4 ms·

I partially agree, but this doesn’t totally address the range issue. There are big sections of the western US (for example) where the existing EV ranges are a d

I partially agree, but this doesn’t totally address the range issue. There are big sections of the western US (for example) where the existing EV ranges are a dealbreaker.

bryanlarsen 14d ago
The western states are fairly well served by interstates, and all the interstates are now well served by chargers. Obviously there are routes that don't use interstates that aren't served, but in the continental US there is no spot that is more than 150 miles from a charger, and very few that are more than 50.
- BryantD 14d ago
  True, but as an EV driver I feel more comfortable when there are a couple of chargers available in an area — I run into too many chargers which aren’t working to enjoy relying on a single option.
  - wolrah 14d ago
    This is literally the only reason I have a J3400 adapter, as much as I hate the idea of giving money to a Musk company we have to admit that Tesla are one of only two companies installing charging stations that has an incentive to maximize coverage instead of profitability (the other being Rivian who is largely targeting off-highway areas ignored by the other networks).
    - toomuchtodo 14d ago
      Heads up, Loves is deploying their own fast DC charging network. https://www.loves.com/ev-charging https://www.loves.com/ev-charging
      - wolrah 11d ago
        That's great, but honestly truck stops are the most obvious places and I'd be willing to bet that the majority of those locations already have at least one if not more than one fast charging provider either at the same exit or the next one. What I mean by coverage is more of the places where they don't put truck stops. At least where I'm at if I need to fast charge locally I generally have to travel further out of my way to charge with non-Tesla providers. When I'm traveling long distances on the interstate it's always been easy to pick my favorite provider.
JumpCrisscross 14d ago
> There are big sections of the western US (for example) where the existing EV ranges are a dealbreaker Where? I live in Wyoming. The folks who have EVs around me are doing fine–there aren't many public chargers on a square-mile basis, but there aren't many places the public is randomly going. If you're travelling on a highway, you're passing chargers about half as regularly as you're passing gas stations. My next vehicle will be an EV. (I'm waiting for non-Tesla self driving to get a bit better.)
bilbo0s 14d ago
I partially agree for a different reason. Yes the Chinese have better infrastructure. Probably even better technology out in production available to them at this point. But so what? I mean it's great for the rest of the world. And that's awesome. But how are we plebes in the US ever gonna get access to those vehicles? It's not as simple an issue as people make it out to be here in the US. But yes. Good on Europe and China for pushing these technologies forward.
crote 14d ago
Population-wise that's a rounding error, and very few people routinely take 500+ mile road trips without ever encountering a rest stop or town large enough to warrant a charger. Perhaps there are some farm workers left who would like some additional range, but they can always throw an extra battery pack or two in the cargo bed, Cybertruck-style. There will always be people who aren't perfectly served by the currently-available options. We shouldn't let the outliers dominate the conversation when the existing options are sufficient for the vast majority.
wolrah 14d ago
> There are big sections of the western US (for example) where the existing EV ranges are a dealbreaker. Not really anymore, at least not as far as places people regularly need to drive for personal reasons. I'm not saying you can't find people for whom an EV isn't a practical option, I don't even have to look outside of my inner suburban neighborhood to find those, but just like in my neighborhood the majority of people even living in the rural west would have no problem having an EV as a daily because they can charge at home. Most people aren't driving 200+ miles every day or constantly towing things even if they live and work in the middle of nowhere, and the fact that they can install a fuel station that has little to no operating cost basically anywhere that has a good view of the sky offers advantages of its own.
toomuchtodo 14d ago
Where? https://hn.algolia.com/?q=walmart+ev https://hn.algolia.com/?q=walmart+ev https://supercharge.info/map https://supercharge.info/map https://www.plugshare.com/ https://www.plugshare.com/ US Gains 11,300 Ultra-Fast Chargers in Bet to Lure More EV Drivers - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46815932 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46815932 - January 2026 (11 comments)

I partially agree, but this doesn’t totally address the range issue. There are big sections of the western US (for example) where the existing EV ranges are a dealbreaker.

bryanlarsen 14d ago

The western states are fairly well served by interstates, and all the interstates are now well served by chargers. Obviously there are routes that don't use interstates that aren't served, but in the continental US there is no spot that is more than 150 miles from a charger, and very few that are more than 50.

BryantD 14d ago
True, but as an EV driver I feel more comfortable when there are a couple of chargers available in an area — I run into too many chargers which aren’t working to enjoy relying on a single option.
- wolrah 14d ago
  This is literally the only reason I have a J3400 adapter, as much as I hate the idea of giving money to a Musk company we have to admit that Tesla are one of only two companies installing charging stations that has an incentive to maximize coverage instead of profitability (the other being Rivian who is largely targeting off-highway areas ignored by the other networks).
  - toomuchtodo 14d ago
    Heads up, Loves is deploying their own fast DC charging network. https://www.loves.com/ev-charging https://www.loves.com/ev-charging
    - wolrah 11d ago
      That's great, but honestly truck stops are the most obvious places and I'd be willing to bet that the majority of those locations already have at least one if not more than one fast charging provider either at the same exit or the next one. What I mean by coverage is more of the places where they don't put truck stops. At least where I'm at if I need to fast charge locally I generally have to travel further out of my way to charge with non-Tesla providers. When I'm traveling long distances on the interstate it's always been easy to pick my favorite provider.

JumpCrisscross 14d ago

> There are big sections of the western US (for example) where the existing EV ranges are a dealbreaker Where? I live in Wyoming. The folks who have EVs around me are doing fine–there aren't many public chargers on a square-mile basis, but there aren't many places the public is randomly going. If you're travelling on a highway, you're passing chargers about half as regularly as you're passing gas stations. My next vehicle will be an EV. (I'm waiting for non-Tesla self driving to get a bit better.)

bilbo0s 14d ago

I partially agree for a different reason. Yes the Chinese have better infrastructure. Probably even better technology out in production available to them at this point. But so what? I mean it's great for the rest of the world. And that's awesome. But how are we plebes in the US ever gonna get access to those vehicles? It's not as simple an issue as people make it out to be here in the US. But yes. Good on Europe and China for pushing these technologies forward.

crote 14d ago

Population-wise that's a rounding error, and very few people routinely take 500+ mile road trips without ever encountering a rest stop or town large enough to warrant a charger. Perhaps there are some farm workers left who would like some additional range, but they can always throw an extra battery pack or two in the cargo bed, Cybertruck-style. There will always be people who aren't perfectly served by the currently-available options. We shouldn't let the outliers dominate the conversation when the existing options are sufficient for the vast majority.

wolrah 14d ago

> There are big sections of the western US (for example) where the existing EV ranges are a dealbreaker. Not really anymore, at least not as far as places people regularly need to drive for personal reasons. I'm not saying you can't find people for whom an EV isn't a practical option, I don't even have to look outside of my inner suburban neighborhood to find those, but just like in my neighborhood the majority of people even living in the rural west would have no problem having an EV as a daily because they can charge at home. Most people aren't driving 200+ miles every day or constantly towing things even if they live and work in the middle of nowhere, and the fact that they can install a fuel station that has little to no operating cost basically anywhere that has a good view of the sky offers advantages of its own.

toomuchtodo 14d ago

Where? https://hn.algolia.com/?q=walmart+ev https://hn.algolia.com/?q=walmart+ev https://supercharge.info/map https://supercharge.info/map https://www.plugshare.com/ https://www.plugshare.com/ US Gains 11,300 Ultra-Fast Chargers in Bet to Lure More EV Drivers - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46815932 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46815932 - January 2026 (11 comments)