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So for a 1000 mile trip, that is going to be about 6 charging stops. 3 hours added to the trip - and probably more like 4 hours when you consider that the Supe

• calpaterson 14y ago
  To be fair, you're going to have to take rest stops of that kind of length for a 1000 mile drive.
  • pyre 14y ago
    True, but you may not want to leave your vehicle plugged in by itself for 30 ~ 60 minutes. I guess you could get food and eat it in/around the car while it charged...
    • chc 14y ago
      Why wouldn't you want to do that? I leave my car parked in places that I'm not all the time.
      • pyre 14y ago
        I don't leave my car unattended while fuelling it. I realize that you would leave your car unattended for other things.
        • mnutt 14y ago
          I assume that you don't leave it unattended since someone could start stealing the gas which you are paying for?
    • MiguelHudnandez 14y ago
      I think that is partially the idea with supercharger stations--that there will be amenities nearby within eyeshot of the cars. I think it'd be cool to have coffee shops or a lounge setting where you can use your computer in a relaxed environment while you make sure nobody messes with your car. But honestly, when on a road trip with family, I am lucky to have a stop as short as 1 hour if we are eating a meal.
    • timdorr 14y ago
      The charger cable locks into the charging port while the car is locked, so no one is going to mess with it while you're gone.
      • defrost 14y ago
        > so no one is going to mess with it while you're gone. Rrriiiiggght. No one would ever key the paint work, slash the tires, (attempt to) hack the onboard systems of, or vomit into an unattended luxury car. A better argument would be that the car is being charged on camera at a human attended station that takes security seriously.
        • PeterisP 14y ago
          Rrriiiggght. People driving BMW's always stay in their cars or park them human attended parkinglots that take security seriously - if someone doesn't, then it usually results in keyed paint work, slashed tires or vomit in your car.
          • deleted 14y ago
            [deleted]
        • mieubrisse 14y ago
          Everything you mentioned except the somewhat silly "attempt to hack the onboard systems [in a half hour]" is stuff that ICE luxury cars are just as subject to. Save for the possible novelty thrill of messing up an electric car vs. a combustion one, this risk isn't increased at all.
          • defrost 14y ago
            I said nothing about increased risk, I addressed the issue of the car being "safe" for the 30 minutes or longer that it takes to charge simply because "The charger cable locks into the charging port while the car is locked, so no one is going to mess with it while you're gone." As for "novelty value and thrill" well, yes, it's stupid, pointless, and exactly the kind of dumb arse flash fad that has happened in the past and could well happen in the future - there's no logic to such things.
• to3m 14y ago
  It depends on the journey, but you may also have an extra 2-3 year delay while you wait for the construction of an inland super charger network.
• timdorr 14y ago
  Your math is all wrong because you assume you're some sort of anaerobic being that doesn't consume food or produce waste :) All those Supercharging stations are going to be located right next to places to eat. With about 4-5 hours between stops, that's right around when my stomach is going to start rumbling and I'll want to take a longer stop anyways.
  • smackfu 14y ago
    150 mile range even at 50 mph is only 3 hours between stops, right?
    • gknoy 14y ago
      We stop every 1.5 hours, when possible, for stretch/potty breaks, and every 3 hours or so for food. I think that planning your meals around charging isn't such a bad idea. They'd likely need more charging ports, though, in the long term.
  • chiph 14y ago
    If McDonalds are smart, they'll install charging stations at their restaurants. Maybe even with solar panels.
    • timdorr 14y ago
      I believe the one in Connecticut is in a highway rest stop with a McDonald's in it.
  • brk 14y ago
    Actually my math is based on real world experience. I can easily drive for 12 hours straight without a major food break. Quick bio break at a gas station, sure. Turn a 7 minute fillip into a 12 minute fill up. On a trip that long, my wife is generally along as we'll, so we can trade off shifts driving. We will usually bring some snacks to eat along the way as well. So, my numbers are still pretty accurate. You can go farther between fill ups on gas, and you can refuel (you, and the car) in less than 30 minutes ( or 45-60 minutes of you need more than a top-off, based on accessories use in the vehicles).
• w0utert 14y ago
  All of this going on the assumption that the charge station is not fully occupied at the time you want to recharge, which with 30 to 60 minute recharge times is going to get improbable pretty fast when electric cars become more popular. Imagine everyone at the local gas station leaving their car at the pump for 60 minutes... I think we can safely conclude that unless there is going to be a huge breakthrough in battery technology really soon, EV's that run on batteries alone are not going to be a success for anything but short-distance commutes. I'm still hoping for breakthroughs in other technologies that would make generating electricity so cheap that we can afford to waste a lot of it producing hydrogen. That would instantly obviate the need to lug around heavy batteries that take long to recharge, run out fast, require a lot of energy to produce, and are full of nasty chemicals that pollute the areas where they are mined. Battery-powered EV's simply aren't all roses and sunshine, and I'm frankly quite amazed how easy the negatives are papered over.
  • klinquist 14y ago
    I've stopped by one supercharger station (Tejon Ranch) and I believe they had 6 charging spots.
  • MertsA 14y ago
    The big thing that you're not accounting for is that the majority of charging is probably going to be done at home just letting it charge overnight. Also, you don't need a huge, expensive, and maintenance intensive gas pump at every station, you just need a power cord and some way for someone to swipe a credit card. No more having huge gas tanks buried beneath the pavement, just have an extremely beefy electrical hookup and you're good to go. Everything is all solid state with no moving parts, heck you could even disable the car while it's being charged to prevent idiots from taking off without unhooking first.
    • jonknee 14y ago
      The Model S won't move while plugged in, no need to worry about idiots.
      • 14y ago
• akandiah 14y ago
  I would also take the cost of refueling in to consideration. Superchargers are free.
• bentcorner 14y ago
  When Google's self-driving cars get off the ground, maybe we'll one day have a network of on-the-road recharging bots.
  • politician 14y ago
    When Zipcar gets a hold of Google's self-driving cars, then you won't even have to wait around at the recharging stations. You can just jump into the next available fully-charged car, and off you go. With a reservation, the entire route could be automatically planned ahead of time with railroad-esque precision. You heard it here first!
    • dredmorbius 14y ago
      Depends on where you're going and what you're carrying. Family of four with a baby or two, and a trunk / roof rack full of luggage? Transferring between cars would be a bit of a PITA. I'd opt for the swappable battery in that case (or a liquid-fueled vehicle).
• forgottenpaswrd 14y ago
  If you want to do long trips you could change the battery. The battery of the Tesla S is flat and on the floor, attached with a few screws.. Changing it takes seconds, the entire operation more or less like going to the gas station to fuel a conventional car.
  • ryanhuff 14y ago
    Do you mean carry an extra battery, or do an exchange? While you "could" do an exchange, similar to how propane tank exchanges work, do you really want to be trading your pampered battery in for some random battery with an unknown history?
    • DoubleCluster 14y ago
      Yeah, because you will exchange it again later that day anyway.
    • danielweber 14y ago
      Battery swap almost necessitates leasing the battery. You cannot reasonably own a $10,000 thing you swap multiple times a week. But leasing it works extremely well.
      • ryanhuff 14y ago
        I assume that such a lease approach would have to carry insurance to cover battery damage, similar to buying coverage for car rentals. At least with car rentals, the insurance isn't very affordable, and leads to some people being irresponsible with the property.
        • danielweber 14y ago
          The insurance for a car lease is totally affordable. And that's what it would be -- a long-term lease. You would lease a battery for 3 or 5 years from a company, and then swap at that company's swap stations. They would bill you on something like total miles put on the vehicle or total miles delta put on at swap stations. You would have exactly one entity with which you would interact in case of battery issues: the company.
• jinushaun 14y ago
  Where is eat and sleep in this equation? In a gasoline car, it's just sitting around doing nothing while you stop for lunch or sleep.
• dylangs1030 14y ago
  All of what you said is true, but what people who buy these cars read is "Only a four hour difference for not using gas? Sign me up!" I see what you mean about convenience, but a lot of people will forgo that. Besides, if you're traveling 1000 miles, why does 4 hours matter unless you have a hard deadline and need to travel straight through?
  • maxerickson 14y ago
    I tend to measure long drives in terms of how long it will be until I don't have to get back in the car. That probably isn't the right mindset for a 1,000 mile trip, but there you go. Anyway, the whole discussion is silly, no one buys a $45,000 car with a less than 200 mile range for the practicality of it.
• ajays 14y ago
  A 1000 mile trip in a gas vehicle would require 3, maybe 4 fuel ups. I've timed my fill-ups many times, 7 minutes from off the road to back on (assuming an en-route gas station) is about the average. So, figure 28 minutes lost to fueling, vs. 4 hours. The Tesla will take at least 3.5 hours longer to make the same trip. On the other hand: you'll be shelling out about $60 for each gas station stop; and $0 for each Supercharger stop. That adds up too, you know.
• earthboundkid 14y ago
  > So for a 1000 mile trip, that is going to be about 6 charging stops. > 3 hours added to the trip - and probably more like 4 hours when you consider that the Supercharger stations are not going to be located right on the main roadways all the time. On the other hand, with normal commuting patterns you have to refuel your gasoline car about once every two weeks or month depending on the car and your driving habits. With an electric car, you just plug in every night and never stop at a smelly gross gas station again. I don't know why people complain that when you use a product for what it's not designed for, it's bad at it. Electric cars are bad for road trips. If you're going 1,000 miles, use an airplane or at least a train.