to do multiple shorter stops which according to that link means I'm closer to the "optimum charging area" than going 10%-80% in one sitting, so that might have caused me to overshoot that estimate a little. So beyond that slight amendment of switching that one ~30 minute charging stop to two ~15 minute stops, the answer to ketzo's question is "yes, really", but as the saying goes, your mileage may vary.
mjamesaustin 1y ago
Yes it's straightforwardly true that road trip charging is less convenient than with gas cars. But charging for regular use is dramatically better. Anytime you're not on a road trip, you spend essentially no time fueling. Just plug in at night like you do with other electronics. So I'll take saving 15 mins every week avoiding the gas station, in exchange for the couple times a year I have to wait an extra 15 mins charging.
- lern_too_spel 1y ago
  He was having buyer's remorse for choosing a BEV over a PHEV. The PHEV is better on road trips and just as good at commuting. It loses on maintenance but probably still comes out ahead on TCO.
- tzs 1y ago
  Note that if your hybrid is a plug-in hybrid then you might get the best of both worlds. On long road trips you get the fast re-energizing of a gas car. For regular use if your plug in every night there is a good chance you can do most of your driving in EV mode. Current plug-in hybrids often have EV mode ranges of 40+ miles. This is what someone I know with a RAV4 Prime reports. They plug in at night and it seems to mostly use the battery. It does sometime use the ICE but it is infrequently enough that they have only had to put more gas in every few months.
  - seanmcdirmid 1y ago
    But you don’t really. You get a weak drive train as many moving parts as an ICE plus a non-trivial size battery that is expensive to replace. Your maintenance costs potential are as a bad as an ICE plus an EV. EVs are way more elegant solutions, simpler, better performance. Also, EVs are improving rapidly, charging speed and range keep getting better.
    - tzs 1y ago
      Hybrids done well actually have fewer moving parts than ICEs. They eliminate some systems (alternator and starter motor for example) and greatly simplify others (transmission).

by ketzo 1y ago

slg 1y ago

I think this is overstated. My Ford EV gets ~300 miles. If I leave my home with a full charge, I can get ~500 miles with ~30 minutes of charging. If a ~30 minute break in the middle of an ~8 hour drive is a problem for you, you probably aren't a safe driver. There is a reason that truckers have mandatory breaks. A person shouldn't be driving all day nonstop.

ketzo 1y ago
Really? Maybe my knowledge of EV ranges is way out of wack. I was assuming avg ranges look much more like ~200mi on a full battery in real-world conditions, and that a 30-min charge usually only gets you 80%. Sounds like I’m at least somewhat misinformed.
- floxy 1y ago
  Assuming OP has a Ford Mustang Mach-E, RWD, Long Range model, you might expect: 286 miles at 70 MPH 249 miles at 75 MPH 232 miles at 75 MPH with 2kW of heating https://evkx.net/models/ford/mustang_mach-e/mustang_mach-e_long_range_rwd/rangeandconsumption/ https://evkx.net/models/ford/mustang_mach-e/mustang_mach-e_l... ...that model seems to take about 45 minutes to charge from 10-80%: https://evkx.net/models/ford/mustang_mach-e/mustang_mach-e_long_range_rwd/chargingcurve/ https://evkx.net/models/ford/mustang_mach-e/mustang_mach-e_l...
  - slg 1y ago
    I tend to get better range than that, I'd like to claim it is my driving style, but more realistically it is because I live in Southern California so the battery is generally at ideal temperature, I often don't need heat/AC, and probably most importantly I'm not sure if I have ever driven 70+ mph for 300 consecutive miles without hitting traffic. Also when I do road trips, I'll tend to do multiple shorter stops which according to that link means I'm closer to the "optimum charging area" than going 10%-80% in one sitting, so that might have caused me to overshoot that estimate a little. So beyond that slight amendment of switching that one ~30 minute charging stop to two ~15 minute stops, the answer to ketzo's question is "yes, really", but as the saying goes, your mileage may vary.

mjamesaustin 1y ago

Yes it's straightforwardly true that road trip charging is less convenient than with gas cars. But charging for regular use is dramatically better. Anytime you're not on a road trip, you spend essentially no time fueling. Just plug in at night like you do with other electronics. So I'll take saving 15 mins every week avoiding the gas station, in exchange for the couple times a year I have to wait an extra 15 mins charging.

lern_too_spel 1y ago
He was having buyer's remorse for choosing a BEV over a PHEV. The PHEV is better on road trips and just as good at commuting. It loses on maintenance but probably still comes out ahead on TCO.
tzs 1y ago
Note that if your hybrid is a plug-in hybrid then you might get the best of both worlds. On long road trips you get the fast re-energizing of a gas car. For regular use if your plug in every night there is a good chance you can do most of your driving in EV mode. Current plug-in hybrids often have EV mode ranges of 40+ miles. This is what someone I know with a RAV4 Prime reports. They plug in at night and it seems to mostly use the battery. It does sometime use the ICE but it is infrequently enough that they have only had to put more gas in every few months.
- seanmcdirmid 1y ago
  But you don’t really. You get a weak drive train as many moving parts as an ICE plus a non-trivial size battery that is expensive to replace. Your maintenance costs potential are as a bad as an ICE plus an EV. EVs are way more elegant solutions, simpler, better performance. Also, EVs are improving rapidly, charging speed and range keep getting better.
  - tzs 1y ago
    Hybrids done well actually have fewer moving parts than ICEs. They eliminate some systems (alternator and starter motor for example) and greatly simplify others (transmission).