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I’m ready to trade in my electric car

latimes.com

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Re: I’m ready to trade in my electric car

#31

Post by tomatocracy »

RajT88 wrote: post #13
_xerces_ wrote: post #7

She's not blowing past any muscle cars in her Kia Nero EV with a 0-60 of 6.5-7 seconds. I guess everyone in an EV assumes their vehicle is superfast?

She may have never driven a properly quick car. I would say, most people have not driven cars which can do a sub-7 time off the line. My hatchback does 0-60 in about 7ish seconds, and that's pretty fun to do. I'm not likely to win too many drag races, though.

My car does a sub 4 second 0-62mph; my wife's car is probably 8 seconds. Where I actually notice the difference though is the 40-70 speed when overtaking - accelerating hard from a standing start basically never happens in real world driving in my experience.

Re: I’m ready to trade in my electric car

#32

Post by turtleyacht »

bookofjoe wrote: post #6
turtleyacht wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Author complains of issues related to charging stations.

I like this one-line summary. I'm seeing more and more of these on HN. At first I went into "Get off my lawn" mode, i.e., "Just read the article!" But then I thought about the fact that for one reason or another — paywalls/technical issues/time constraints/language barriers/etc. — many people can't, or can't at the moment. These brief descriptions serve many.

I'm grateful you post the non paywalled links. I could use a non-JS browser, or disable JS via extension, etc--but it's just easier in the moment.

If I leave a comment, I can look in /threads more easily than /new or navigating to profile > upvoted.

Re: I’m ready to trade in my electric car

#33

Post by ShakataGaNai »

The problem here is one of someone not doing their research, electric charging challenges, and apparently not knowing how maps work.

Is CCS charging unreliable today? Yes, compared to gas station or Tesla Super Chargers... CCS has a ways to go. They are the weak link.

The author doesn't discuss ANYTHING positive, like how its super easy to have a fully charged vehicle all the time because you charge at home overnight. This was just a rant on a few specific points.

Speaking of, plugshare? Is very handy and very decent. Yes, sometimes chargers are hidden away in slightly odd locations, but plugshare has generally had VERY accurate maps. Zoom in and you will see the pins on the map on are on a specific side of the map, or in a very certain location of the parking lot - and in reality that's where the chargers are.

The descriptions also say things like "I-80 exit 156. Four stations along the side of the building.". And the comments will include useful statements like "April 21, 2023 - Still only one (Amelia) of the four is working.". Do you want to read sub-optimal news like that? No, but at least you can plan accordingly.

Also also, Last road trip I did in my Tesla Model Y (about 250mi each way), I stopped more for food/drink/bathroom/etc than I did for charging. Yes, I probably could have drive the entire way (one way) on an ICE vehicle without stopping for gas, where I did have to stop for a charge... but that was an extra 10mn or so. Wooptydo. Keep in mind that during the average week (of non-road tripping) I stop at a gas station exactly never, so I'd say I still stop less with an EV overall.

And yes, if you a doing a lot of long road trips. Going places a little more off the grid. Or generally hate stopping because you're ok peeing in a bottle... then please stick with ICE for now. EV's are still in the early adopter phase and they don't work great for everyone. Apartment dwellers are, for example, very hit or miss (if their garage doesn't have EV charging, it's not a great experience).

Re: I’m ready to trade in my electric car

#34

Post by tomatocracy »

barbazoo wrote: post #11
OnionBlender wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My apartment building has charging parking spots but they cost an additional $50 per month, which is more than the money I would save on gas.

I'd probably still do it. It's not just about money and these cost will probably get cheaper in the future.

Presumably the chargers are owned by a private company. Why would they lower their charges in future?

Re: I’m ready to trade in my electric car

#35

Post by ZeroGravitas »

junofan wrote: post #23
ZeroGravitas wrote: post #20

America seems really bad at basic infrastructure things. They're in some weird kind of panglossian mindset where, if it's not working in the USA then that proves that it is in fact literally impossible. So rather than sort themselves out and install some more plugs, they just shrug and give up. I imagine a Chinese General pointing to this article and saying "see, their army will topple like Russia's in Ukraine did, i…

The article states the federal government is installing 500,000 more plugs. Who is shrugging and giving up?

Well the author for one.

"The government is finally getting round to the basics and will probably fuck it up" is not the attitude that put men on the moon.

Re: I’m ready to trade in my electric car

#36

Post by baremetal »

xyzzy_plugh wrote: post #29
shireboy wrote: post #18

This to me is still the weak link. It’s not just chargers, it’s 30+ minute charge time. As great as electric is, an extra hour in the car on a road-trip with 3 kids is a tough sell. More chargers would help but it’s really battery tech and charge times that need a few more innovations before I’d consider for a car I might take a road trip in.

I recently went on a trip where the power was out at our destination for over 24 hours due to a storm. The nearest town was ~20 minutes away and likely did not have any fast charging infrastructure. Even if it did, it's a pretty bad spot to be in, especially if you have young kids. I have been considering getting an electric car but that trip made me realize I'd have to reserve the EV for urban travel only. Otherwise…

Just tow a diesel generator behind you.

Re: I’m ready to trade in my electric car

#37

Post by lm28469 »

obloid wrote: post #5

Once newer high density batteries make it into cars and we can get 500+ mile ranges I think it will help with a lot of these concerns. When your car's range is longer than most people are willing or able to drive in a single day then you can charge overnight at your destination without worrying about finding charging stations on the road.

> and we can get 500+ mile ranges

Huge waste when the average driver goes for The 200+ miles of range are more than enough for most people, lugging 1000%+ of the average range "just in case" is crazy, epecially given the weight of these things

Re: I’m ready to trade in my electric car

#38

Post by borski »

tgma wrote: post #8

Specifically the author is talking about a non-Tesla EV, one that had the known defect of lack of a proper charging infrastructure at point of purchase. Nothing to see here. [Talking about Teslas and “EVs” as if they are the same category is like talking about Computer Science and “STEM” in a single category. Often disingenuous and draws the wrong conclusion.]

Nonsense. Superchargers are packed; while they work, you’re waiting in line for a charge.

Meanwhile, while some folks have had issues with EA, I haven’t, and even if I did, I’d just use a Chargepoint, EVGo, Shell Recharge, or any number of other chargers as needed.

Not to mention that I can buy a Tesla charger adapter for like $60 that lets me use destination chargers at hotels, and that Tesla is opening up to CCS charging because they want that sweet federal money.

Basically: a Tesla is an EV, and Tesla is no longer on top of the EV game, as evidenced by the recent six price drops in the last year, because they are outinnovated and now trying to outprice their competition instead of innovating.

You let me know how your FSD, which is “coming by the end of the year,” does for you. I’ve got some bridges to sell in Brooklyn.

Re: I’m ready to trade in my electric car

#39

Post by PragmaticPulp »

shireboy wrote: post #18

This to me is still the weak link. It’s not just chargers, it’s 30+ minute charge time. As great as electric is, an extra hour in the car on a road-trip with 3 kids is a tough sell. More chargers would help but it’s really battery tech and charge times that need a few more innovations before I’d consider for a car I might take a road trip in.

> As great as electric is, an extra hour in the car on a road-trip with 3 kids is a tough sell.

If you’re doing road trips frequently and you absolutely cannot find a charging station that coincides with a lunch break spot and you cannot afford a single extra hour, then sure, this seems like a reason to wait for things to improve.

But I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard this argument from people who are more afraid of the possibility than the reality. People who do a road trip once per year or less, for example.

Re: I’m ready to trade in my electric car

#40

Post by borski »

MuffinFlavored wrote: post #27
tgma wrote: post #8

Specifically the author is talking about a non-Tesla EV, one that had the known defect of lack of a proper charging infrastructure at point of purchase. Nothing to see here. [Talking about Teslas and “EVs” as if they are the same category is like talking about Computer Science and “STEM” in a single category. Often disingenuous and draws the wrong conclusion.]

> one that had the known defect of lack of a proper charging infrastructure at point of purchase. Is the charger adapter that you plug in on a Tesla or a non-Tesla not standardized like USB-C to the point where you can go to any station (as long as you have any brand of EV and not an internal combustion engine gasoline/diesel car or whatever) and benefit from it/use it/plug it in? Sorry, out of the loop, I've dodged…

Tesla uses a proprietary plug, for now; they are moving to support CCS (and already ship CCS cars in Europe) because they want federal funding for their chargers, and because in Europe it’s the law.

You can buy an adapter to use destination chargers (hotels, etc.) but not super chargers.

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