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Highway Range Ignorance
- Thread starter WhiteKnight
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- Model S
EV_de
Model SP10/XP9 EU ZOE#47
Since a few Model S are on the Road ... do we have any "Real World" Range Data on Highway Speed ( 75 - 80 mph ) ?
In Texas we have stretches at 85 MPH!
Anyone else concerned that people seeing Model S's puttering along in the slow lane at 55-65 will be extremely bad PR?
I mean the fact the S is on par with a BMW M5 is selling S's no doubt, so isn't it reasonable to think getting passed by Yugo's on the highway will have the opposite effect?
I plan to drive no further than possible at normal to normal+ speeds.
Anyone else concerned that people seeing Model S's puttering along in the slow lane at 55-65 will be extremely bad PR?
I mean the fact the S is on par with a BMW M5 is selling S's no doubt, so isn't it reasonable to think getting passed by Yugo's on the highway will have the opposite effect?
I plan to drive no further than possible at normal to normal+ speeds.
EV_de
Model SP10/XP9 EU ZOE#47
I DO have concerns .. that why i'am asking ... 75 mph is almost minimum Speed on the Autobahn .. 85 mph is normal ...
JakeP
S P4996 ==> P02547
Yes, this is going to look quite foolish, and will only be eliminated when there are Superchargers every 150 or 100 miles along the interstates. While EV enthusiasts will be more than willing to adjust their behaviors to extend range, I fear that the "average American" buyer doesn't want to adjust much of anything, and will require range capabilities that allow them to continue to drive 80mph on long highway trips.
Fortunately for us, this is just further incentive for Tesla to build out the Supercharger network, as it will directly drive new sales.
Fortunately for us, this is just further incentive for Tesla to build out the Supercharger network, as it will directly drive new sales.
I really see a majority of the model S being used as an intracity car rather than intercity. The people who are going to only have EVs are the committed and others just simply won't. Good example is my house where I am getting the model S but my wife is adamantly opposed. She has no interest in stopping for 30 minutes every 150 miles with kids in the car to save a few hundred bucks for the few road trips we are going to take. As she said, go ahead and get it for yourself but you've lost your mind if you think we are taking that on a trip out of town (I.e. requiring a charge in between stops)
I think that this depends sharply on your personal driving habits which, in large part, depends on where you live. We do a lot of inter-city driving, but in the Northeast, "inter-city" means something very different that it does to a Kansan. For example, one can drive to the state capitols of four New England states on a single range charge of the 85kWh (270 miles); if you'd risk 291, I can add Albany NY! If you only had an EV, but needed to drive longer distances occasionally, a rental car might be appropriate.
Your point about children is a sound one. With one in college and the other nearly so, the prospect of a pleasant lunch while charging is real. If we had young kids? Not so much.
JakeP
S P4996 ==> P02547
Mine will definitely be used inter-city (200 or even 300+ miles one-way), for work and family trips. I find when you are traveling that far, you always stop for a half hour anyway. I will be happy to do so, provided there are superchargers. Until the Teslobelisks land here in the East, I admit we will likely stick with the ICE for the family trips, as the children will certainly not tolerate a multi-hour charge stop.
This really sounds like a lot of arguments comparing apples to oranges, if you like apples BUY APPLES, if you prefer ORANGES, BUY ORANGES. My S at the time of delivery will likely be my only car. If I want to take a trip I will plan my route for charge points, stop when I need to, enjoy the ride and the solitude, and enjoy an ORANGE as I smile and watch the ICE mobiles fly by burning their $6 or $7 dollar a gallon fuel. The ICE driver will choose to refuel @ $100 + per tank. I will chose to fill up for free. It's not a competition, its a lifestyle, sit back and enjoy it.
I don't think people are eager to take rest breaks. Neither I nor my friends want to do that, especially when taking a 500+ mile trip. We all want to get to the final destination asap. As they say, time is money. Until an EV is able to go 500/600 miles on a single charge, the ICE car will remain king. A 5 minute stop to refuel and you are back on the road.
As @wstuff noted, apples and oranges. If you're looking for a road-tripping car, don't buy an EV, at least not in 2012. But with my driving (and that of the vast majority of drivers), I'll spend less time waiting for my Model S to charge than I've spent refueling my Audi. Sure the Audi only takes 5 minutes, but normally the Model S takes 5 seconds -- the time it takes to plug it in, but there's no need to stand there and watch it charge while I eat dinner and sleep. Once or twice a year, I'll need to spend 30 minutes at a supercharger. If I refuel weekly (about right for me), that's 5*52 = 260 minutes refueling > 2*30 = 60 minutes recharging on the road. YMMV.
I agree. This is highly dependent on preferences, family situation and many other things. EVs definitely are not the perfect road trip car right now for most people but work fine for others. Buy the car that fits your lifestyle.
Well, people are surely very different minded
The last thing I ever want to do is drive 5-600 miles with no rest stops. We do not do that in ICE cars now, and would not in a 1000 mile EV either. We always take nice breaks, to stretch our legs, have some food etc. Often at places there are something to see. We have 180 miles to our cabin and always have at least one 30 minute stop (avg. speed is only 45mph though so it's a 4 hour drive).
If I want to go 5-600 miles as fast as possible, I just hop on a plane. MUCH faster than any ICE even at 90mph.
Well, people are surely very different minded
LOL
My thought is that having to stop around 150 miles for 30 minutes is really going to improve safety. Denise and I typically stop every couple of hours anyway even though the range on trips is just shy of the 620 mile typical day's drive. So only one of the stops includes getting gas.
I don't know about much faster. By the time you take an hour or more to get to the airport, two hours at the airport going through security and waiting to board, an hour sitting on the runway because the flight is delayed (with luck you won't have to change flights), and then another hour to get luggage and rental car, you could be a long way towards your destination. And then there's the bad food and cramped seating next to strangers... Overall, it's an unpleasant experience, and only a significant body of water between myself and my destination would convince me to fly these days. (I did far too much flying during a former life.)
kevincwelch
Active Member
Possibly the experience is quite different between Norway/Europe and the US ? I usually arrive at the airport 1-1.5 hour(s) before departure, the flights are very seldom delayed and my luggage is often ready in less than 15 minutes after arrival. I haven't ever rented a car at my destination, we mostly have extensive public transport available around our larger cities in Europe.
Meals are only included on longer flights, since Europe is small I seldom take flights longer than two hours except when we go to Cyprus.
Well just this past weekend I flew to Ft. Lauderdale and back in the same day. To test drive the Model S. When I was there I put in my house into the Google maps, and got 600.2 mile drive to my suburban town center. That drive would have taken 9-10 hours hauling down the interstate. But I woke up at 7:30am, and got back to my house around 12:30am. That included two meals in Ft Laudredale, a coffee, and about 2.5 hours driving and looking at Model Ss. If I drove I don't even think I could have made it before the store closed.
And not to mention it would have taken more than $100 in fuel each way.
Flying used to be like that in the US. Now it's bordering on torture. I'm really surprised when I manage to get home without a missed connection or flight cancellation along the way. I've had a trip go smoothly without any kind of hassle a couple of times in the last few years.
Needless to say I now avoid airplanes as much as I can. If i have the option of a "90 minute" flight or a 7 hour drive, I'll take the car every time! If we can get some decent charging infrastructure in upstate New York then I'll be able to do that in my Tesla!
