Re: Depends on where you are trying to go...

[insideevs.com]

I'm hoping my 2000 w/180K miles will last until it is out :-)

--
MY 2000 S, Ocean Blue, Metropol Blue, Savanah Beige.
Bought June 2000 - Sold May 2010

That would be one fun toy. Only problem, Boxsters are such great cars for road trips, which is a weakness of EVs. But, I'd love to hit the twisties in one, especially if they could keep the 50/50 weigh balance. All that torque in a perfectly balance car, with such a low center of gravity. Sorry, had to wipe the drool off my key board.

Porsche's high speed chargers are starting to be deployed, but they only do about 400 MPH. I've seen that charging stations with much higher rates are but a couple of years out. If you can add 300 miles in 10 minutes, is that any different than filling a tank? Of course they will be sparse at first, but within a decade they will be ubiquitous. (And why do I think that it will cost about the same for a fill-up?)

With a gas car (ICE) you can fill up almost anywhere even in the little off the beaten path town. Even with Tesla's already deployed network (and it is still expanding and getting quicker to charge) there are still vast areas where coverage is non-existent, or the only option is an overnight charge or a far from the path you want to take change. Electrics will get there, to be sure. When the Nth gen batteries are available and when charging standards are the same for all manufacturers...

For example, suppose all VW, Audi and Porsche dealers have 16 chargers available 24 hours a day. and there is an app to plan your trip and find them. Now what happens if a hurricane happens to take out all the north-south bridges and you have to detour 150 miles through rural NC? (real trip) Or I want to go to the mountain cabin or the beach? Are there chargers on the route of equal to gas pump convenience and availability? Not in my planning. There are some, just not convenient without a significant detour. You'll know when there is a sign on every exit pointing out that there is a charger location available.

I've been exploring the idea of getting an EV. Driving one is addicting. But there will be real world issues that you will come up against.

speaking of real world issues, as Mike said, but more apt for EVs in northern areas during the winter months:
[www.theglobeandmail.com]

The author tested a Hyundia EV SUV in southern ON. for a bit and reported what the mileage was on a drive after a overnight charge.

The temps--below freezing--knocked the rated mileage down coming off a charge significantly--from 415km to 300km. Then driving style--like major highways-- put another dent in it as the speeds went up. Interestingly, the author kept the heater off in an attempt to not tax the battery further.

No electric seats or heater use during winter? I don't think so...; likewise for using AC during summer months.

Another article that speaks to the effects on range when the HVAC is used:
[insideevs.com]


BTW, what type of HVAC systems are being used on EVs? Heat pumps?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/23/2019 09:34AM by MikenOH. (view changes)

An electric vehicle is like a horse. You have to feed it whether you use it or not. Look what happened to the horse.

Ed B.

Adding to what MikenOH said, AAA also did a study which showed that 20 F the range of EV's dropped about 40%. Compared to driving at 75 F. A big drop also happens when temps get into the 95 F range.
[newsroom.aaa.com]

So under those cold / hot conditions, an EV with a 300 mi. Range will only go about 180 mi. So realistically, you can expect to travel 120 - 150 miles between recharging if you don't want to risk draining the battery. That's providing that charge stations are as conveniently located as gas stations are now. That's going to take a while yet.

Then there's the amount of time it takes to recharge the battery. Porsche's new system is supposed to quick charge for a 60 mi. range in about 5 minutes. That might be OK for a quick shopping trip, but not much good if you're on a longer drive or trip.

Then there's the lack of compatibility of charging systems. That would be like taking a trip and your car only runs on Shell gas and can't be filled with anything else.

Lots of work still to be done.

[youtu.be]

The same argument was probably made for horses vs cars :-)

I have 4 horses, but only 3 cars... So I have to confess to being a Luddite.

I agree that for now, if you want to go somewhere over 500 miles, you should have some gas engine. But we really like out Chevy Volt for that purpose. Most of the time we run on battery and charge up at home (I have never used an off-site charging station). I was thinking of a "not very distant future" where high speed charging is as prolific as gas stations. It will happen.

And the Volt has both heated seats and heated steering wheel - it turns out it takes less to make you warm than to make all the air in the car warm...