@brainhouston - good points. I'm a bit of a dreamer, and like to think of things in terms of "ideal"... what things *could* be if humanity tried our best.
All valid points yet we have so many threads about ppl complaining they not getting epa range
I think most ppl prefer range in 300+ miles
That's true, but that's more to do with missed expectations than actual battery needs. Some owners expected 350 miles per charge because "that's what the sticker says", but they only get 250 and feel betrayed. Guess what though... they more than make due with the battery they have.
BTW, 40kwh means nothing unless u also say the efficiency number. Cybertruck or X won't get too far on 40kwh..
Yeah, good point. If we can average 5 or 6 miles per kWh across all vehicles, that'd be great. Larger vehicles will need larger batteries, but hopefully more people drive smaller cars... *much* smaller.
We need better financial incentives against the giant trucks that are so popular in the US today.
Generally though, I do think 150-200 miles of true range is suitable for almost everyone, or at least it *will* be once the fast DC charging network is ubiquitous and fast charging gets even faster. Stopping for 5-10 minutes every two hours is acceptable, and people will not only get used to that pattern, they'll come to appreciate it. So a mid-size sedan like the Model 3 might have a 35-40kWh battery, while a smaller two seater pod might only need 25kWh for the same range.
Definitely not enough for me, after driving X 90D (76kwh usable) i told my self i won't buy anything less than 100kwh or Long Range for 3/Y
Yes i can manage but i need that buffer even if i only gonna use it few days in a year
I think with today's infrastructure, you need that buffer even if only a few days a year... but once EVs hit critical mass, everything will change.
Fast DC charging will be every 10 miles, and instead of towing EVs that run out of juice, other vehicles will readily "jump" them. EV range anxiety will become a thing of the past.
We won't even worry about driving to remote areas because... those will have charging too.
Home charging is great but too many variables still... apartments, failed charger/breaker, power outage, cold weather impacts.. etc etc
My 2c.
Unfortunately, there will be people that will not have home charging. For them, they'll miss out in the convenience of having a "full tank" every morning, but it'll *still* be better than gas stations.
They'll plug in where they park - at work, at the pay-to-park garage, or even at the public curb. When they have to, they'll intentionally visit a charging station for a 5 minute "fill".
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Once again, I'm thinking more from an idealist perspective, but we *know* the charging network will continue to grow, and we *know* that vehicle prices need to drop significantly. Those two knowns seem to paint the future very clearly in my mind - smaller batteries.
There's a bit of a catch-22 in that we can't shrink the batteries without more public charging, and public charging will only grow as long as EV sales continue to grow, and EV sales won't grow with vehicles that can't drive far enough to make it to the next charger... so for the time being, batteries will stay larger.
It makes sense that once public charging is everywhere, many people will happily buy 35kWh vehicles for $17k. They'll charge almost exclusively at home, but once a year when they drive long distance they'll just stop every hour or two to charge. Or take a maglev train.