Are there solutions to my electric car issues?

[bobhikes]

They always give you the average a person drives vs the 250 miles possible with the electric car and while for the most part I drive less than the average at least once a month and 3 times a year I push the max on my car.

So, a lot of my extended family lives about 120 miles from my house there have been festive occasions where I drive up and back in a day. Usually, I stay overnight but sometimes that is not possible. Now I do not know where the nearest charging stations are, they are in rural Pennsylvania, but I also don't want to waste time with an extended car charging or an extended distance to get to a charger when I need to do an out and back.

For vacation, I usually do 1 by car and will travel between 3 hours and 7 hours depending, in range that's 180 miles to 420 miles. I do not want to extend my trip time just to charge a car and weirdly I realized most hotels I stay at don't have electric car chargers (I am an IHG member). So, when I arrive, I would need to seek out a charging station and then wait there for an extended period of time before I can rest, eat or do an activity.

Lastly, my home state is New Jersey which is up there in states with major traffic problems. For a period of time I worked by the George Washington bridge and what is a 45 min ride home in normal traffic extends beyond belief with accidents, road closers and construction. It once took me 3 hours 45 mins to get home and 2 hours at least once a month. I have never heard how electric cars handle these types of traffic problems.

If I can't reliably use my car for my enjoyment but only for work related and shopping, then I don't want that car. If my car can't handle the normal extremes of my daily travel, then I don't want that car. Are there solutions to my particular driving style.

Thanks

 

[PureX]

In your case, I would not buy an EV. Perhaps a hybrid.

 

[ChristineM]

They always give you the average a person drives vs the 250 miles possible with the electric car and while for the most part I drive less than the average at least once a month and 3 times a year I push the max on my car.

So, a lot of my extended family lives about 120 miles from my house there have been festive occasions where I drive up and back in a day. Usually, I stay overnight but sometimes that is not possible. Now I do not know where the nearest charging stations are, they are in rural Pennsylvania, but I also don't want to waste time with an extended car charging or an extended distance to get to a charger when I need to do an out and back.

For vacation, I usually do 1 by car and will travel between 3 hours and 7 hours depending, in range that's 180 miles to 420 miles. I do not want to extend my trip time just to charge a car and weirdly I realized most hotels I stay at don't have electric car chargers (I am an IHG member). So, when I arrive, I would need to seek out a charging station and then wait there for an extended period of time before I can rest, eat or do an activity.

Lastly, my home state is New Jersey which is up there in states with major traffic problems. For a period of time I worked by the George Washington bridge and what is a 45 min ride home in normal traffic extends beyond belief with accidents, road closers and construction. It once took me 3 hours 45 mins to get home and 2 hours at least once a month. I have never heard how electric cars handle these types of traffic problems.

If I can't reliably use my car for my enjoyment but only for work related and shopping, then I don't want that car. If my car can't handle the normal extremes of my daily travel, then I don't want that car. Are there solutions to my particular driving style.

Thanks

In the UK satnavs have show charging stations in the settings.

Not sure about US. But there is PlugShare
PlugShare - EV Charging Station Map - Find a place to charge

It may help you to plan your trips.with quick topup charges when needed

 

[Revoltingest]

In your case, I would not buy an EV. Perhaps a hybrid.

A plug-in hybrid sounds best.

 

[VoidCat]

I accidently read car as cat.

 

[Revoltingest]

I accidently read car as cat.

 

[Regiomontanus]

They always give you the average a person drives vs the 250 miles possible with the electric car and while for the most part I drive less than the average at least once a month and 3 times a year I push the max on my car.

So, a lot of my extended family lives about 120 miles from my house there have been festive occasions where I drive up and back in a day. Usually, I stay overnight but sometimes that is not possible. Now I do not know where the nearest charging stations are, they are in rural Pennsylvania, but I also don't want to waste time with an extended car charging or an extended distance to get to a charger when I need to do an out and back.

For vacation, I usually do 1 by car and will travel between 3 hours and 7 hours depending, in range that's 180 miles to 420 miles. I do not want to extend my trip time just to charge a car and weirdly I realized most hotels I stay at don't have electric car chargers (I am an IHG member). So, when I arrive, I would need to seek out a charging station and then wait there for an extended period of time before I can rest, eat or do an activity.

Lastly, my home state is New Jersey which is up there in states with major traffic problems. For a period of time I worked by the George Washington bridge and what is a 45 min ride home in normal traffic extends beyond belief with accidents, road closers and construction. It once took me 3 hours 45 mins to get home and 2 hours at least once a month. I have never heard how electric cars handle these types of traffic problems.

If I can't reliably use my car for my enjoyment but only for work related and shopping, then I don't want that car. If my car can't handle the normal extremes of my daily travel, then I don't want that car. Are there solutions to my particular driving style.

Thanks

Buy a hybrid, problem solved. I like EVs, but they are not ready for prime time, for many people.

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

They always give you the average a person drives vs the 250 miles possible with the electric car and while for the most part I drive less than the average at least once a month and 3 times a year I push the max on my car.

So, a lot of my extended family lives about 120 miles from my house there have been festive occasions where I drive up and back in a day. Usually, I stay overnight but sometimes that is not possible. Now I do not know where the nearest charging stations are, they are in rural Pennsylvania, but I also don't want to waste time with an extended car charging or an extended distance to get to a charger when I need to do an out and back.

For vacation, I usually do 1 by car and will travel between 3 hours and 7 hours depending, in range that's 180 miles to 420 miles. I do not want to extend my trip time just to charge a car and weirdly I realized most hotels I stay at don't have electric car chargers (I am an IHG member). So, when I arrive, I would need to seek out a charging station and then wait there for an extended period of time before I can rest, eat or do an activity.

Lastly, my home state is New Jersey which is up there in states with major traffic problems. For a period of time I worked by the George Washington bridge and what is a 45 min ride home in normal traffic extends beyond belief with accidents, road closers and construction. It once took me 3 hours 45 mins to get home and 2 hours at least once a month. I have never heard how electric cars handle these types of traffic problems.

If I can't reliably use my car for my enjoyment but only for work related and shopping, then I don't want that car. If my car can't handle the normal extremes of my daily travel, then I don't want that car. Are there solutions to my particular driving style.

Thanks

This is the reason why I don't drive an EV.
It's also the reason why I think that long term, the current incarnation of the EV standard model has no realistic future.

Imo, either there needs to come a global standard for EV's so that they all use a universal removable battery standard, which can be replace in under 1 minute (*).
Or, a completely new type of "clean" engine needs to be developed which either has proper mileage on a single "charge" or "tank" or whatever and / or which can "recharge" or "refill" in a reasonable time also. And "reasonable time" would be less then a few minutes at most.


(*) with the removable battery standard.... I imagine a "fuel station" where you just drive up to some type of platform, which opens up under your car and some type of robot arm pulls out your battery and replace it with a fully charged one. The empty one is hooked up underground to recharge and when recharged, goes back into the queue which is then place in some other car. This is perfectly feasible. Personal Computers have perfectly compatible power supplies also. It would require cooperation between all car manufacturers, sure. But I don't see how that's particularly different from how the personal computer business works nor how fossil fuel car business works... They all agreed on a standard of fuel also. While a battery interface would surely be more complex then that (or would it???), I don't see why it wouldn't be possible.

It would certainly be a far more elegant solution then a bazzilion charging poles everywhere where you have to wait for 30 tot 360 minutes while your car is charging, depending on the model or pole. AND it would completely solve the whole limited mileage problem of EVs, which is simply a complete disaster.

Our company has a representative and a sales person who are constantly on the road visiting clients and prospects. Their productivity per day would be cut in half or worse with an EV.

 

[bobhikes]

This is the reason why I don't drive an EV.
It's also the reason why I think that long term, the current incarnation of the EV standard model has no realistic future.

Imo, either there needs to come a global standard for EV's so that they all use a universal removable battery standard, which can be replace in under 1 minute (*).
Or, a completely new type of "clean" engine needs to be developed which either has proper mileage on a single "charge" or "tank" or whatever and / or which can "recharge" or "refill" in a reasonable time also. And "reasonable time" would be less then a few minutes at most.


(*) with the removable battery standard.... I imagine a "fuel station" where you just drive up to some type of platform, which opens up under your car and some type of robot arm pulls out your battery and replace it with a fully charged one. The empty one is hooked up underground to recharge and when recharged, goes back into the queue which is then place in some other car. This is perfectly feasible. Personal Computers have perfectly compatible power supplies also. It would require cooperation between all car manufacturers, sure. But I don't see how that's particularly different from how the personal computer business works nor how fossil fuel car business works... They all agreed on a standard of fuel also. While a battery interface would surely be more complex then that (or would it???), I don't see why it wouldn't be possible.

It would certainly be a far more elegant solution then a bazzilion charging poles everywhere where you have to wait for 30 tot 360 minutes while your car is charging, depending on the model or pole. AND it would completely solve the whole limited mileage problem of EVs, which is simply a complete disaster.

Our company has a representative and a sales person who are constantly on the road visiting clients and prospects. Their productivity per day would be cut in half or worse with an EV.

Just saw a battery that you change the liquid to recharge. Only a little longer than your average full tank of gas. Capable of 1000 miles between refills. Problems cost right now and has sustainable power but lacking in startup power. The current lithium batteries have good startup power and are cheap but lack in sustainable power

 

[ChristineM]

Just saw a battery that you change the liquid to recharge. Only a little longer than your average full tank of gas. Capable of 1000 miles between refills. Problems cost right now and has sustainable power but lacking in startup power. The current lithium batteries have good startup power and are cheap but lack in sustainable power

Use both, a small lithium for getting going and switching to the liquid battery once going. Best of both world and it'd probably increase the liquid battery range.

 

[bobhikes]

Use both, a small lithium for getting going and switching to the liquid battery once going. Best of both world and it'd probably increase the liquid battery range.

I thought about that but they didn't go in to the size and weight of the battery and you still have the expense. I believe they said about 5 times as expensive right now.

 

[Altfish]

The main problem with electric cars

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Just stick to gas powered cars.

 

[Secret Chief]

Another little issue...

"CCTV images show electric Mercedes explode into flames on family's driveway"​

- https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/202...c-car-explode-into-flames-on-familys-driveway

 

[Subduction Zone]

They always give you the average a person drives vs the 250 miles possible with the electric car and while for the most part I drive less than the average at least once a month and 3 times a year I push the max on my car.

So, a lot of my extended family lives about 120 miles from my house there have been festive occasions where I drive up and back in a day. Usually, I stay overnight but sometimes that is not possible. Now I do not know where the nearest charging stations are, they are in rural Pennsylvania, but I also don't want to waste time with an extended car charging or an extended distance to get to a charger when I need to do an out and back.

For vacation, I usually do 1 by car and will travel between 3 hours and 7 hours depending, in range that's 180 miles to 420 miles. I do not want to extend my trip time just to charge a car and weirdly I realized most hotels I stay at don't have electric car chargers (I am an IHG member). So, when I arrive, I would need to seek out a charging station and then wait there for an extended period of time before I can rest, eat or do an activity.

Lastly, my home state is New Jersey which is up there in states with major traffic problems. For a period of time I worked by the George Washington bridge and what is a 45 min ride home in normal traffic extends beyond belief with accidents, road closers and construction. It once took me 3 hours 45 mins to get home and 2 hours at least once a month. I have never heard how electric cars handle these types of traffic problems.

If I can't reliably use my car for my enjoyment but only for work related and shopping, then I don't want that car. If my car can't handle the normal extremes of my daily travel, then I don't want that car. Are there solutions to my particular driving style.

Thanks

It might be too early for you to get an EV. Battery technology is always improving and will be better in the future. But even right now if you paid enough you could easily get an EV that performs to your specifications. The average distance that one can drive on one charge is not up to 300 miles. That might mean that you could not take much in the way of side trips on your long journeys.

Another fact is that just as in the early days of car driving gas stations were rather rare, they are also rather rare for EV's right now. At least compared to gas stations. That will not always be the case. As they gain in popularity there will be more and more stations out there to service those that need a charge. Not only that they appear to be far cheaper to install. One only needs access to an electrical line. One does not have to dig a huge pit and bury a very secure gas tank underground.

If you need a new car today and an electric car will not work for you, do not feel guilty. I guarantee that by the time you buy your next one you will want an electric car. Vastly superior technology and economics will eventually drive people to electric cars

 

[Subduction Zone]

View attachment 99277
The main problem with electric cars

Yes, more and better public transit would be nice. But it is very difficult when people all want their own homes. What we may have to work on is new technology to make apartments more family friendly. We need to figure out how to make apartments that are investments that one can own in the same way that they own a home and have enough amenities to draw families. Not just young people on their way up.

 

[Wu Wei]

EVs also tend to be considerably heavier than their gas powered counterparts

 

[ChristineM]

EVs also tend to be considerably heavier than their gas powered counterparts

Consequently tyres are much more heavy duty to take the extra weight, so replacement tyre prices are pretty steep

 

[Wu Wei]

Consequently tyres are much more heavy duty to take the extra weight, so replacement tyre prices are pretty steep

Also can cause more wear and tear on roadways…. And weight limits of some bridges should be considered, especially if there are multiple EVs on them at the same time

 

[metis]

with the removable battery standard.... I imagine a "fuel station" where you just drive up to some type of platform, which opens up under your car and some type of robot arm pulls out your battery and replace it with a fully charged one.

I believe they are already doing this in Denmark.