Driving 1725km in an electric car in 2 days • Hacker News Board

Re: Driving 1725km in an electric car in 2 days

#151

Post by csunbird » Sat, Aug 07, 2021, 6:11 AM UTC

thescriptkiddie wrote: post #126

An interesting anecdote, but I've never understood why anyone would willingly drive a car (electric or otherwise) such a long distance. The longest I've ever driven in a single trip was a bit over 750 km, and I think I slept for 16 hours straight after I arrived. The next time I took that same trip, I rode the train instead.

It also depends on the car, for example, driving 750km with my GTI in a day would really tire me, as it is very uncomfortable. On the other hand, my father’s A8 is very, very comfortable, and I could drive it for 12 hours a day and not feel that tired.

Re: Driving 1725km in an electric car in 2 days

#152

Post by Yeroc » Sat, Aug 07, 2021, 6:15 AM UTC

tetha wrote: post #56

cleansingfire wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just splurged and bought a very used Prius for $3,400, when my $400 car was stolen. I can't afford an EV. Many oriole can't. That dictate just ensures fewer people will be able to afford a car. Which might work with decent public transport.

Mh, but you're on used cars, so you are a cycle or two behind. So yeah, you can't afford a new EV. But let's wait for until there are used EVs.

It'll be interesting to see what the used car market for EVs looks like once they age out where the battery packs start degrading. Not sure they'll have the same long-term value that quality ICEs do today.

Re: Driving 1725km in an electric car in 2 days

#153

Post by tonyedgecombe » Sat, Aug 07, 2021, 6:16 AM UTC

bovine3dom wrote: post #67

sunstone wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This may depend strongly on how your electricity is generated. Probably best to assume the electricity is solar generated since, over the life of a new EV, that's likely to be the closest to the mark.

That's what I meant by energy mix : ) Last time I checked France was the best place since they accidentally have a very climate friendly power grid. Then you're left with just the embedded emissions from battery construction and the rest of the car. Edit: this is wrong Another fun fact is that short haul flights have fewer emissions per mile than electric vehicles for many current energy mixes. Edit: wrongness ends (…

Comparing with flights is difficult because it's going to vary wildly according to how many people are in the car.

Re: Driving 1725km in an electric car in 2 days

#154

Post by carcostthrow » Sat, Aug 07, 2021, 6:17 AM UTC

bobsil1 wrote: post #149

carcostthrow wrote: post #85

>And everyone should stop driving fossil vehicles starting now. [...] There’s no excuse not to. Isn't there? Right now for me to own a Ford Mach E, a Tesla Model 3 or a RAV4 Prime is $3400 to $3700 per year for comprehensive insurance, $1400 a year for liability only. My SUV right now costs $1100 a year to insure comprehensive, but even a 2021 Acura NSX or Jaguar F-Pace is only $1400 for the same level of insurance t…

My Bolt lease is $75/mo.

US vs Canada I assume. Last time I looked at the Bolt Premier some years ago the dealer would not budge off of the $50,000+ price.

And for that price I was sitting in the most uncomfortable seats I've ever sat in for a personal vehicle; thin, hard and not well sculpted for my back. The only positive I recall was the excellent throttle response.

Re: Driving 1725km in an electric car in 2 days

#155

Post by NotSammyHagar » Sat, Aug 07, 2021, 6:20 AM UTC

carcostthrow wrote: post #85

>And everyone should stop driving fossil vehicles starting now. [...] There’s no excuse not to. Isn't there? Right now for me to own a Ford Mach E, a Tesla Model 3 or a RAV4 Prime is $3400 to $3700 per year for comprehensive insurance, $1400 a year for liability only. My SUV right now costs $1100 a year to insure comprehensive, but even a 2021 Acura NSX or Jaguar F-Pace is only $1400 for the same level of insurance t…

120v over night will add about 45 miles of range to your typical tesla. Most people drive less than 20 miles a day, so you always start out with a full tank. When I go skiing, I drive 120 miles, so I come back with a lot of range depleted, but it charges up the next few days. On the rare occasions over the past 8 years when I needed to go a long distance, I just use the super charger in my town, although once I went to a pay place that has 220v and 40 amps (so instead of ~3.5 miles of range per house, I added 20 miles of range per hour). What doesn't work with 120v regular power outlet charging? If you drive 250 miles and spend 5 minutes and then need to drive 200 more miles. That is pretty rare.

Re: Driving 1725km in an electric car in 2 days

#156

Post by drivebycomment » Sat, Aug 07, 2021, 6:20 AM UTC

version_five wrote: post #78

emilecantin wrote: post #14

I did a similar roadtrip back in 2015 (!) in my ex-boss's Tesla Model S: we traveled from Montréal to Atlanta for a weekend conference (JSConf, IIRC). We were driving continuously, switching drivers every time we hit a charger (we were 4 in the car). I think it took us about 24h to do the trip. My main takeaway from the experience is that charging wasn't actually "painful" at all. On the contrary, it was a welcome br…

I find this kind of "it's great to have a break" justification tiring. Glad that you found something to do while your car is charging, but pretending it's not a limitation feels like just glossing over something that does make it less flexible, whether that was a problem for you or not.

Driving to a gas station and waiting to fill up is a time wasted, compared to charging at home or at work, which takes 30 seconds extra time. So if you want fair comparison, you should add up time you spend waiting at the gas pump and the detour time for a gas car. Seriously, one of the reason I like electric car is the convenience - less time wasted for gas station trips, and less time wasted with maintenance.

Re: Driving 1725km in an electric car in 2 days

#157

Post by Hamuko » Sat, Aug 07, 2021, 6:21 AM UTC

thioordc wrote: post #142

carcostthrow wrote: post #85

>And everyone should stop driving fossil vehicles starting now. [...] There’s no excuse not to. Isn't there? Right now for me to own a Ford Mach E, a Tesla Model 3 or a RAV4 Prime is $3400 to $3700 per year for comprehensive insurance, $1400 a year for liability only. My SUV right now costs $1100 a year to insure comprehensive, but even a 2021 Acura NSX or Jaguar F-Pace is only $1400 for the same level of insurance t…

All good points! However one thing EVs have is much cheaper maintenance! Having no oil changes adds up in savings.

Oil changes are pretty much the least costly part of my car's maintenance. Brakes, suspension and tyres cost far more and I can't imagine that heavy EVs are any better on any of those.

Re: Driving 1725km in an electric car in 2 days

#158

Post by yummybear » Sat, Aug 07, 2021, 6:24 AM UTC

carcostthrow wrote: post #85

>And everyone should stop driving fossil vehicles starting now. [...] There’s no excuse not to. Isn't there? Right now for me to own a Ford Mach E, a Tesla Model 3 or a RAV4 Prime is $3400 to $3700 per year for comprehensive insurance, $1400 a year for liability only. My SUV right now costs $1100 a year to insure comprehensive, but even a 2021 Acura NSX or Jaguar F-Pace is only $1400 for the same level of insurance t…

Yeah in my country a new electric car is about 2x years salary. We’d love to switch but that’s a lot of money.

Re: Driving 1725km in an electric car in 2 days

#159

Post by jws » Sat, Aug 07, 2021, 6:31 AM UTC

NotSammyHagar wrote: post #155

carcostthrow wrote: post #85

>And everyone should stop driving fossil vehicles starting now. [...] There’s no excuse not to. Isn't there? Right now for me to own a Ford Mach E, a Tesla Model 3 or a RAV4 Prime is $3400 to $3700 per year for comprehensive insurance, $1400 a year for liability only. My SUV right now costs $1100 a year to insure comprehensive, but even a 2021 Acura NSX or Jaguar F-Pace is only $1400 for the same level of insurance t…

120v over night will add about 45 miles of range to your typical tesla. Most people drive less than 20 miles a day, so you always start out with a full tank. When I go skiing, I drive 120 miles, so I come back with a lot of range depleted, but it charges up the next few days. On the rare occasions over the past 8 years when I needed to go a long distance, I just use the super charger in my town, although once I went…

In 18 months of use, I’ve done all except three charges on my regular old 120v outlet in the garage. I just plug in at night when I go under 60% charge, usually every few days.

I ordered the adapter, outlet, and new wire to move an unused electric dryer service to the garage as soon as I got the car, but haven’t bothered to install them. It just isn’t necessary. (And I dislike taking the face cover off the main breaker box, nothing rational, I just don’t like being that close to the live circuits. If I need to charge a lot overnight, it’s a 30 minute job to install the service.)

For the upfront cost… I had been waiting for the little Jeep pickup truck, but when it came out and I got done adding the basic functional packages it was well up in the Tesla price range. (I’m keeping an elderly F250 out of the crushers for my occasional pickup truck needs, but I could just as easily rent one from the big box hardware store when I need it for less than I pay in insurance on the F250.)

Re: Driving 1725km in an electric car in 2 days

#160

Post by dylan604 » Sat, Aug 07, 2021, 6:31 AM UTC

linsomniac wrote: post #133

dylan604 wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly right. EVs are perfect for day-to-day commutes and what not where it's drive a distance, let it sit for several hours (while at work or at home at night), lather-rinse-repeat. Long distance continuous driving would be brutal with an hour pitstop every couple of hours.

It really depends... The EV travel is a different cadence, for sure. Whether that's a bad thing or not will depend on the individual. The 30-40 minute stops every couple hours that I have experienced in my older Tesla (60kwh, later upgraded to 75kwh), is nice to nap, visit attractions, eat and use restrooms, walk the dog... It definitely makes for a different trip than screeching to a stop at the pump, running in to…

Except you just turned a 2 day drive into 3 days. 24 hour drive from DFW->LA. That takes 1 overnight stay now in sane driving conditions for a solo driver. You now just kicked it into a 2nd overnight.

>running in to pee while the pump is running anyone doing this deserves to be ripped off for leaving an authorized pump to do whatever someone wants to do while you're not there. no different than leaving the keys in the ignition and the car running while you "run" in for a sec. you're also being rude to the next person in line.

anyways, back to my original point is that an EV is great for in town day-to-day use or maybe shorter hops. cross country trips would make me consider renting ICE powered just do i don't loose more days than i already am for driving vs flying.