Electric Car Purchase

[funkyjudge]

6 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... Ok, calm down Doug, put the coffee down  and re-read my post.   I would be leery of owning an EV if I lived in a climate where the temps can reach 0* and I didn't have the ability to install a home charger. I did say I understand some can't that live in apartments and I would think that suggests row houses and other none single family non attached homes would be in the same boat. I do read folks that say they don't want to install a home charger because they get charging free at work or there is a charging station nearby, which I think is quite different than those that don't have the ability to install a home charger. And my point about making sure you are charged when low temps are on the horizon is just make sure you charge before it gets to 0*. I also understand a few may need their car everyday and use a lot of their battery with their commute but if it were me, I would think long and hard about buying an EV if I lived someplace 0* is a regular occurrence and I needed my EV every day. 

... I did a ton  of research before deciding to buy my EV including a home charger including the cost for installation, how the extreme heat would effect my battery and how far I could expect to get on the highway and around town. It made sense for me here in Phoenix but unless I had a 2nd car in the family, and I lived alone, I probably would not have bought an EV in Chicago if I had a daily commute.

... I think EV's are awesome and they are the future. But I do understand they aren't for everyone just yet and have a long way to go for a variety of reasons. Extreme cold, more charger stations and a longer range just a few.  

Coming on a little strong there, Sam; I think in this case that you might need to “put down the coffee”.  If you read my response to your post you will see that we basically agree.

EVs may or may not be “the future”, but they are not the future for many (probably most) people.  I think where we disagree is that EVs will ever be the logical solution for a vast majority of drivers in the USA.  They make sense for some people, but far from the overwhelming majority of drivers.

[funkyjudge]

On 1/15/2024 at 10:47 AM, Middler said:

I’m a fan of EVs, but charging on long trips will add some time (10%) to your total trip time, let’s not suggest there’s no difference. I gave the example before, my trip home in an ICE is 11 hour driving with 1 hour stopping for food, gas and bathrooms, so 12 hours total. In an EV it’s 11 hours driving with 2 hours high speed charging, and we take care of food and bathroom breaks while charging, so 13 hours total. Fortunately Tesla chargers are always near food and or bathrooms. And with over 22,000 Tesla high speed chargers in the US, I have yet to need to find some other charger…

…Destination chargers at grocery stores, restaurants or hotels are almost always quite a bit slower - hours typically, not “10-15 minutes.” Often not well maintained either and store employees aren’t much help. Not good for trip planning. Buc-ee’s are a notable exception, but we don’t all have them in our states.

OTOH I never lose ANY time to gas up in every day driving. I charge at home and I can have a full tank of electrons every morning with zero travel/wait time if I want to. I take less than a half dozen trips a year that force me to charge away from home.

FYI, Tesla chargers are not “always” near food and/or bathrooms.

[Middler]

7 minutes ago, funkyjudge said:

FYI, Tesla chargers are not “always” near food and/or bathrooms.

Fair enough, I meant more often than not. I haven't seen one that wasn't convenient to food, bathrooms, etc. but I am sure they do exist.

Quote

Tesla Superchargers are usually easily accessible from major highways and roads, so they're ideal for road trips. These fast chargers are typically located near various food, coffee, or shopping options, though the accessibility and options vary widely depending on the Supercharger location. 

Tesla Destination Chargers are ideal for overnight stops as they're often located at hotels, restaurants, and parking garages. They're not as fast as Superchargers, and there aren't as many of them (approximately 4,500 are located across North America), but they are convenient when you're breaking up a road trip over multiple days or want to keep your Tesla charged for a weekend trip.

 

[funkyjudge]

8 minutes ago, Middler said:

Fair enough, I meant more often than not. I haven't seen one that wasn't convenient to food, bathrooms, etc. but I am sure they do exist.

 

Yep, that’s more like what I have seen. In fact, the first Tesla chargers that I ever saw were those “convenience chargers” located outside of hotels. That was about five or six years ago.

Where we stopped to use the Tesla Supercharger yesterday evening could be termed at least somewhat “convenient” to food and bathrooms. They were at the farthest corner of the shopping mall parking lot along the access road about 500 yards from the building. It was almost as if the mall operator was ashamed of having the chargers located there. They also appeared to be older and very well-used chargers.