this post was submitted on 29 Aug 2023
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Also the recharge times are still a deal breaker for anyone who fancies a road trip every once in a while.
If your road trips are only once in a while, you easily make up for it in saved time not doing weekly fill-ups.
What, you don't like spending a quarter of your road trip waiting for "fuel"?
I spent under an hour charging on a 8 hour drive. I barely had time to pee or eat before the car was ready. Have you road-tripped an EV?
8 hour drive averaging 50mph(to be conservative and easy math) for 8 hours is 400 miles. What EV can go that far?
Assuming you charged before you left
Charged midway
Charged when you got there
You charged three times for an hour? Even not counting the first charge, you'll absolutely need the last when you get there. That's a min 2 hours charging for an 8 hour trip or about 25%.
there's a couple EVs that can go that far. I rented a Tesla Model Y Long Range, which cannot. I did not leave with a full charge and didn't arrive with one either. You don't need to.
I charged 3 times on the way up the coast, for 15, 10, and 20 minutes. The last one was was only longer because I ran into target to get something.
That's... 9%.
What car takes an hour to charge?? I used to have a Chevy Bolt, the slowest charging EV you can buy. and it didn't take an hour.
Go play around with A Better Route Planner if you want to see that assuming 3 hours of charging for an eight hour trip is ridiculous.
Edit: 50mph on the highway is laughable, I was going 80-85mph. It's a bit over a 500mi drive.
That makes sense. I forgot they charge a lot faster when low and assumed a full charge. I've only ever driven a Tesla model 3 once on a business trip. Mostly city driving so no long trips.
No, I don't have 80k to spend on a "maybe I won't be too worse off"
it was a rental car lol
though you'd be surprised to learn there's EVs under $80k! not that anyone can afford new cars anyway.
I bought a used Leaf for $11K about 5 years ago. Best car purchase I've ever made. I still have a ICE vehicle for road trips, but man do I like the way electric engines produce power!
Used EVs can be a great deal! I've had my eyes out for a good deal on a leaf for ages, but not many pop up in my rural area.
Leafs have problems with battery life but they are popular in Southeast Alaska because it’s not really possible to drive very far. They import them used from the lower 48.
I can very much recommend a dacia spring. I think this is one of the most affordable way of transportation. But I live in Switzerland, we have a great charging network and our distances aren’t to far. After paying 5500 CHF upfront, i pay monthly 200 CHF for power and leasing fee (170 + 30). After 3 years I can buy it for 10000 CHF or just give it back. Buying the car directly is about 20000 CHF. Just make sure that you order fast charging as well.
My Chevy Bolt cost less than half that, and that was new with most of the bells and whistles. I drove over 200 miles on a single charge yesterday. Longer road trips are doable with a tiny bit of planning and multitasking. When you're charging, do all the things you do on a road trip anyway: take a leak, grab a snack, give your mind a quick break.
My car is also the 2nd worst major EV for road trips (after the Nissan Leaf). The Volkswagen ID.4, for example, is a little more than half your $80K number and charges about 2-3x faster than the Bolt.
It's also pretty awesome to not have to go to gas stations as part of your ~weekly routine because you charge at home and it costs next to nothing.