Anti-EV comments heard on my roadtrip so far

Having visited 44/50 US states and 250/424 US national parks in the past year in my LR Model 3, I’ve heard a lot of dumb questions.
Here are a few. (Links go to my non-commercial Wordpress blog about my EV parks travels without ads).
“What do you do about rain and puddles? Is that thing even waterproof?” — owner who saw me park in front of his Wyoming hotel in the rain.
“Well, those things don’t have much range” — heard through my EV car window in Teddy Roosevelt ND, Canyon de Chelly AZ, Gila Cliff Dwellings NM, Great Basin NV, Big Hole MT, Sand Creek Massacre CO, Dinosaur UT, Nicodemus KS, etc.
“Costs about the same to fill up as my truck, right?” — guy putting 35 gallons into his Ford F250 at $6 per gallon in California last year.
“But don’t you miss the romance? I love the roar, vibration, and sheer power of my Mustang.” — dude at red light before I hit 60 mph in 3 seconds.
“What do you do when you’re charging?” — discussion at Starbucks, burger joint, rest room, hotel, campground, museum, and while watching base jumpers at Snake River Canyon in ID.
“How do I plug in?” — unfortunate couple at remote TX Supercharger who rented a non-Tesla from Hertz without the slightest clue about EV’s, nor cables, nor adapters, nor PlugShare. But they were Premium Hertz members.
Interested how many of you hear similar comments about EV’s.

"Tesla Supercharger" by Open Grid Scheduler / Grid Engine is marked with CC0 1.0.
Admin note: Image added for Blog Feed thumbnail

 

[kpanda17]

EV sales to date are in the millions. These EVs are reliable and as they are relative newbies in the industry and would be DOA if they did not work.
Think when we hear about problems, they are outliers. I am acknowledging these outliers as problems, but acceptable risk for a new industry, even though Tesla is over 15 years old. I had the original iPhone, right after using a crackberry for many years, and the upside, enhanced user experience was so great, I was ok with the first few years of iphones and problems. If you are not this person who wants enhanced high tech UX, stick with ICE. ICE is so mature, you can get a toyota and never have an issue for 20 years. I just traded in my 20 year old Toyota landcruiser for a M3RWD as I am ok with change; understand diff vehicles.
There is room for all of us, early adopters, curious main streamers, and laggers. Each person will go when they are ready, or maybe not.

 

[GoVols!]

EV sales to date are in the millions. These EVs are reliable and as they are relative newbies in the industry and would be DOA if they did not work.
Think when we hear about problems, they are outliers. I am acknowledging these outliers as problems, but acceptable risk for a new industry, even though Tesla is over 15 years old. I had the original iPhone, right after using a crackberry for many years, and the upside, enhanced user experience was so great, I was ok with the first few years of iphones and problems. If you are not this person who wants enhanced high tech UX, stick with ICE. ICE is so mature, you can get a toyota and never have an issue for 20 years. I just traded in my 20 year old Toyota landcruiser for a M3RWD as I am ok with change; understand diff vehicles.
There is room for all of us, early adopters, curious main streamers, and laggers. Each person will go when they are ready, or maybe not.

Ha, I have a 2020 LC so I have another 20yrs or longer before I get rid of it. When I have a Tesla in the garage, it will be our primary daily user and the Lc will be regulated for severe weather and overlanding.

 

[kpanda17]

Loved my LC. It was time, daughter created multiple accident body work, check eng light/evap issues, and a ton of rust end to end underneath.
btw, in this condition, Tesla handsomely paid me for it as a trade in.

 

[kpanda17]

and as you can see, I still have my sons amazing RUL 2 door,

 

[drdumont]

Not sure how to take your comment but it seems pretty rude. If this was meant to be some kind of dig because of my beliefs, it’s absolutely know wonder why people can’t get along with those who choose to have a difference of opinion. I have liberal friends and we go on being friends. I live in Tennessee and we have two Tesla service centers that I am aware of. I have test driven the MYP and MYLR in the last two months, with an upcoming test drive of a MX next week.

I am basing my knowledge of the issues Tesla and other EV’s may have from this forum, other ev forums and current owners in my area(neighborhood,friends).

You can choose to move from your current state. We are all free to live elsewhere. My wife left her practice and my great job(now retired) in the Bay Area to get out of that tax you to death state. You only live once, find a happier place.

The FSD is not what I am after, it’s better options “safety features) inline with value compared to competitors. I have already committed to buying a Tesla because I do believe they are currently the best option. I looked at the ixm60 but couldn’t get over the exterior looks. Plus the center console isn’t ideal. The Rivian was option but not thrilled with passenger dash hitting my tall wife’s knees unless the seat t is pushed back and then my kids will lose leg space.

I think EV’s get a bad wrap more so because their are people who are so fanatical about them they throw shade at ice owners, which then causes more negative feelings about evs. It’s like me as a Christian going around shaming “Bible thumping” people for not being a believer and some so called “Christians” do this and give Jesus a bad name. Ev evangelist do the exact same thing. You want to bring people into the fold, show them some grace and you’ll be surprised how people will want to hear what you have to say. Just my .02

Not gonna get in a feud with you , but I will answer a few points.
1) Conservative I am. In politics, I'm slightly to the right of Genghis Khan. But my decision to drive EVs has nothing to do with that. I neither hug trees nor chop them down for sport. I enjoy the EV experience mainly for the economy. Solar charging and I'm too old to get out and get under any more.
2) Your posting sounded to me as if you were operating on dated information and had been listening to a lot of FUDI. There was no rude intention, quite the opposite.
3) Having lived outside of Texas and outside of the USA, I'm fortunate to have been able to return to the Great and I might add, Sovereign State of Texas. The fact that our bought and paid for politicians, like those in other states have so far overpowered logical thought and free trade in re Tesla sales is sad, but there is a aimple workaround, and, purchasing my three Teslas was simple and easy.
4) There are manyoxen being gored, and of course it was the same when people were yelling "Get A Horse", as the Amalgamated Brotherhood of Livery Stable Operators and Buggy Whip Manufacturers saw their livelihoods in jeopardy. Lots of folks fear change, and for good reason. The early horseless carriages got a bad rap, and they were not perfect then nor are they now.
5) I shame NO ONE who chooses to buy an American made petroleum powered vehicle, nor do I believe that EVs are the panacea and the perfect fit for everyone. I shame those who use the spread of Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt and Ignorance in their crusade to brand EVs as the Antichrist. I shame no one for their belief or lack thereof in a a particular deity, or any deity in general. I shame anyone stooping so low as to use untruths or force to spread their own idea of right and wrong, be it about cars, religion or Tex-Mex.

So, I sincerely hope you enjoy your decision, made based on fact and clear judgment. If an EV isn't right for you, then you wouldn't be happy in an EV. I wish you many years of enjoyment.

OBTW, I still love my '71 Karmann Ghia convertible. Of course, even with the Porsche 90 engine with the blower, it is dern near as snappy as my Model 3s and as much fun to drive. And neither one has Full Self Driving, nor will they. Not all gassers are bad.

 

[GoVols!]

Not gonna get in a feud with you , but I will answer a few points.
1) Conservative I am. In politics, I'm slightly to the right of Genghis Khan. But my decision to drive EVs has nothing to do with that. I neither hug trees nor chop them down for sport. I enjoy the EV experience mainly for the economy. Solar charging and I'm too old to get out and get under any more.
2) Your posting sounded to me as if you were operating on dated information and had been listening to a lot of FUDI. There was no rude intention, quite the opposite.
3) Having lived outside of Texas and outside of the USA, I'm fortunate to have been able to return to the Great and I might add, Sovereign State of Texas. The fact that our bought and paid for politicians, like those in other states have so far overpowered logical thought and free trade in re Tesla sales is sad, but there is a aimple workaround, and, purchasing my three Teslas was simple and easy.
4) There are manyoxen being gored, and of course it was the same when people were yelling "Get A Horse", as the Amalgamated Brotherhood of Livery Stable Operators and Buggy Whip Manufacturers saw their livelihoods in jeopardy. Lots of folks fear change, and for good reason. The early horseless carriages got a bad rap, and they were not perfect then nor are they now.
5) I shame NO ONE who chooses to buy an American made petroleum powered vehicle, nor do I believe that EVs are the panacea and the perfect fit for everyone. I shame those who use the spread of Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt and Ignorance in their crusade to brand EVs as the Antichrist. I shame no one for their belief or lack thereof in a a particular deity, or any deity in general. I shame anyone stooping so low as to use untruths or force to spread their own idea of right and wrong, be it about cars, religion or Tex-Mex.

So, I sincerely hope you enjoy your decision, made based on fact and clear judgment. If an EV isn't right for you, then you wouldn't be happy in an EV. I wish you many years of enjoyment.

OBTW, I still love my '71 Karmann Ghia convertible. Of course, even with the Porsche 90 engine with the blower, it is dern near as snappy as my Model 3s and as much fun to drive. And neither one has Full Self Driving, nor will they. Not all gassers are bad.

Tex-Mex I appreciate your response. I am looking forward to my Tesla Ev.Had this installed a week ago

 

[kpanda17]

Number 1 JD Power Rated Home Charger, Tesla Nation!!

 

[Rocky_H]

It’s like me as a Christian going around shaming “Bible thumping” people for not being a believer

My dad was an English teacher, so I became a bit of a language geek. There is a quirky language thing here with this phrase that led to you having the meaning backward.

You refer to "Bible thumpers" as non-believers. That may be because of how thumping seems like bashing. Bashing would mean attacking or criticizing. But the phrase "Bible thumpers" means the people who ARE supportive of the Bible. The "thumping" is like tapping or pointing to it as their reference for where their beliefs are based.

For a pop culture reference on this, if you know the TV series Firefly, it's used in the episode The Message. A character named Tracey is surprised that Captain Malcolm Reynolds has a passenger on the ship who is a "shepherd" (preacher), because he knows the captain doesn't like spiritual faith much. Tracey says, "What are you DOING with this Bible thumper?"

 

[tander]

Well your point is not invalid, but then again the US managed to create a unified airspace over the country, and the Interstate highway system seems to be fairly well established and standardised. Electricity uses the NEC and standard outlets and so on


I think another mistake we make about FSD is that it has to be 100% perfect. That'd obviously be nice, but in reality, all it has to do is be better than the current system where humans do all the driving ... so not such a high bar after all

I was on the fence about self driving cars until I was on the freeway and had someone playing chicken, that was a very memorable 3 seconds. Presumably a self driving car won't be perfect but it won't play chicken. And then you think about how we let 16 year olds, 95 years olds, and everybody in between that are in varying states of physical and mental health and drug side effects and it becomes clear, the bar isn't all that high. And the cool thing with self driving is it sounds like it will never be perfect, but it will probably get to the point where it becomes very rare if ever for serious injury or death to occur.

I just got back from a CO, UT, ID road trip. I remember getting some looks which is weird to me since I normally drive a Subaru that gets zero attention. But I don't remember any negative comments. I did get a nice door ding which could have been a passive aggressive thing, but who knows. I did notice that Idaho especially is still very unfriendly to EVs in terms of charging. Looking at the maps of EV chargers its one of the few states that still has big gaps in routing and I had to skip some areas. Also noticed it was pretty wild to think of the EV divide that's still out there. Staying in Ketchum ID I think the Tesla was one of 2 evs I saw all weekend, the other was an Audi owned by a hotel. Quite a difference considering where I live you can't go more than a minute or two without seeing a Tesla.

 

[CyberGus]

Maybe there'll be removable/replaceable ones at some point, or maybe vehicles with both structural and replaceable batteries that'll let you carry extra for extended range or "instant" turnaround recharging - also replaceable batteries would be the perfect thing for levelling or absorbing extra grid output

I can't even swap the battery in my phone

 

[ChooseFreedom]

To be fair, there are ice-ing, coal rolling jerks out there trying to aggravate and disrupt. I wouldn’t call them evil, but they are a touch past simple ignorance. They are not uncommon in my neck of the woods.

You mean your "redneck" of the woods.
I'm in the south as well. Ignorance spawns geniuses like no other.

 

[drdumont]

Tex-Mex I appreciate your response. I am looking forward to my Tesla Ev.Had this installed a week ago

Salute! I put mine in a month before I got my first Model 3. I was considering praying to it, with all the delivery delays.
B4 we got Superchargers nearby, I let a couple of passers through use it.
There are now three in the alley on this block. I set the car to charge after 2300, and it's always full up by morning.

 

[SteelClouds]

Maybe a dumb comment, but the US does not have 400+ National Parks.
The comments I hear often are half-questions half-claims "but this is the car to just go around city, right?"

The National Park System encompasses 424 national park sites in the United States.

 

[alexgr]

The National Park System encompasses 424 national park sites in the United States.

I know that. My point is that a National Park is not the same as any other site under some form of National Park service management. Some places like the Colorado National Monument could well qualify as National Parks by their size, but most other places are much smaller in scale and significance than most National Parks.

 

[EVer Hopeful]

The Statue of Liberty!

 

[alexgr]

The Statue of Liberty!

You may want to wait for a floating Cybertruck for that trip.

 

[EVer Hopeful]

Doesn't the Y have "Submarine Mode"?

 

[alexgr]

Doesn't the Y have "Submarine Mode"?

The waters are rough in the bay for the Y.

 

[drdumont]

The waters are rough in the bay for the Y.

It can handle them, but you have to watch out for Coney Island Whitefish, they can clog the cooling air intake.

 

[LadyOnikara]

People haven't really been hostile to electric cars in our red county. (Maybe being a red county in California makes a difference.) I was still surprised to see that there were over 400 electric vehicles of various types here as of the end of 2022, probably more now. When mom goes to places, she's just been asked questions what it's like driving a Tesla. She hasn't told me of any hostility and she even helped someone at a supercharger who didn't know what to do. I see a lot of electric cars around while running errands and give them a friendly nod when driving our ICE GMC Sierra.