Top questions from ICE drivers

[axelheimer24]

After about 6 months of glorious MME ownership, I’m finding myself struggling to answer the same two questions on a regular basis.

First and most common - “how many miles do you get?” When I’m feeling snarky I want to ask how many miles their ICE gets. I could be lazy and quote the EPA estimate, but that seems like a disservice to people who are genuinely curious about EVs, but don’t know what they don’t know. Do I tell them it depends on the temperature, driving speed, wind speed or whether I’m driving up hill? Do I tell them it doesn’t matter because it’s way more than I need 99% of the time?

Second question, often a follow-up to the first -“how long does it take to charge?” Again, I could quote the published specs, but do I explain that it depends on the battery temp and where you are on the charge curve? Do I explain that (almost) nobody drives an EV from 100% down to 0%? Do I tell them that 99% of the time it doesn’t matter because I charge at home, at night, and the car charges much faster than I sleep?

As early adopters and EV enthusiasts I feel like we have a responsibility to educate the general public, but people want simple answers. Owning and driving an EV every day has really simplified my life, but I find it’s a bit complicated to explain the details to someone who has driven ICE their entire life.

What are the most common questions you get from ICE drivers? Can you answer them in a simple way that is satisfying to both parties?

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[2FlyMache]

I agree, I've found that with not having to pay attention to a fuel gage, it doesn't really matter if I use 40% or 37% of my battery round trip to work and back since I just top it off at night anyway. It really only comes into play if you are actually road tripping and then it's really do you mind if your trip takes longer cause you don't mind the stretch breaks on a long trip or you want to power drive through.

 

[glenthompson]

Is it really helping the environment since your power might come from coal or natural gas? Even though our local power comes from nuclear, solar, and will soon be wind.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

Is it really helping the environment since your power might come from coal or natural gas? Even though our local power comes from nuclear, solar, and will soon be wind.

When I get this question, they get a long lecture on total energy costs to get a gallon of gas into their vehicle (almost invariably an F250 or Ram) vs total energy costs to move my Mustang the 10 miles they can go on that gallon.

?

 

[kltye]

Is it really helping the environment since your power might come from coal or natural gas? Even though our local power comes from nuclear, solar, and will soon be wind.

Yes, because the thermal efficiency of coal plants are still battery than ICE. Plus, not 100% of anyone's electricity comes from that, so it's a strawman argument used by the anti-EV crowd. (Combined cycle natural gas is even better than coal, so no need to compare there)

 

[HGxxx]

When I get this question, they get a long lecture on total energy costs to get a gallon of gas into their vehicle (almost invariably an F250 or Ram) vs total energy costs to move my Mustang the 10 miles they can go on that gallon.

?

I know people who say about the carbon foot print of electricity, behave like they have a natural gas spring in their back yard. It takes energy to get some mush out of earth , purity and transport it too ?

 

[Phil-Springs]

Completely depends on the situation, but for a random stranger who seems just curious.. over 300 miles but if it’s cold 220.. and I charge at home and have a full battery every morning.

 

[Scorpy2643]

Completely depends on the situation, but for a random stranger who seems just curious.. over 300 miles but if it’s cold 220.. and I charge at home and have a full battery every morning.

This is what I do. If they ask further questions I explain deeper.

I also like this line “like any car; speed, wind, temp, hills, all have an impact on how far I go on a fill up”

 

[JohnFoxeSheets]

When asked about range, I usually say "200+ though the actual depends on a lot of factors," and leave it at that unless they have follow-up questions. Seems to satisfy most.

 

[Chuck]

After about 6 months of glorious MME ownership, I’m finding myself struggling to answer the same two questions on a regular basis.

First and most common - “how many miles do you get?” When I’m feeling snarky I want to ask how many miles their ICE gets. I could be lazy and quote the EPA estimate, but that seems like a disservice to people who are genuinely curious about EVs, but don’t know what they don’t know. Do I tell them it depends on the temperature, driving speed, wind speed or whether I’m driving up hill? Do I tell them it doesn’t matter because it’s way more than I need 99% of the time?

Second question, often a follow-up to the first -“how long does it take to charge?” Again, I could quote the published specs, but do I explain that it depends on the battery temp and where you are on the charge curve? Do I explain that (almost) nobody drives an EV from 100% down to 0%? Do I tell them that 99% of the time it doesn’t matter because I charge at home, at night, and the car charges much faster than I sleep?

As early adopters and EV enthusiasts I feel like we have a responsibility to educate the general public, but people want simple answers. Owning and driving an EV every day has really simplified my life, but I find it’s a bit complicated to explain the details to someone who has driven ICE their entire life.

What are the most common questions you get from ICE drivers? Can you answer them in a simple way that is satisfying to both parties?

In the two+ years I've had my Mach-E I can count on one hand the number of people that have asked me questions about the car.

But I live in SoCal where about 25% of all US EVs reside. It's a familiarity thing. Once EVs become popular in your area no one will pay attention to yours.

 

[Ghost Ryder]

After about 6 months of glorious MME ownership, I’m finding myself struggling to answer the same two questions on a regular basis.

First and most common - “how many miles do you get?” When I’m feeling snarky I want to ask how many miles their ICE gets. I could be lazy and quote the EPA estimate, but that seems like a disservice to people who are genuinely curious about EVs, but don’t know what they don’t know. Do I tell them it depends on the temperature, driving speed, wind speed or whether I’m driving up hill? Do I tell them it doesn’t matter because it’s way more than I need 99% of the time?

Second question, often a follow-up to the first -“how long does it take to charge?” Again, I could quote the published specs, but do I explain that it depends on the battery temp and where you are on the charge curve? Do I explain that (almost) nobody drives an EV from 100% down to 0%? Do I tell them that 99% of the time it doesn’t matter because I charge at home, at night, and the car charges much faster than I sleep?

As early adopters and EV enthusiasts I feel like we have a responsibility to educate the general public, but people want simple answers. Owning and driving an EV every day has really simplified my life, but I find it’s a bit complicated to explain the details to someone who has driven ICE their entire life.

What are the most common questions you get from ICE drivers? Can you answer them in a simple way that is satisfying to both parties?

I think you're over thinking it. Most people just want a general idea.

My answer would be "I generally get about "X" miles, it can it vary greatly depending on weather.

As far as how long it takes to charge, that's pretty easy. I tell them how long it takes for me to charge at home, but that their mileage may vary based on their charger.

If they want more detail, then I would give it to them, but most people are just interested in a ball park figure.

 

[JamieGeek]

When asked this question and I'm out of my home state my response is usually "It got us here!" (many times I'll add "with no charge stops" or "only 1 charge stop" etc. depending on where I'm at).

This is usually followed up with "how long did it take to charge?" Which is usually 20-30 minutes each stop.

Most face to face meetings are much more amicable than online discussions.

 

[RickMachE]

Most people don't care, period. When they ask a question, it's more about the oddity of it, not because they want to learn.

I often judge my response by the way the question was asked. If there is scorn or derision implied, I give them an answer that is designed to screw with their brain. "How long does it take to charge?" Answer - sometimes as little as 5 minutes.

We have attended about 1/2 dozen events designed to promote EV adoption. Most of these are 80%+ Teslas, so we go and talk about CHOICE.

Went to a Mustang event (part of a bigger event), and it was clear the longtime Mustang owners weren't welcoming or didn't care, so won't do that again.

Went to a "Cruisin" event where souped up vehicles circle the downtown for hours while thousands watch, and got a handful of people asking questions.

When I get someone that is really interested, I try to answer all their questions as fully as I can, but avoid the politics of it. I don't spend time on the total environmental impact for example, I focus more on the FUN of driving it, the CONVENIENCE of waking up to a full tank everyday, and yes, you save money over gas. But I quickly point out that buying a $60,000 car will never "breakeven" vs. keeping a 5 year old commuter car.

I'm heading up a mini Cars and Coffee event sometime this year in our community. There are a bunch of Teslas, and one neighbor has some $200,000 EV that I don't know what it is. We'll bring a few electric devices to plug into the Lightning just for fun, maybe convert 1 person.

 

[alexgorod]

The least expected question I've got so far was "What year is this Mustang" followed by "Do they put a gas tank in front now".

What do you ask another EV driver?

 

[Tampamike]

About 300 miles and 35 minutes to charge from 20-80%. Most of the time I charge overnight in my garage at home.

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