What do you feel is the best range for an EV?

[Dear_OP]

Like others mentioned, weather plays a big factor. 300 miles is very comfortable in summer time, but a 35% range loss makes the Mach-E unusable in winter in some parts of the Midwest. Plus, we are destined to lose some 10% of our battery capacity during our vehicle holding period. These factors should be taken into account. So far, Tesla seems to understand these factors and how to adjust for them better than anyone else. Although I’d rather ride a donkey than buy a Tesla, unfortunately.

Donkeys and Horses are of the same family Equidae. So in a sense you are kinda... Just sayin'. ?

Sponsored

 

[RickMachE]

Optimal range? More than is currently technologically feasible.

What will DCFC look like in 2yrs? About the same as now.

This is the honest truth. Road tripping is NEVER going to be as easy as ICE with current battery tech. Repeat: Never.

So you have to decide if you’re willing to put up with this. Or wait for better battery tech in who knows how many years.

What do you base your 2 year projection on?

In 2 years, a significant number of DCFC stations from the IRA will be online, moving towards the goal of one every 50 miles on main travel years.

In 2 years, many existing locations will be modified to allow easier charging, like pull through spots.

In 2 years, Tesla will have added many more locations to charge.

In 2 years, nearly all new cars will have the NACS port, shifting the burden of charging away from CCS.

In 2 years, most new cars will have at least twice the charging speed.

3 years ago, travel was challenging. Two years ago it got worse. Last year into this year it is better. We have driven tens of thousands of miles, 5,300 mile trip, 4,700 mile trip, ...

 

[SonicBlue]

It really depends on what kind of person you are. If you enjoy the challenge of public charging - you like to tinker, to plan - as some people do on this board, then current range is probably just fine for you. You’ll rationalize things like “well, I drive 92% of my miles local” and “it really isn’t that hard to occasionally plot out a road trip” and “I enjoy taking a 40 minute rest.” You’ll enjoy checking the weather and forecast and checking apps and plotting out a route like a sea captain of old.

If you are an ICE-minded driver who just wants the freedom to get on the open road whenever and wherever you want, without checking wind direction, without worrying about cold weather, and without making a plan (and a backup plan) to fuel up - there is no current technologically feasible range or charging speed that is going to satisfy you. Wait for the next generation of battery tech, or buy a plug-in hybrid, or buy a used EV where someone else has already taken the depreciation hit.

 

[SonicBlue]

What do you base your 2 year projection on?

In 2 years, a significant number of DCFC stations from the IRA will be online, moving towards the goal of one every 50 miles on main travel years.

In 2 years, many existing locations will be modified to allow easier charging, like pull through spots.

In 2 years, Tesla will have added many more locations to charge.

In 2 years, nearly all new cars will have the NACS port, shifting the burden of charging away from CCS.

In 2 years, most new cars will have at least twice the charging speed.

3 years ago, travel was challenging. Two years ago it got worse. Last year into this year it is better. We have driven tens of thousands of miles, 5,300 mile trip, 4,700 mile trip, ...

I base it on the last three years, plus the fact that consumer demand for EVs is drying up.

 

[RickMachE]

I base it on the last three years, plus the fact that consumer demand for EVs is drying up.

If consumer demand was drying up (which is false), then charging would become easier, not harder.

EV sales are up each quarter. Growth has slowed.

 

[George Knighton]

Everyone has different needs, so one person's ideal won't be anything like mine, and this is a challenge for manufacturers, deciding what they need to do.

I have a 2020 GT Performance. EPA rating 260 miles, but in reality it's 290 miles.

This is much, much more than I really need.

If I had to guess, if a manufacturer can EPA at 250 miles and offer a reasonable DC charging speed, that's all the typical American family needs right now.

There are certainly more efficient cars out there if that's really your concern.

My 2020 Bolt EV's lifetime average was 4.4 mi/kWh, and Nylund just tested 5.0 miles/kWh with a new Model 3 LFP.

 

[SonicBlue]

If consumer demand was drying up (which is false), then charging would become easier, not harder.

EV sales are up each quarter. Growth has slowed.

Semantics. And no, “slower growth” will not solve the charging problem. Government funded chargers trickling onto the market won’t solve the problem. Especially as they break down and lack the funds to repair.

There is no indication that the billions of dollars earmarked for chargers expansion three years ago is going to meaningfully expand DCFC anytime soon, if ever.

Folks in your camp have been saying the same thing for years. This charging utopia is always right around the corner.

 

[RickMachE]

"Utopia"? Not my word. It will get better.

But you have been beating the same drum since you joined the forum - can't travel with it. Never going to agree. And posting false info is not "semantics".

 

[load97]

I’d like to see about 300 miles range at 85-90% charge. Also, for it to be a fairly real world number. Would help offset range & performance loss from temps. Hopefully sustain full performance at a lower SOC as well.

More DC chargers & better electrical systems on the car side to take quicker charges will also greatly help.

Wouldn’t it be nice to not have to worry about wasting so much time planning a route just trying to figure out what charger you’ll make it to, and the speed of said charger is reliable, not to mention whether it is functional (not just hoping it was reported on an app if not working).

Depending on which administration gets elected (along with house/senate), the IRA rollout could possibly be slowed/stunted.

If whatever agency or company says will be 2 years out. Expect it to be further yet. Probably be 3-7 years to see noticeable battery improvements for vehicles that more of the public would buy or even afford.

Hopes & dreams lol.

*Subject to change at my discretion

 

[TRP]

For me the range of these current cars is fine. What needs to be improved is charging speed. If you had an 800/1000v architecture and a car that could do 10-80% in under 20 minutes like the market leaders that would be ideal

Agreed

 

[TRP]

If consumer demand was drying up (which is false), then charging would become easier, not harder.

EV sales are up each quarter. Growth has slowed.

I can see this. 3 years ago the EA stations that I frequent would be empty except for me, never saw another car at them. Last trip I took the same EA stations were all full when I arrived and I had to wait. 1 EA at a Target in Owings Mills MD was full for over 24hrs straight. 1 EA in Kodak TN had 4 Mach Es charging and Chevy truck waiting.

 

[SonicBlue]

The “range doesn’t matter” / “range is already fine” crowd’s arguments appear to be:

Once chargers are more plentiful, range will be irrelevant because people will grow accustomed to stopping more frequently and regardless, people don’t road trip much anyway.

All three factors above are erroneous.

1. DCFC abundance has been promised for years, and it remains woefully inadequate. Overcrowded in dense propulsion centers, and still largely nonexistent in rural America. It’s always just around the corner, and it will remain just around the corner for years to come.
2. Even if most people road trip less than 10% of their total miles, that is irrelevant. People buy expensive vehicles for all use cases. If you want to buy an EV as a second car to commute to work and grab groceries - great.
3. People outside the big cities are never going to grow accustomed to stopping every 100 miles for 15-20 minutes at a time to fuel up. This is a scarcity “learn to make do” mindset that is antithetical to most Americans. Not gonna happen.

Range matters. Once EVs can attain 400+ miles of range at highway speeds and refuel in under 15 minutes - basically ICE-equivalent - I expect they’ll become much more popular.

 

[HuntingPudel]

Totally subjective for me. For my daily commute (98% of my driving), about 120 miles (100%-0%) in case I need to run some errands. Realistically I could do with an 80 mile range for a daily commuter. For my duck hunting or dog show endeavors? 350+real-world miles. ?‍?

 

[dbsb3233]

Semantics. And no, “slower growth” will not solve the charging problem. Government funded chargers trickling onto the market won’t solve the problem. Especially as they break down and lack the funds to repair.

There is no indication that the billions of dollars earmarked for chargers expansion three years ago is going to meaningfully expand DCFC anytime soon, if ever.

Folks in your camp have been saying the same thing for years. This charging utopia is always right around the corner.

US DCFC coverage will undoubtedly be growing over time, but I think the bigger question is "in relation to the growing # of EVs on the roads". Road trip EA stations seem likely to be stuck at 4 chargers for the foreseeable future (maybe permanently). They'll get more and more bottlenecked. Meanwhile half of road trip SCs are V2 (Teslas only). They seem to have a better chance of upgrading, but that could be years. Then there's the mishmash of smaller networks and independents, which often only have 2 chargers, low power, their own payment methods, etc. IOW, often messy.

As much as people knock EA, it's got some great things going for it that make it our first choice - coverage, consistency in power/pricing/payment, minimum 4 chargers, etc. Consistency makes EV road trips much easier. But I do worry that 4 could be insufficient soon as more EVs pour onto the roads.

 

[Bruboy]

i think the magic number always seems to be 300. But it comes down to what you need. I mostly do local and maybe a city to city trip (180 miles) every week or so. I decided that a SR was fine for me, that it would take care of me 95+% of the time. Too many people worry about EV's for travel and they are fine for that if you plan accordingly. Some folks want that "what if this happens" coverage and don't really focus on the everyday use.

Sponsored