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I can do a ten hour road trip with a family of four plus a dog in a used (2022) EV that I got for ~30k last year. I think the idea that price and range are prob

I can do a ten hour road trip with a family of four plus a dog in a used (2022) EV that I got for ~30k last year. I think the idea that price and range are problems is exactly the misconception that op was taking about. They are somewhat more expensive, although when I originally did the calculus, fuel savings made up the difference in monthly payments for a new vehicle, but that's going to vary a lot. The is a very small proportion of people for whom range is a legitimate concern.

alistairSH 9mo ago
Now do the range/time/stops calculation with a travel trailer. Yes, if we're talking about normal family travel, an EV works fine for many trips (though there are still charging "dead spots" in parts of the country - looking at you WV). But, "truck stuff" like towing, they aren't there yet. Maybe in a few years when we get the next generation of battery and charger tech.
- Workaccount2 9mo ago
  In truth you cannot really do this because range is a function of drag, not really weight. So if you are towing a 2000lb empty box mobile home it's gonna be worse than towing an 8000lb flat bed of decorative boulders.
  - alistairSH 9mo ago
    Yep. It takes a massive battery (and massive "normal" range) to pull off towing any distance. Unless I'm wrong, only the Chevy Silverado EV has the range (480ish) to make a reasonable tow vehicle, but only with the big battery, which pushes the price north of $90k.
  - mmmlinux 9mo ago
    AgingWheels on youtube did a video testing exactly this.
IncreasePosts 9mo ago
I actually enjoy doing road trips in my tesla more so than in ICEs, because of the forced breaks. With ICEs, stops would be either for food or for bathroom breaks. A lot of times just eating in the car while driving. But for a 10 hour drive I am forced to take 4 20 minute stops - so once every 2 hours. This ends up making me feel a lot better at the end of the trip and also gives you "guilt free" time to enjoy a random park you've never been to, or sit down and have a meal. So, lets say 80 minutes of added time for a 10 hour trip, vs maybe 40 minutes that I would have added in my gas guzzler. 40 minutes extra on a 10 hour trip just isn't that big of a deal to me and especially so considering all the benefits from walking around for a bit or seeing some new places. Obviously you could do that same thing in an ICE car, but I feel the pressure to keep moving so it hits different.
- ceejayoz 9mo ago
  This calculation gets even better when you count “never have to go to a gas station except during long distance travel”. Those minutes add up!
  - Uvix 9mo ago
    The minutes add up, but it only takes one long distance trip to burn months or years of gas station time saved.
    - ceejayoz 9mo ago
      Nah. EVs can often charge ~80% in 20-30 mins. Pumping gas takes me at least 5 mins. You win pretty quickly on this metric unless you do a lot of 200+ mile trips.
- mdavid626 9mo ago
  How are you driving for 10 hours with only 80 min charging?
  - IncreasePosts 9mo ago

alistairSH 9mo ago

Now do the range/time/stops calculation with a travel trailer. Yes, if we're talking about normal family travel, an EV works fine for many trips (though there are still charging "dead spots" in parts of the country - looking at you WV). But, "truck stuff" like towing, they aren't there yet. Maybe in a few years when we get the next generation of battery and charger tech.

Workaccount2 9mo ago
In truth you cannot really do this because range is a function of drag, not really weight. So if you are towing a 2000lb empty box mobile home it's gonna be worse than towing an 8000lb flat bed of decorative boulders.
- alistairSH 9mo ago
  Yep. It takes a massive battery (and massive "normal" range) to pull off towing any distance. Unless I'm wrong, only the Chevy Silverado EV has the range (480ish) to make a reasonable tow vehicle, but only with the big battery, which pushes the price north of $90k.
- mmmlinux 9mo ago
  AgingWheels on youtube did a video testing exactly this.

IncreasePosts 9mo ago

I actually enjoy doing road trips in my tesla more so than in ICEs, because of the forced breaks. With ICEs, stops would be either for food or for bathroom breaks. A lot of times just eating in the car while driving. But for a 10 hour drive I am forced to take 4 20 minute stops - so once every 2 hours. This ends up making me feel a lot better at the end of the trip and also gives you "guilt free" time to enjoy a random park you've never been to, or sit down and have a meal. So, lets say 80 minutes of added time for a 10 hour trip, vs maybe 40 minutes that I would have added in my gas guzzler. 40 minutes extra on a 10 hour trip just isn't that big of a deal to me and especially so considering all the benefits from walking around for a bit or seeing some new places. Obviously you could do that same thing in an ICE car, but I feel the pressure to keep moving so it hits different.

ceejayoz 9mo ago
This calculation gets even better when you count “never have to go to a gas station except during long distance travel”. Those minutes add up!
- Uvix 9mo ago
  The minutes add up, but it only takes one long distance trip to burn months or years of gas station time saved.
  - ceejayoz 9mo ago
    Nah. EVs can often charge ~80% in 20-30 mins. Pumping gas takes me at least 5 mins. You win pretty quickly on this metric unless you do a lot of 200+ mile trips.
mdavid626 9mo ago
How are you driving for 10 hours with only 80 min charging?
- IncreasePosts 9mo ago