I charge indoors but it wouldn't matter. I think this topic has been covered well enough but if you want to drive your car it needs to be plugged in. Cold weather wouldn't stop me. It's not lot an extra 90 seconds outdoors is a deal beaker.
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The wrong focus on range anxiety?
- Thread starter gpetti
- Start date
NigelM
Recovering Member
The "daily outside" scenario is one where it's even more important to plug in whenever possible due to weather extremes, especially in the cold.
I'm not confident people charging indoors or in fair weather can fully appreciate the urgency to get indoors when arriving at your destination outside in bad or cold weather. Some outdoors characters certainly can disagree, and I get it this varies from person to person, but I would say it is a fairly common trait to want to retreat inside from bad weather as fast as possible. I guess I have to accept I'm not going to get acknowledgement for this. 
The point is, you don't have to plug-in a Tesla every day to drive it. You don't have to fill a gas tank the minute the warning light is lit. You can drive them longer than would be prudent and face range anxiety later over that oversight. That was what this conversation was all about. It is, of course, a no-brainer that if you need to drive, you need energy to do it from the relevant source. It was the point that human nature can be to postpone getting said energy.
I guess my question should be rephrased: Hasn't anyone else postponed charging an EV - or filling up an ICE - because of weather? (Of course, gas stations tend to have some cover too, something that may not always apply to outside charging places.)
Of course, it is. Same with plugging in an ICE car in an external heater that warms the engine and/or charges the 12V in very cold climates. Yet a lot of people tend to skip it, because it is tedious. I'd argue they might be even more inclined to skip charging a (long-range) EV, because there is no immediately visible detrimental effect - at least in an ICE, the pre-heating helps make sure your car starts and is more comfortable in the morning, an EV probably just lost some range so "who cares" if you don't need the range every day.
I'm *not* saying I don't care, or that I'd think like that, just exploring what I think is quite usual human behavior. Especially as we get nearer the Model 3, certainly humanity's worse demons will be everyday fare for EVs, more so than with early adopters that are interested in the nuances of the technology and have a fuller appreciation of the full experience.
The point is, you don't have to plug-in a Tesla every day to drive it. You don't have to fill a gas tank the minute the warning light is lit. You can drive them longer than would be prudent and face range anxiety later over that oversight. That was what this conversation was all about. It is, of course, a no-brainer that if you need to drive, you need energy to do it from the relevant source. It was the point that human nature can be to postpone getting said energy.
I guess my question should be rephrased: Hasn't anyone else postponed charging an EV - or filling up an ICE - because of weather? (Of course, gas stations tend to have some cover too, something that may not always apply to outside charging places.)
Of course, it is. Same with plugging in an ICE car in an external heater that warms the engine and/or charges the 12V in very cold climates. Yet a lot of people tend to skip it, because it is tedious. I'd argue they might be even more inclined to skip charging a (long-range) EV, because there is no immediately visible detrimental effect - at least in an ICE, the pre-heating helps make sure your car starts and is more comfortable in the morning, an EV probably just lost some range so "who cares" if you don't need the range every day.
I'm *not* saying I don't care, or that I'd think like that, just exploring what I think is quite usual human behavior. Especially as we get nearer the Model 3, certainly humanity's worse demons will be everyday fare for EVs, more so than with early adopters that are interested in the nuances of the technology and have a fuller appreciation of the full experience.
NigelM
Recovering Member
I'm not confident people charging indoors or in fair weather can fully appreciate the urgency to get indoors when arriving at your destination outside in bad or cold weather. Some outdoors characters certainly can disagree, and I get it this varies from person to person, but I would say it is a fairly common trait to want to retreat inside from bad weather as fast as possible. I guess I have to accept I'm not going to get acknowledgement for this.
No need to be dismissive of those of us who live in warmer climates now; I spent years in much colder locations with my fair share of snow and ice.
BTW, couple of days ago we had 3" (~8cm) of rain in 90 minutes; believe me doing anything in that kind of weather is at least as bad as being outside in the cold.
P.S. This thread has drifted horribly so I'm signing off anyway.
palmer_md
Member
As an EV driver for twenty years, I can say that range anxiety is a condition that is very strange. I read somewhere in a EV conversion forum long ago before the Roadster, Leaf, Tesla and other OEM offerings were available, that "range anxiety is a condition that only effects those that do not own an EV or just recently started driving one". This is very true. Once you own one and drive it for a small while, you learn where you can go and what you can do with it and then there is absolutely zero anxiety. My conversion when it was lead acid had about 40 miles range and my Leaf is about 75, and I have not had any issues at all. Some ask me if I get anxious about taking a trip to the city (SF). Absolutely not since I know for a fact that I cannot make it, I don't even consider taking the car, so there is nothing to be anxious about. I think I charged my conversion away from home once in 20 years, and my Leaf about 3-4 times in the past almost 4 years.
This is where the Tesla offering make things a bit more complicated. Since the car has so much range, folks tend to take them out farther from home, and do more charging away from home at superchargers, and this may induce some anxiety about charging availability, but I still think the concept is misrepresented. You'll note that most of the folks saying they are anxious are not owners yet or are new owners.
A few months of ownership is the cure for range anxiety! So go out and buy an EV! :smile:
This is where the Tesla offering make things a bit more complicated. Since the car has so much range, folks tend to take them out farther from home, and do more charging away from home at superchargers, and this may induce some anxiety about charging availability, but I still think the concept is misrepresented. You'll note that most of the folks saying they are anxious are not owners yet or are new owners.
A few months of ownership is the cure for range anxiety! So go out and buy an EV! :smile:
No need to be dismissive of those of us who live in warmer climates now; I spent years in much colder locations with my fair share of snow and ice.
BTW, couple of days ago we had 3" (~8cm) of rain in 90 minutes; believe me doing anything in that kind of weather is at least as bad as being outside in the cold.
P.S. This thread has drifted horribly so I'm signing off anyway.
I wasn't trying to be dismissive of anyone's climate (I already acknowledged your tropical storms), except maybe to dismiss comparing indoor charging at home to outdoor charging at home. They are different beasts. I still have a hard time believing everyone would plug-in outside at home, for a daily maintenance charge that isn't absolutely necessary, if it is pouring like that, for example. I'd say chances of postponing the charge and running indoors instead would increase in a tropical storm. If the storm lasts for days, like cold, perhaps that postponing might last for days too (assuming a large-range battery compared to daily use).
I still find it weird that my benign point about bad weather making people who daily charge outdoors at home (or at work) more likely to postpone plugging in was met with such resistance. I guess it was too offensive a thought that some EV owner could be so lazy and unsportsmanlike.
Live and learn.I wasn't trying to be dismissive of anyone's climate (I already acknowledged your tropical storms), except maybe to dismiss comparing indoor charging at home to outdoor charging at home. They are different beasts. I still have a hard time believing everyone would plug-in outside at home, for a daily maintenance charge that isn't absolutely necessary, if it is pouring like that, for example. I'd say chances of postponing the charge and running indoors instead would increase in a tropical storm. If the storm lasts for days, like cold, perhaps that postponing might last for days too (assuming a large-range battery compared to daily use).
I still find it weird that my benign point about bad weather making people who daily charge outdoors at home (or at work) more likely to postpone plugging in was met with such resistance. I guess it was too offensive a thought that some EV owner could be so lazy and unsportsmanlike.
I don't get it. If you park outside you must physically transport yourself inside somehow. Does that mean you don't buy groceries if the weather isn't nice too? Sure, you add maybe a minute to your time in the cold but you're making it sound like some massive feat here. I would hope anyone buying an electric car that parks it outside would understand that sometimes it gets cold in the winter and they must still plug in.
I don't think charging an EV is a massive feat, but it can take significant-enough amount of time for one to consider postponing it, when running inside is an option. People postpone unpleasant things all the time, even if they are trivial. If weather makes plugging in an plugging out unpleasant, and you are home and long-range battery lets you not charge every day, you may choose to postpone daily charging in bad weather. Postpone too many days in a row and then have one longer than usual driving day, you can get range anxiety.
As for not buying groceries if the weather isn't nice, I hear pizza deliveries can double in bad weather.
I would say people who start every day with full (or 90%) battery, probably have garages with HPWCs. Outdoor charging people who hook up a cable, the score may be a little less perfect?
^^^ This. On a trip you plan your stops at a reasonable distance apart (and a backup location just in case). Then you work your plan. No range anxiety ever. Yesterday I went Home-Waco-Austin-Waco-Home It's 115 from home to Waco, and 105 from Waco to Austin (210 round trip). Had 80 or 90 rated miles left at the second Waco stop. Had there been any question about range, I could have charged in Austin. (I demonstrated the car five or six times while I was there.) Longer trips are similar. There's really no stress at all--far less than an ICE car.
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I don't get it either. My car is parked outside and it's no big deal to plug in, so I see no reason to not plug it in. Actually, I'd be more tempted to not plug it in on a nice day. On a cold day you'd want it plugged in to insure that the battery gets all the electricity it needs. You can't preheat the car from shore power if it's unplugged, nor can you set the charging timer so that charging will end about the time you start driving.
It's more of the problem getting the ice off of the wiper holder so the windshield wipers will work. I would really like it if someone would design/sell an insert that you could place in the trough over the wipers. Then you could install it the night before a snow/ice storm and pull it off in the morning.
I agree range anxiety can be lessened with planning. But often that is, assuming charging infrastructure exists to do so. If not, then one might need to reach an area on the far end of the car's range, and depending on weather or traffic conditions, one day make it easily - and another day spend more energy and face range anxiety.
Aint that't the truth. The wiper heater mode in the cold weather package helps a little. Do you or have you considered the trick of standing the wipers up in installation position for the night?
As for the daily charging (or not daily charging), I guess this sub-thread got a too large life of its own, this is not really a big deal nor was I trying to make it into one.
I was just originally musing that like skipping a gas station visit due to bad weather, some may find similarly with an EV charge (if it isn't absolutely mandatory). This will not apply to all people, of course.Also again, just to clarify, this is regarding people whose EV range exceeds manyfold their average daily needs and who charge outside - so that to drive their commute, they don't have to charge every day. My point was, these people may not "always" be full every morning, even if they could be. If your daily commute requires a lot of range, obviously your incentive or need to plug in every night goes up, compared to those who could run five or more days on a single charge.
But you can heat an unplugged car with the Model S app, just click it early enough before going. If range is not on average an issue, there is no immediate comfort penalty in not plugging in a Tesla. (I know there are recommendations to the contrary, but humans are humans.) If you could only heat your car through the cable, I know more people would instinctively plug in in colder climates, where they may already be used to such heaters with ICE cars - such interior heaters were probably invented alongside engine heaters so that more people would plug in, heating just the engine might not be enough of a reward alone.
But if you can get the same interior heat without plugging in, and you can skip rolling up the cable in the cold the next morning, skipping that step may seem awfully tempting. I'm not trying to belittle the usefulness of the pre-heating and battery heating process from shore power, just pondering the human nature that goes along with such things.All I can say is that I've skipped plugging in due to weather and I know people who have skipped plugging in due to weather, of course I also know people who would never skip, their personality is probably just that different. I don't doubt you guys, if you say you would never skip plugging in due to weather, you may well be in the latter group of people. But beyond us early(ish) adopters, I am also taking the longer view - what will happen when Model 3 or subsequent mainstream models hit and people who have no particular interest in the special characteristics of EVs start driving them, I think it is an interesting question what kind of charging regime will they realistically run. Will most people plug in every night if they don't really, commute-wise, have to? And if getting the nightly charge to stick is hard, what will that do to experienced range anxiety and EV adoption? Maybe nothing, I'm not trying to paint it into a problem. Just pondering out loud.
One more thought that occurred to me yesterday is that, if you use mainly a slow charger like 220V, postponing the charge for several days will eventually mean you're rarely full (90%) even when you do plug in, because it will take longer than one night to charge up there. If you charge to 70% one night and then again skip charging the next day or two, this goes round and round and you're never at 90% (until perhaps some weekend day when you don't leave the house and remembered to plug in), and eventually range anxiety may hit if a more than usually active driving week occurs.
Interesting ponderings. I appreciate your input, guys, as well. Clearly the average commenter in this thread is very organized about their daily charging and that's good thing. Good for you. Let's hope the Average Joe will be too.
Yes, your planning is going to be different in February compared to July. In almost all areas that you want to visit there are RV parks with 50 amp service. If you only look at PlugShare it seems that there are large areas with no possibility of charging, but using an RV park App, it's possible to go almost everywhere without any anxiety.
I tried that. Problem is that if you don't clean out the track where the wipers sit completely, the wipers automatically go down when you start the car. But any ice left will stop the wipers and cause them to spin on their shafts. I had hoped that putting them in service mode would allow them to stay in that position until service mode was cancelled. Doesn't work that way though.
While true, there's no reason not to charge daily. My experience has been that if you're prepared, what you've prepared for doesn't happen. If you're not, it does
The other reward for plugging in and preheating is lower Wh/mi (even though the total energy use will be similar).
That's certainly true. It takes all kinds.
Perhaps you mean 120V? Any 220V charging will completely range charge an 85 in 12 hours (6-8 hours for a 50 amp circuit, which I believe is the most common setup). At 120V you're always plugged in to charge and in very cold weather you are really only heating the pack and not charging at all.
Interesting ponderings. I appreciate your input, guys, as well. Clearly the average commenter in this thread is very organized about their daily charging and that's good thing. Good for you. Let's hope the Average Joe will be too.
While my typical daily driving is 50-60 miles depending upon if I stop someplace after work or not, I do get called back into the office on occasion--not predictable in advance--and sometimes other things happen (Denise has a flat, the power goes out, etc.), so charging to 200-215 miles rated every night means I'm never caught flat-footed.
I suspect that because genIII isn't going to be the world's cheapest car, anyone purchasing it would investigate a little bit on how to properly use it before buying. In fact, I think the Model S and X will have more user problems because at least some of the purchasers are those who can say, "Honey, lets go out today and purchase a couple of Mercedes as our current pair is over a year old". Those who have to scrimp a bit are far more careful with their purchases.
Thanks for the nice post. I'll add a few thoughts later but 220V charging speed of course depends on your setup. In Europe where 220-240V is the norm in electric networks, it is not uncommon to have less than 16A sockets outside of houses and even in some (lowsy) public chargers. They may be 13A or even 6A. With these a full charge is a 24+ hour deal.
Of course on many days it is still enough if daily drive is less than full range as it usually is. Problems may mount if charging is skipped on (too) many days in a row.
Of course on many days it is still enough if daily drive is less than full range as it usually is. Problems may mount if charging is skipped on (too) many days in a row.
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I haven't really caught up reading all the dialog here, and I would like to restate my original points here but in answer to a few points:
Here in Calgary we have sub-zero celsius temperatures (below 32 F) much of the winter. After 8 months of driving my P85+ I have yet to use a supercharger as there have been none here until recently. I'm driving an ICE now as I'm awaiting my P85D and I find that I'm often skipping fill-ups waiting in hopes that the temperature goes up. Sometimes filling up, I stop mid-way to finish later because if the wind is blowing and I'm not wearing enough clothes my threshold of endurance is exceeded. I end up running the car dangerously low in some cases because the thought of standing in a -30C windchill holding a freezing cold piece of metal for even a few minutes is so unappealing. For me, I'm lucky enough that 99% of my Tesla driving was within the city and I would just slap the charger into my car when I got home. Thus I've become used to NO stops for charging; however, while charging an EV always takes longer than filling an ICE, you don't have to stand there in the cold holding the nozzle, and for the chargers I've used no credit card waiting either. Putting an electric charging nozzle into the car is a thing of simplicity and takes seconds usually. After that - you can sit in the car, go inside to get a coffee or use the facilities or whatever. No gas stations I've ever been to allow you to leave the pump unattended.
I'm enjoying the lively dialog here - somewhat surprised as this thread originally died. I actually had to re-read my original post to review my point. A couple of my original statements might be overstating ICE range anxiety but I stand by the basic point I was trying to make. I think from some of the responses it is fair to say that different owners have different levels of agreement depending on their own habits, style and environment. For some Tesla owners range anxiety, even on long journeys is nearly zero but for some owners - particularly if they don't have home charging, even day to day driving could become stressful. Similarly for ICE drivers, some are very organized and disciplined about their fill-ups and don't see any real advantage in not having to fit this into their day to day driving. I'm a person that has sometimes lived in enough chaos during my day to day life that having to squeeze fill-ups into a day is sometimes an annoyance. YMMV.
Revisiting some points:
EVs and ICE cars have very different operating paradigms - particularly where fueling is concerned. There are pros and cons to each approach. Clearly the amount of range that a battery can provide, and the speed of filling a battery (or lack thereof) are the key challenges to solve for an EV. Tesla has done more than anyone (IMHO) to reduce and, in some cases, eliminate these traditional problems but they still have work to do. They have done such a good job of working these issues that for some owners they are virtually non issues. Tesla will continue to improve on battery technology and continue to build out their network of charging stations. I.e. this is getting better month by month. For the ICE paradigm, while there is now a very rich infrastructure for fueling, the ability to fuel at home or at destinations will probably never be there. While Tesla is talking about technology to allow charge connectors to automatically connect to cars, a gas station has become less convenient (virtually no full service anymore) and seems unlikely to ever become more convenient.
In my original post I was not saying that long distance travel is no longer a problem for EVs, I was saying that this seems to be the focus for many people and certainly many journalists. When I was doing my due diligence before buying my Tesla it was important to understand the implications of long distance travel but what nobody really emphasized to me was that my life would actually get easier.
My basic thesis was that: Many drivers can charge at their home or at a destination and thus for their most common driving scenarios, they no longer have to expend any time or thought on where and when they will fuel. I just NEVER have to consider my state of charge unless I'm going to hit the highway - which is relatively uncommon for me. When I was buying, nobody emphasized this to me so it was a pleasant surprise. When I am talking to people here in Calgary, (Tesla moments or Show and Shines etc.) they always ask me if I'm worried about range and I can honestly say "No, I spend less time thinking about range an fuel than I used to". I do qualify this and explain my specific scenario but for most people I meet the same situation applies.
Other posts in this thread identified that there are obviously people who have different situations (Particularly outside of North America) but I was primarily speaking to what I would consider to be the most common North American situation. I could be wrong but posts here suggest that this is true for a lot of people.
Revisiting some points:
EVs and ICE cars have very different operating paradigms - particularly where fueling is concerned. There are pros and cons to each approach. Clearly the amount of range that a battery can provide, and the speed of filling a battery (or lack thereof) are the key challenges to solve for an EV. Tesla has done more than anyone (IMHO) to reduce and, in some cases, eliminate these traditional problems but they still have work to do. They have done such a good job of working these issues that for some owners they are virtually non issues. Tesla will continue to improve on battery technology and continue to build out their network of charging stations. I.e. this is getting better month by month. For the ICE paradigm, while there is now a very rich infrastructure for fueling, the ability to fuel at home or at destinations will probably never be there. While Tesla is talking about technology to allow charge connectors to automatically connect to cars, a gas station has become less convenient (virtually no full service anymore) and seems unlikely to ever become more convenient.
In my original post I was not saying that long distance travel is no longer a problem for EVs, I was saying that this seems to be the focus for many people and certainly many journalists. When I was doing my due diligence before buying my Tesla it was important to understand the implications of long distance travel but what nobody really emphasized to me was that my life would actually get easier.
My basic thesis was that: Many drivers can charge at their home or at a destination and thus for their most common driving scenarios, they no longer have to expend any time or thought on where and when they will fuel. I just NEVER have to consider my state of charge unless I'm going to hit the highway - which is relatively uncommon for me. When I was buying, nobody emphasized this to me so it was a pleasant surprise. When I am talking to people here in Calgary, (Tesla moments or Show and Shines etc.) they always ask me if I'm worried about range and I can honestly say "No, I spend less time thinking about range an fuel than I used to". I do qualify this and explain my specific scenario but for most people I meet the same situation applies.
Other posts in this thread identified that there are obviously people who have different situations (Particularly outside of North America) but I was primarily speaking to what I would consider to be the most common North American situation. I could be wrong but posts here suggest that this is true for a lot of people.
McMuggets
Member
Well said. I for one can't wait to get into an EV. As I type this I realize that my ICE vehicle is sitting with less than a quarter tank of gas because I have been too busy between errands to get gas. I was going to get some gas the other day, but it was weird and it seemed like everyone had the same idea. There were line ups at the two stations that were on my route home. It was probably because the price was low and they were trying to undercut each other. But I thought, "is it really that worth it to line up for 10 mins so I can save 3 cents a litre? (answer = NO)". I routinely have run my ICE until the "needs fuel" light comes on because 99.5% of my driving is within the city. I also routinely run my ice until I am about within 50Km of my next "oil change service". Something about oil changes at the dealership bugs me. What should be a fast service somehow always turns into having to drop your vehicle off for an afternoon or the day if they are busy. So I go to Mr. Lube instead and pay near triple what my dealer charges for the time savings. I also endure the dude telling me all the things I should buy in addition to my oil change... because he's only doing what his manager is telling him to do in order to meet revenue targets. Somehow my air filter is always dirty and needs to be changed without fail - Our Calgary air must be horrid.
Not sure if this was already posted but here is a link to an interesting read. Sorry if it is a repost.
Tesla P85D vs Audi RS7, BMW M6 GC, Mercedes CLS63 AMG?
gpetti: Thank you for the very balanced post that takes into consideration various angles of the conversation. If much of what had preceded it in the thread would have been as balanced, I'm sure the debate would have been much shorter and much more agreeable to everyone. Your basic thesis is quite fair, and even the points about ICE anxiety, when you put it that way. Again, thank you for summarizing the thread so eloquently.
Also thank you to jerry33 for a very fair post above. I promised a few more comments beyond the Euro 220V note above, so here goes:
It is true that depending on location RV parks and other locations can definitely increase range. It can be a bit of detective work, working around the obstacles of EV driving. I'd say it doesn't only take planning, EV driving, in some places it also takes a bit of craziness and lots of thinking outside the box. All that is quite a lot of fun, at times, too.
For an average driver, though, probably still easily a major source of anxiety in many countries and areas. But things are improving!
Agreed, there is no reason not to charge daily. Then again, pre-heating an ICE has similar upsides and yet too many people are too lazy to plug-in every night in cold areas. But perhaps this thread served a purpose for myself as well, a crowd-sources kick in the behind to not fall into that lazy group!
Thanks guys.
In return, to kind of summarize my own opinion: It is true if night-charging is available where you live (i.e. you are not parking on a public street or a car park without sockets/chargers) and the range and rate of charge is sufficient for your driving needs (fast enough and what you charge let's you commute at ease), and you're either not charging outside or aren't bothered by plugging-in/plugging-out in bad weather or your region rarely has bad weather, then EVs certainly enjoy a major convenience benefit over ICEs where fuelling can't be done at home and takes more time standing by the car. This is true and I agree. If some or all don't apply to you, then the story may be different, of course, but it does apply to many people here.
Also thank you to jerry33 for a very fair post above. I promised a few more comments beyond the Euro 220V note above, so here goes:
It is true that depending on location RV parks and other locations can definitely increase range. It can be a bit of detective work, working around the obstacles of EV driving. I'd say it doesn't only take planning, EV driving, in some places it also takes a bit of craziness and lots of thinking outside the box. All that is quite a lot of fun, at times, too.
For an average driver, though, probably still easily a major source of anxiety in many countries and areas. But things are improving!
While true, there's no reason not to charge daily. My experience has been that if you're prepared, what you've prepared for doesn't happen. If you're not, it does
The other reward for plugging in and preheating is lower Wh/mi (even though the total energy use will be similar).
Agreed, there is no reason not to charge daily. Then again, pre-heating an ICE has similar upsides and yet too many people are too lazy to plug-in every night in cold areas. But perhaps this thread served a purpose for myself as well, a crowd-sources kick in the behind to not fall into that lazy group!
Thanks guys.
In return, to kind of summarize my own opinion: It is true if night-charging is available where you live (i.e. you are not parking on a public street or a car park without sockets/chargers) and the range and rate of charge is sufficient for your driving needs (fast enough and what you charge let's you commute at ease), and you're either not charging outside or aren't bothered by plugging-in/plugging-out in bad weather or your region rarely has bad weather, then EVs certainly enjoy a major convenience benefit over ICEs where fuelling can't be done at home and takes more time standing by the car. This is true and I agree. If some or all don't apply to you, then the story may be different, of course, but it does apply to many people here.
JenniferQ
Active Member
Resurrecting this thread because today while driving my MBZ (My Tesla was considered too flashy for the area) I started out with 1/4 tank and it said I had 119 mile range. I knew that was BS, because it's fooled me before, but it really hit home when I'd gone 20 miles and it went to "Do you want me to locate a gas station?" and had only 50 miles range. Very quickly that then sank to 29! I'd only travelled 20 miles! I trust my new Tesla to within 5% error. This was a huge error, and I had to pump that stinky gas into it at $3.80/gal! Bad day. Will take the T next time, even if it might draw too many stares. RA on Evs is very overrated and on ICEs underrated. Imo. I still have never experienced RA in my T.
How about this. We stop calling it range anxiety and use RANGE AWARENESS. See, same abbreviation. You are just more used to an awareness of there being a gas station n miles away and that you car has a range of n miles or so at each hash mark on the gauge. With an EV that RA is shorter and so you have to be more aware... people are assuming the frequency of gas stations but you can run out of gas too as some of the previous post mention. You can just as easily floor it in an ICE and reduce your range as well.
My PHEV has a rough range of 20 miles, minus temperature, minus elevations, traffic is a plus as I regen more... I plan around 20 mile trips and learned where I can plug in (Austin is super for this). Once I go all electric I'll actually be able to loosen my range awareness out a few hundred miles! Yes, with a full tank and charge I can go over 700 miles, but my whole point of buying this car was to use the battery and the idea of more efficient transportation. 34,000 miles on the car so far and I'm running nearly 90% off the battery getting 2200 to 4800 miles per tank of gas. My mother live 45 miles away, so I'm always using some... The gas engine has so few hours (err, miles) on it I could have had the original oil in it but got a free change from the dealer. I think he felt bad as there was so little maintenance for the 24,000 service.
My PHEV has a rough range of 20 miles, minus temperature, minus elevations, traffic is a plus as I regen more... I plan around 20 mile trips and learned where I can plug in (Austin is super for this). Once I go all electric I'll actually be able to loosen my range awareness out a few hundred miles! Yes, with a full tank and charge I can go over 700 miles, but my whole point of buying this car was to use the battery and the idea of more efficient transportation. 34,000 miles on the car so far and I'm running nearly 90% off the battery getting 2200 to 4800 miles per tank of gas. My mother live 45 miles away, so I'm always using some... The gas engine has so few hours (err, miles) on it I could have had the original oil in it but got a free change from the dealer. I think he felt bad as there was so little maintenance for the 24,000 service.
Great idea. I've never liked the term "range anxiety" because GM came up with it as a way to market the Volt by making people fearful of a pure EV. They even tried to trademark the term. That's why I cringe whenever I see a Tesla owner saying range anxiety. Range awareness is more appropriate term.
mknox
Well-Known Member
I heard the "range anxiety" term long before the Volt came out. I was very interested in EV conversions and the prospect of mainstream cars like the Zen and Miles back in the '90s. That term was often bandied about in discussions around electric cars.
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