When Idiots Attempt an EV Road Trip

[nickmdp]

It’s the Murdoch press. They set out with an agenda which they know is detrimental to society but which they push for the sake of profits from targeting a certain segment of society. You’re never going to win an argument with them because they will not rationally consider their viewpoint and opposing arguments.

I think I'm done in this thread. It's as if none of you realize that someone on the fence about getting an EV might stumble across this thread, feel like they're being called an idiot because they don't understand what the author did wrong, and have their opinion swing away from an EV as a result.

It's not hard to have a discussion about what the author could have done differently without calling them an idiot, and if you can't do that, you're not any better than them IMO.

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[Allegedly]

Am I the only one with these two opinions:

1. EV adoption would have been higher and less controversial had they dropped the green sh*t and just gone with "they're so much fun to drive".

2. When EV's are more common, there will be more accidents and ass-riding idiots because they're so damn fast and they're sometimes not as intuitive to drive (after owning a Taycan, driving a Rivian, and a Tesla).

 

[steveBK123]

Am I the only one with these two opinions:

1. EV adoption would have been higher and less controversial had they dropped the green sh*t and just gone with "they're so much fun to drive".

2. When EV's are more common, there will be more accidents and ass-riding idiots because they're so damn fast and they're sometimes not as intuitive to drive (after owning a Taycan, driving a Rivian, and a Tesla).

Yes I am in the same boat.
We already had a pretty clear example of #2 - a Revel (neon blue Tesla Model Y taxi) driver somehow totaled his vehicle speeding down 34th St in Midtown Manhattan in the middle of busy workday traffic. The videos of it you would think he was trying to launch to the moon. My assumption is he was relatively newer to driving EVs, and also giving aggressive NYC taxi drivers EVs with 0-60 in the 4s or less range is.. gonna be interesting.

Video for reference:

 

[JimBob]

It’s the Murdoch press.

Yeah, anything that comes out of a Murdoch press organ needs to be viewed with suspicion. They have an agenda and will misrepresent, obfuscate, dodge and weave to further that agenda. And EV's aren't part of that agenda.

 

[Ross]

Not just in USA!
https://amp.theguardian.com/money/2020/nov/28/electric-cars-porsche-charging-network

 

[kort]

Yes I am in the same boat.
We already had a pretty clear example of #2 - a Revel (neon blue Tesla Model Y taxi) driver somehow totaled his vehicle speeding down 34th St in Midtown Manhattan in the middle of busy workday traffic. The videos of it you would think he was trying to launch to the moon. My assumption is he was relatively newer to driving EVs, and also giving aggressive NYC taxi drivers EVs with 0-60 in the 4s or less range is.. gonna be interesting.

Video for reference:

was it driver idiocy versus the car being the issue?
the revel drivers as far as I understand work for revel and one would assume that they are not just put in the driver's seat without any sort of training.

 

[DerekS]

It seems to me all of their problems were caused by relying on stupidly slow chargers.

They could have done the whole trip on EA.

https://abetterrouteplanner.com/?plan_uuid=932263ca-1dd8-49d4-9c0b-ebc8dbc84d63

 

[steveBK123]

was it driver idiocy versus the car being the issue?
the revel drivers as far as I understand work for revel and one would assume that they are not just put in the driver's seat without any sort of training.

Well, yes clearly it was driver idiocy...
Revel drivers work for Revel, that doesn't mean the training is extensive or this guy may not have been relatively new to the drive.

If you've spent any time in the back of an NYC cab, you'd also probably question the wisdom of giving taxi drivers cars with 2-3x the acceleration of the RAV4/etc vehicles they have typically driven.
I'd put the wisdom in the same category of giving a 17 year old male of the species a Taycan GTS.

Maybe we'll see the NYC TLC mandate that the software limiters be activated on EVs in the fleet or something.

 

[IrwinJ]

This article, from the Wall Street Journal, illustrates the need for a minimum level of intelligence when embarking on an EV road trip. The article is chock-full of bonehead decisions, and inaccurate perceptions and is laced with a naive understanding of what what driving long distance in an EV is about. Of course, the WSJ, a well-known unbiased source of green technology, is doing its best to discourage EV adoption.

https://apple.news/AVKj3Qx50Qeyq0fGqcT4z8Q

I couldn't disagree more with your take that WSJ is biased. Perhaps you're confusing it with MSNBC and CNN?

 

[Old man]

As an 85 year old, I suspect I am not a typical EV owner nor am I an idiot ( although my wife might disagree) . I love my Taycan and I have driven it about 3000 miles in 4 months, It is by far the most fun to drive of any car I have ever owned. My perspective on this WSJ article is that, sadly, it is probably typical of the fears, and perhaps the experiences of more than a few present or prospective EV owners. As a link in the first line of the third paragraph of the article stressed their trip was dependent on the infrastructure of the charging network. Clearly that shortcoming was the chief reason this trip was such a disaster and not solely because of a lack of planning by these 2 inexperienced drivers. Obviously, 2000 miles in 4 days is a difficult goal to meet in any vehicle.

We all realize widespread ownership of EV’s will not occur until massive improvements can be made in charging infrastructure. We can not expect most drivers to willingly get out of their car on a perhaps rainy or snowy night or in a questionable, dark neighborhood and struggle to find a functioning charger and manipulate a heavy, stiff, awkward charging plug into their vehicle.

As EV owners it is a mistake to attribute a negative article about EV charging to bias by the WSJ but instead we should recognize it as further impetus to make charging much more like filling up your ICE vehicle. To counter the drawbacks of charging we should stress the inherent advantages of an EV. Charging at home is easy and efficient, even for an old man and is all anyone needs except for a road trip. Compared to an ICE vehicle, an EV requires much less maintenance and is much more fun to drive. Whether or not it is markedly better for the environment is still somewhat contentious and may not be a compelling selling point for all, but the other advantages are indisputable.

 

[gnop1950]

My take is a bit different, I think the fact that people as obviously incompetent, in understanding EVs at least, as those in the article could even make such a drive, and complete it, is good news for EVs. As the charging infrastructure continues to expand, and charging apps continue to improve, it will be easier and easier to just take off on a trip with an EV.

There is no question that some additional thought/advice could have made their trip much more pleasant, but really planning is the key to any successful and fun road trip even in an ICE car.

 

[maddie]

Scary ! I do see the comments and that this is probably not a well planned trip.

I was planning a NYC to Chicago / Toronto road trip. What are the recommendations ? I don’t have Porsche’s route planner because it’s not available over FOD.

 

[DerekS]

I was planning a NYC to Chicago / Toronto road trip. What are the recommendations ? I don’t have Porsche’s route planner because it’s not available over FOD.

Use www.abetterrouteplanner.com and configure it for your car.

Also you should have the built in route planner, just not "PIRM."

 

[Bill33525]

Scary ! I do see the comments and that this is probably not a well planned trip.

I was planning a NYC to Chicago / Toronto road trip. What are the recommendations ? I don’t have Porsche’s route planner because it’s not available over FOD.

I entered this general plan:

https://abetterrouteplanner.com/?plan_uuid=9694f69d-1a4d-402f-b07a-9440c4e3a547

Hope this gives you some idea. You can change the general points to more specific addresses.
Good luck, feel free to ask questions.

 

[maddie]

Use www.abetterrouteplanner.com and configure it for your car.

Also you should have the built in route planner, just not "PIRM."

Thank you ! i’ll look it up

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