Ron, Are you buying a 100k+ car to drive to commute to work every day? If so my hat is off to you! I would think that those of you that live in colder climates would be more concerned about range than others...
No, I have a BMW i3 Rex which I've found to be a perfect commuting car for my 10 mile commute each day. Sounds like it's very different from your transportation needs. The off-the-line performance of an EV is really addictive, even just for a daily commute. I've been a Porsche fanboy since my first 944 in 1991 (visited the factory twice) and can't wait to see what Porsche can do with that instant torque from an electric drivetrain. How is the charger situation in Texas? I'm located just north of Boston and, while there are a few, I think we need more up here on our interstates.
Along the main corridors in Texas such as I-10 which runs East to West from the Louisiana border to El Paso, and between main cities such as Houston, San Antonio, Austin and Dallas, Electrify America already has charging stations lined up at adequate distances. The problem is the rest of the state. There are hundreds of competing charging stations in semi populated areas but they are woefully slow. As time goes on there will be more fast charging stations but drives at the present time in rural areas may mean a adaptor and a local RV park overnight! P.S.- My bucket list trip in a EV is a vacation from Houston to Big Bend National Park/Terlingua.....
Not sure I agree with you there. but that's just part of being part of a heterogeneous community I guess. I'm certainly not worried about a 20 mins charge now and then as when I go to the mountains and back in the same day. But when I travel for a couple of thousand kms as I did just the other day then spending every 1 1/2hr charging and moving a long in trafic between stops or going for distance and hypermiling with fewer stops but taking even longer total time (tried both scenarios) then the bigger the battery the more pleasant the drive becomes. I do not mind taking 15hrs to drive a distance that in an ICE takes 11-12 but I do begin to mind when the same distance takes 20hrs...…. catch MY drift..?.
I do. But you have the same "problem" with an ice which you need to fill up after a few hours too. Still, I don't think people travel thousands of miles every day. Of course it's more convenient when you have a larger battery. What I'm trying to say is that an EV suits most people's needs for every day's use with the range most EVs have (200-300km). Even when recharged it's already 600km etc. But then again, I can only talk for myself...
Its definitely worrisome from a marketing perspective. Cnet reports the 2019 Audi E-Tron's range figure is 204 miles but that's a 5500 lb suv, 2019 Tesla Model X 75D, 237 miles; 2019 Jaguar I-Pace, 234 miles. I agree and disagree. For the overwhelming majority of even Americans, a 250 to 300 mile range is sufficient. For a local car, even an older Nissan Leaf is good enough. My brother in law has had one since the first year they came out (with federal and state tax deductions, they essentially were free for the first three years if you leased including cost of electricity!). Longer distance it becomes problematic, especially if destinations are not directly off the interstate system, I, for example, have an annual trip with a group of friends into the North Georgia mountains where a friend owns a cabin. It is just over 100 miles from Atlanta where I live. So a 200 mile round trip. First you think no problem then. Now, if I am there and want to show off the power of the Taycan, which surely will quickly drain the battery, especially if I run slaloms in the mountain roads and fast exelerations......Where am I supposed to charge? There is ONE charging station in a 30 mile radius and its at a hotel, that probably only allows hotel patrons to use it.. It not anywhere near a interstate, so not even tesla has a charging station, and the area is so Republican, that no-one puts charging stations for the Left to use at the grocery stores either. So am I supposed to ask my friend to plug into his wall and take $10 worth of power. How humiliating and embarassing. I have been promoting electric cars for years, But my friends at the get together will laugh that I may not make back to Atlanta without begging for power. . Or I can't show off the power and handling of the Porsche Taycan. But for local Atlanta, a 100 mile range is far more than enough. So I will drive my ICE to the get together as MPawelek to his second home. The charging network, for rural areas of the USA will take YEARS before electric cars will give adequate coverage. Maybe someday, every "gas station " will be a charging location. That is when electric cars can become truly mainstream
While it may not be the best choice, if it turns out you need a car only a few times a year for a long trip, one alternative might be to just rent a car. Early on after the BMW i3 first came out, some of their dealers would let you borrow an ice vehicle for an occasional long trip. I don't believe they do that any longer.
I drive from San Francisco to Lake Tahoe once a year. It’s the only time I need 4WD. I rent an Audi A4 Quattro from Silver just for the trip. Was much cheaper than getting 4WD for my Tesla Model 3. Renting can really make sense. Separately, I commute typically 110 miles per day, 20k per year. I also only have access to a charger every other night, so I need long range. For me, the incredibly low cost of maintenance and that I pay $0.134/kw means only an electric car made sense. At the time I needed it, only a Tesla made sense on a range basis. Can’t wait to replace my M3 with a Porsche Taycan, though I ‘m probably going to wait until the better batteries are available.
I'm spoiled though. In the Netherlands we already have 33000 chargers which is 28,1% of the total in Europe*. 600 of them are >50kW. My country is roughly 200km by 300km, lol. Germany: 25241 France: 16311 England: 14256 *June 2018.
My BMW M3 only has 200mi range per tank too. EV Range is mostly FUD. Charging infrastructure is another matter entirely. There are a few places in the states where folks will be stuck driving hybrids at best for a while. A few. The vast majority of people don’t need that kind of range, and really, are just price sensitive until EV are a bit cheaper and the used market larger.
Here is the entire thing!!! Press Release: Digital, clear, sustainable: the interior of the new Porsche Taycan!
