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

 

[NovaY]

I don't think many of those are anti-EV as just ignorance. Most people are not evil or bad, they are simply not that well informed of things that they don't interact with. We all have some basic impression of things we are unfamiliar with - our primitive brain forces us to draw these conclusions based on insufficient evidence because otherwise we would either be paralyzed with fear or run around with reckless abandon.

You don't have to be nice to people who are rude to you, but a little understanding goes a long way.

 

[K.I.T.T.23]

Yah, some of those comments made sense 5+ years ago. I was contemplating making a FAQ business card because I travel a decent amount and love to educate about EVs, dispelling the rumors.
@NovaY Is right, a kind word will help with understanding.

It is like the explosion of the automotive age almost exactly 100 years ago. People don't understand because they are not familiar with the new tech. Back in the 1910's and earlier few owned a car, they were inconvenient, expensive, loud and would never replace the tried and true horse... we have used horses for thousands of years! How could an invention replace such a fine beast?
Then they tried to sell horses in the 1920's because horses served no purpose. The EV change is not as drastic, and won't happen quite as fast but mark my word. The day will come fairly soon when only the rich will own a combustion engine, and only for Sunday driving. The old Hondas and Chevys will have a dusty for-sale sign in them, and will not be worth more than their scrap. I was predicating that day to be the late 2020's to late 2030's back in the mid 2010's. Will see if my timeline was right.

 

[Petevb]

I’ve made similar comments. I do “miss the romance… the roar, vibration…” And charging on road trips is a PITA depending on where you’re going. Like the time I went camping in the mountains with a canoe on my model 3’s roof and had to cut speed to 40 mph on the highway in order to make it back to the Supercharger I started at. Or the extra ~hour I spend charging doing a 400+ mile round trip site visit. That time plus the electricity costs of California Superchargers has me eyeing a 2023 Prius Prime as an alternative to my 80k mile model 3. So while yes there’s a lot of ignorance I would not contribute to that by pretending some of these knocks are meritless. Horses for courses…

 

[K.I.T.T.23]

I do think the sound of the engine is a valid point. Also, you are right: there are times when battery charging is inconvenient, and if you spend a lot of time in the mountains/forests an EV might not be for you.

But I had someone ask me how I traveled from Colorado to Florida in an EV since they take 8+ hours to charge... We had a short chat about the complexities of charging options. They left looking at the Tesla website lol.

I also ran into a guy who bought a M3 (good for him!) but had no idea how the SuperCharger network worked. he was at a station, but didn't know why it didn't work. The SC delivery guy didn't help them set up their account or anything. Just threw the keycards at them and sent them on their way... for a 2 day trip! I sat with him for 15 minutes at the SuperCharger helping him set up his car, and explaining the different colors the "T" would be (Blue/Green good, Yellow/Red bad).

 

[Minnie Pearl]

I don't think many of those are anti-EV as just ignorance. Most people are not evil or bad, they are simply not that well informed of things that they don't interact with. We all have some basic impression of things we are unfamiliar with - our primitive brain forces us to draw these conclusions based on insufficient evidence because otherwise we would either be paralyzed with fear or run around with reckless abandon.

You don't have to be nice to people who are rude to you, but a little understanding goes a long way.

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.

 

[JustABill]

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.


View attachment 917513
"Tesla Supercharger" by Open Grid Scheduler / Grid Engine is marked with CC0 1.0.
Admin note: Image added for Blog Feed thumbnail

Some of these are valid points.

Range IS still an issue. Most EV's, even Telsas still don't have the near the same range as most ICE cars and there are still fewer EV chargers than gas stations and charging EV's still takes a lot longer than getting gas. Of course, it IS possible and practical for most people to go anywhere in continental US in an EV but it does take more time stopping and more effort planning than with an ICE.

I think that for pure driving satisfaction on open roads a high performance manual transmission ICE car is arguably the most enjoyable driving experience one can have. Stick shift is horrible in traffic though. Matter of taste of course.

 

[buckets0fun]

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.

A diesel accelerating is not trying to “roll coal” on you like many internet posters/YouTubers would have you believe.

 

[holdmybeer]

Some of these are valid points.

Range IS still an issue. Most EV's, even Telsas still don't have the near the same range as most ICE cars and there are still fewer EV chargers than gas stations and charging EV's still takes a lot longer than getting gas. Of course, it IS possible and practical for most people to go anywhere in continental US in an EV but it does take more time stopping and more effort planning than with an ICE.

I think that for pure driving satisfaction on open roads a high performance manual transmission ICE car is arguably the most enjoyable driving experience one can have. Stick shift is horrible in traffic though. Matter of taste of course.

I do agree about the manual transmission. The immersion of the driving experience with both hands and feet engaged for driving, shifting, and braking is a rush for those who enjoy the physical experience of driving. I can see a car company eventually making a niche EV for that experience.

 

[rlsd]

My experiences with EV car: 1) I don't have to squeeze my car to get into Costco gas pumps.
2) I don't feel hot in my garage when I go home. I can work out or do other things in the garage without inhaling the smoke.
3) I can park the car near the beaches and watch movies on a big screen.

 

[Midpack]

I don't think many of those are anti-EV as just ignorance. Most people are not evil or bad, they are simply not that well informed of things that they don't interact with. We all have some basic impression of things we are unfamiliar with - our primitive brain forces us to draw these conclusions based on insufficient evidence because otherwise we would either be paralyzed with fear or run around with reckless abandon.

+1. The most common comments I hear are:

• "Teslas are very expensive."
• "You can't go on long trips any more because it takes 4-5 hours to recharge the batteries." Wrong. Most people also don't realize how many (super) chargers there are already, with more everyday. Nor the route planner that integrates enroute charging.
• "How long do the batteries last? What do they cost to replace?" - I know for a fact questions meant to diminish EVs.
• "Teslas and Bolts catch fire all the time. And firefighters can't put out the intense fire."
• "People have been killed in Teslas because their self driving doesn't work well."

 

[Minnie Pearl]

A diesel accelerating is not trying to “roll coal” on you like many internet posters/YouTubers would have you believe.

I have owned a diesel vehicle. I understand the difference. I haven’t had the displeasure personally yet, but I’ve seen more than one EV drenched in a huge cloud of black smoke.

 

[THEbuz]

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.


View attachment 917513
"Tesla Supercharger" by Open Grid Scheduler / Grid Engine is marked with CC0 1.0.
Admin note: Image added for Blog Feed thumbnail

I agree with @NovaY. I think you’re just being a bit harsh. You’re using the term “ignorant” as a pejorative. We are all ignorant about so many things. Think of how much we all here have self-educated by plugging in to resources like YouTube and TMC to learn more about TESLA and EV’s, in general. Many people don’t have that kind of time or simply aren’t interested like we all are. In short, we often don’t know what we don’t know.

It seems so backward to us EV lovers that after more than 100yrs of so-called “innovation”, automobiles are still powered by and propelled by fire. That is a ludicrous (pun intended) notion when you think about it. We still measure the output capability of automobiles by a measure of a horse’s multiplied output, for GOD’s sake!

While EV’s (and specifically TESLA’s) are superior in so many ways, they simply (STILL) do not get the range that ICE buckets can achieve. (My buddy’s Dodge Ram Cummins diesel can travel >720mi per fill-up.) Also, it STILL takes longer to recharge at a Supercharger than it takes to refuel at a gas station. (I’m talking about a total fill-up from near zero.) All problems I hope that TESLA will soon remedy.

My point is that we have to be patient with people, but take every opportunity to spread the “TESLA gospel”. It really is good news how much better a TESLA is than any ICE bucket out there. I love my 2023 Model Y! For those who don’t think so—well, that’s okay. I love watching “hater” videos on the “TESLA Barbarian” YouTube channel where he has his friends who hate all things EV drive his TESLA while he answers their questions. All of them have walked away having learned something and come to realize how much the media is lying to the public about EV’s—TESLA’s in particular.

Cheers, mate.

 

[THEbuz]

I’ve made similar comments. I do “miss the romance… the roar, vibration…” And charging on road trips is a PITA depending on where you’re going. Like the time I went camping in the mountains with a canoe on my model 3’s roof and had to cut speed to 40 mph on the highway in order to make it back to the Supercharger I started at. Or the extra ~hour I spend charging doing a 400+ mile round trip site visit. That time plus the electricity costs of California Superchargers has me eyeing a 2023 Prius Prime as an alternative to my 80k mile model 3. So while yes there’s a lot of ignorance I would not contribute to that by pretending some of these knocks are meritless. Horses for courses…

Excellent points!

 

[alexgr]

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?"

 

[THEbuz]

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 in your “redneck” of the woods! LOL

 

[THEbuz]

A diesel accelerating is not trying to “roll coal” on you like many internet posters/YouTubers would have you believe.

Fair point, but then why do those clowns need to install a custom, chrome-plated 8-in after-market pipe in the first place!? (Not kidding—I’ve seen that and worse.) Stock diesel pickup trucks are not so bad. Making them emit that black smut even worse is just plain stupid, IMO.

 

[alexgr]

Fair point, but then why do those clowns need to install a custom, chrome-plated 8-in after-market pipe in the first place!? (Not kidding—I’ve seen that and worse.) Stock diesel pickup trucks are not so bad. Making them emit that black smut even worse is just plain stupid, IMO.

Is there an aftermarket tailpipe for Tesla with a smoke screen function?

 

[alexgr]

 

[labwench]

Maybe a dumb comment, but the US does not have 400+ National Parks.

The national park service oversees 424 national areas - some are national parks, others are national monuments, battlefields, historical sights, recreation sites, and seashores, just to name a few. That is probably what the OP was referring to.

I had a fun conversation with a guy at a pump while filling up my mustang about acceleration, etc. But when I mentioned that I had a MYP on order he got all huffy and said he didn't like electric cars. I just told him it would have better acceleration than my ICE mustang and left it at that.