People who don't buy because of "charging time"

[RayK]

When I bought my Tesla I was surprised at the negative reaction of some people. One guy got really mad, you’d think I said his dog was ugly.

Was it?

I never seen him do it, during our conversation debating Tesla vs gas, he says he cuts off Teslas because he thinks automation is stupid and is against it.

D*ck move. I'd never ride with somebody who drives like that.

I don't know how much lower my energy cost vs a 40 mpg Honda Civic, they could be about the same, but the EV performance is good value considering it uses a cheaper energy source and it feels faster the the Mercedes AMG since my dad has one.

Assuming that your Model 3 is running at 300Wh/mi, that the cost of Supercharging is $0.38/kWh and you have 95% charge efficiency, then a 40MPG whatever at $4.79/gal for gas, is the same cost per mile ($0.12).

 

[golferguy]

As the expression goes, haters gonna hate. If they hate Tesla or EV's in general, so be it. Often times people ask me intelligent questions about cost and charging, because they don't know. Once in a while someone starts to rant about road trip charging times or EV's are really bad for the environment and I just respond with, fine, keep buying gas cars. That's what you want to do so who is stopping you?

 

[cmaster]

I have a 2017 Model S75 RWD. This year, after seeing how quickly the Hyundai Ioniq 6 charges. From 20%-70% in less than 10 mins! From 72 miles to 210 miles!....I think I will trade in my Tesla for that.

 

[Yelobird]

I have a 2017 Model S75 RWD. This year, after seeing how quickly the Hyundai Ioniq 6 charges. From 20%-70% in less than 10 mins! From 72 miles to 210 miles!....I think I will trade in my Tesla for that.

Your last similar post you said 5 minutes. None the less good luck. Also said your Model S was a 2018 so maybe things age differently at your location.

 

[fasteddie7]

I timed my parents from the moment they pulled off route to go to the gas station (pump gas only, no restroom or food) and get back on route. Roughly 10 mins of total time. They get gas 4-5 times a month. I went with 4 and that every trip to the station was local an no more than 10 mins, no waiting, no red lights, and that's 40 mins a week, 480 a year, or about 8 hours spent getting gas. I charge at home every night and if I look at all my trips a year that use supercharging, is about the same amount of time.

 

[cmaster]

Your last similar post you said 5 minutes. None the less good luck. Also said your Model S was a 2018 so maybe things age differently at your location.

Good point. I replied to this post already?

I see, the thread saved my draft from earlier. Probably a delay on my end.

 

[houstonian]

...I'm just wondering about the people who are one the fence of buying a Tesla / EV because of how long it takes to charge...

I think a common misconception is the context of charging and how it differs from ICE servicing.

It is true EV's will spend more time charging - by a lot - than comparable ICE cars will spend at the gas pump.

The lost context is charging time can be stacked far easier with other tasks, in general, than filling up a tank of gas.

For example, assuming you plug in at night and your car takes ~7h to charge, if you also sleep during that time the realized 'cost' associated with that time is effectively null when compared to an ICE car. That is to say, both cars would presumably be sitting in your garage whilst you slept or did whatever. Thus 7hrs to charge is far longer than 7m to fuel up, but 7hr overnight charge time easily is absorbed into whatever else you'd otherwise be doing [read: sleeping] so the precipitable impact is negligible.

Another example is the road trip: going from sub 5% to 100% will take ~1h to ~1h45m depending on supercharger capabilities and battery resilience (again in broad terms). Far longer than fuel up at a gas station but if one was planning on stopping anyways for lunch/work call/gym/whatever the time cost blends into the background as it's not like one is standing around and staring at the ground while waiting for the charge to finish.

The downside here is this assumes 1) there actually is something else one needed to do and 2) the amenities (restaurants, coffee shops, gyms, etc.) are within an easy walk of where the charger is at. For cities I generally find this to be the case, but the rural locations can be hit-or-miss.

Where it does get old, at least for me, is when I have to stop more than three (3) times in a day to charge. No issues doing a charge in the AM, charging at lunch, charging in the PM, and then throwing the car onto a L2 charger for the evening at the hotel (which I don't count towards the 3 stops), but having to deal with charging beyond that gets old quickly.

Will also note the a recently opened V3 supercharger near me is built atop a Sprouts. V3 takes ~8m to go from 20% --> 50% - barely enough time to run in and run out of the grocery store...see below for the stats:

Also will note it takes about an hour to go from <5% --> 100% on a V3.

 

[Misterbee]

I'm just wondering about the people who are one the fence of buying a Tesla / EV because of how long it takes to charge.

Because they say filling up at the gas station is faster. But then, you have to do it at some point in your commute, meaning you will have to stop. Even if you only drove locally the entire week. This is something I felt was nice to not have to stop for gas all the time. And since I don't do road trips often maybe 4-6 a year, then it doesn't seem that big of a deal to have to wait to charge that few times a year. Rather than get gas all the time.

I would say road trips yeah it can feel like it is taking forever, and it's hard to always find something to do while charging. And some supercharger stops may have nothing to do. If every stop you did had an opportunity to charge then maybe you can feel like you are driving indefinitely. But then gas can get expensive for road trips especially when you don't prepare and fill up in the city. I was in Primm, gas was around $6 and someone asked me and my friend if we knew where cheaper gas was. So then, to drive a gas car at the lowest cost you may have to do more research which is like wasting time charging your car for cheap.

My friend claims he prefers his Honda Civic that gets 40 mpg. He has thing against Tesla he claims he cuts off all Tesla drivers because he doesn't agree or doesn't like automated driving. I don't mind his perspective. He doesn't seem to have an issue with gas prices because maybe if your car gets 40 mpg then you don't need to care about gas prices because your gas lasts longer? I know he doesn't enjoy the charging on road trips or doesn't really care about the idea of finding L2 charging next to a business we may visit. He is old fashioned and prefers just filling at the gas station. So do my parents. People think gas is more convenient even if it's more expensive. But then, for local commutes I think an EV makes more sense because you just charge at home.

Such a disingenuous argument. If your “friend” doesn’t get it by now, they probably never will. His problem, not yours, or ours.

 

[Misterbee]

I have a 2017 Model S75 RWD. This year, after seeing how quickly the Hyundai Ioniq 6 charges. From 20%-70% in less than 10 mins! From 72 miles to 210 miles!....I think I will trade in my Tesla for that.

WTVR.

 

[rlsd]

After a 3 hour long driving I really need to rest at least 30 minutes. That's when I use FSD. If I don't use FSD or other kind of autopilot, I need more time to rest. I need to let the muscles for my arms and my body relax. The funny thing is my family members don't see that. They eat, drink, and sleep while I am driving. After my car is charged, they ask me to continue the trip right away. I have to politely tell them that I need to rest.

Two years ago I rented a car to go on a long trip. After more than 3 hour driving, the car also suggested me to take a break,

 

[FLRifleman]

Charging time is most certainly a thing, and it shouldn't be discounted or pretend that it doesn't exist.

If you own an EV and you make wise decisions, then you have charging at home. Because you're charging overnight at home when you sleep, most days using public charging isn't a concern. On the days you make longer trips like I do every weekend, it can be an issue that needs to be factored in when making a purchase decision. Whether it's worth it to own an EV, or if you're better off with gas will be a personal decision driven by the individual's unique circumstances.

 

[houstonian]

Because you're charging overnight at home when you sleep, most days using public charging isn't a concern.

Yup. The car can charge by itself; it does not need the driver to hold its hand whilst doing so.

...or if you're better off with gas will be a personal decision driven by the individual's unique circumstances.

Agree 100%.

 

[kpanda17]

I’ve been good with anything less than 45 minutes
My M3RWD with LFP can take a while 5-100%
My MYP with Lithion goes faster with 5-95% during a trip and at 250kw
I know they have different chargers inside
I’ve seen 262kw with the MYP, amazing

 

[White Shadow]

I've considered going electric, but still haven't made the move yet. Why? Well, I prefer road trips over flying and road trips are still much faster and convenient in gas cars. That's an undeniable fact. Once electric technology improves to the point that it's competitive in that regard, I'll strongly reconsider. But for now, ICE is my strong preference. I do like to keep up on what's happening in the EV world, so forums like this one and other are always an amusing read.

I give you people credit though....I still consider you all the early adopters who are helping to make things better in the EV world for all of us in the future.

 

[FLRifleman]

I've considered going electric, but still haven't made the move yet. Why? Well, I prefer road trips over flying and road trips are still much faster and convenient in gas cars. That's an undeniable fact. Once electric technology improves to the point that it's competitive in that regard, I'll strongly reconsider. But for now, ICE is my strong preference. I do like to keep up on what's happening in the EV world, so forums like this one and other are always an amusing read.

I give you people credit though....I still consider you all the early adopters who are helping to make things better in the EV world for all of us in the future.

That's why I own a Volt. My day to day driving is covered with the battery, and my long distance weekend travel is covered by the supercharger (generator) under the hood.
It's only fairly recently that the charging network may be viable enough to handle my in State travel requirements.

 

[golferguy]

I've considered going electric, but still haven't made the move yet. Why? Well, I prefer road trips over flying and road trips are still much faster and convenient in gas cars. That's an undeniable fact. Once electric technology improves to the point that it's competitive in that regard, I'll strongly reconsider. But for now, ICE is my strong preference. I do like to keep up on what's happening in the EV world, so forums like this one and other are always an amusing read.

I give you people credit though....I still consider you all the early adopters who are helping to make things better in the EV world for all of us in the future.

How often are your road trips and typical miles? Do you have only one vehicle in the household?

 

[JetFalcon]

I've considered going electric, but still haven't made the move yet. Why? Well, I prefer road trips over flying and road trips are still much faster and convenient in gas cars. That's an undeniable fact. Once electric technology improves to the point that it's competitive in that regard, I'll strongly reconsider. But for now, ICE is my strong preference. I do like to keep up on what's happening in the EV world, so forums like this one and other are always an amusing read.

I give you people credit though....I still consider you all the early adopters who are helping to make things better in the EV world for all of us in the future.

I wish my friend were more acceptable to the long charging time, or the inconvenience of it. Most of them will just say my Honda Civic gets 40mpg and costs about the same which could be true, and would be faster because my friend claims he can travel from Orange County to Phoenix AZ if starting on one full gas tank. The Tesla needs to stop 2 times, or 3 times if you don't have a charging destination. Phoenix is one of the worst close cities to CA to charge.

They likely will get an EV when they think it makes sense. But road trips can suck for a Tesla, but thankfully I don't do them too often and usually my road trip destinations are an 4-10 hr one way trip then I stay at my destination.

But if you split bills with friends, an EV is easier like if you agree for your friend to buy dinner. I let my friend help me win arcade tickets for driving the Tesla. Gas car it feels a bit more expensive and people may just want to split the tab. The gas in Primm NV was like $6 in around 6/12/23 and it was enough for some passing motorist in a fuel efficient Honda to ask if we knew where cheaper gas was.

If you're lucky to have something to do while charging, that's the best case, but not always possible.

 

[Earl]

I've considered going electric, but still haven't made the move yet. Why? Well, I prefer road trips over flying and road trips are still much faster and convenient in gas cars. That's an undeniable fact.

Consider your self-declared 'fact' denied. I've driven from the Atlantic (Hampton Roads, VA) to Pacific (Los Angeles, CA) Ocean in 3 days solo (granted, no kids to deal with but nobody to share driving with either so I had to sleep at night) in a Tesla Model 3. I even made it to LA in time for a 5:00 pm meeting at a hotel near LAX. I've done over 1100 miles in a day. How much better can you do in an ICE? That was before there were V3 Superchargers and I had to detour to Dallas because I-40 wasn't covered through Arkansas yet. I know few who have done such drives in an ICE. All one really needs to do is to:
- be flexible enough to eat your meals and use the bathrooms while you are charging.
- find hotels with destination chargers
- charge only until the you have enough to make it to the next charging station with about 10% SOC upon arrival in order to charge at fast rate.
I look forward to doing it again soon with today's much better infrastructure.
Granted, I've been doing this for decades so I know how to optimize a bit better than many but if you're half the road warrior you proclaim to be, you can easily do just about as well in an EV today.

 

[srs5694]

I've considered going electric, but still haven't made the move yet. Why? Well, I prefer road trips over flying and road trips are still much faster and convenient in gas cars. That's an undeniable fact.

Consider your self-declared 'fact' denied. I've driven from the Atlantic (Hampton Roads, VA) to Pacific (Los Angeles, CA) Ocean in 3 days solo (granted, no kids to deal with but nobody to share driving with either so I had to sleep at night) in a Tesla Model 3. I even made it to LA in time for a 5:00 pm meeting at a hotel near LAX. I've done over 1100 miles in a day. How much better can you do in an ICE? That was before there were V3 Superchargers and I had to detour to Dallas because I-40 wasn't covered through Arkansas yet. I know few who have done such drives in an ICE. All one really needs to do is to:
- be flexible enough to eat your meals and use the bathrooms while you are charging.
- find hotels with destination chargers
- charge only until the you have enough to make it to the next charging station with about 10% SOC upon arrival in order to charge at fast rate.

I agree with @Earl. I've owned my Tesla Model 3 LR RWD for four years, and I've done several road trips in that vehicle. It has not slowed me down. @Earl's tips are good starting points for doing an EV road trip in good time. I get the impression that the biggest mistake that EV newbies make on road trips is to think in "gasoline terms," violating @Earl's first tip -- that is, they sit around doing nothing while waiting for the car to charge, vs. letting the car charge while they eat, use the bathroom, etc. If you violate @Earl's first tip, then charging time will be added to gas-car travel time. If you do the things you've got to do while the car charges, then a good road-trip EV (like most Teslas) will add little or no time to a typical road trip. That said, there are certain caveats and limitations:

• EVs do lose range in cold weather, so if you do road trips in frigid conditions, you'll have to charge more. I live in New England, and only once have I hit such cold temperatures that this might have been a factor -- but the road conditions (for all cars) were more of a concern for me, and slowed me down much more, than spending a little extra time Supercharging. Even on that trip, I'm not at all sure that I'd have made it any faster in a gas car.
• The timing of road trips is very much a personal thing. Even in a gas car, I stop for about 20 minutes every couple of hours, on average, so as to rest, eat, use the bathroom, etc. If you don't do this, then an EV may not meet your preferences -- but stopping every couple of hours is the best practice, from a safety point of view.
• My Tesla Model 3 is very energy-efficient and has excellent DC fast charging characteristics. I wouldn't have as much luck with a Nissan Leaf or Ford F-150 Lightning. Even a Tesla Model X would probably do worse on a road trip than my Model 3.
• DC fast charging infrastructure (even including Superchargers) is still not as mature as it could be, even in North America and Europe. If you want or need to travel to remote areas, an EV might not be the best choice. On major US interstates, major highways in western Europe, etc., it's quite do-able.

Also, if you own just one car, then you have to consider the whole package -- even if you'll be slowed down slightly on road trips in an EV (because you live in Alaska or you trade off driving time with a friend with very short stops), how does that balance against all the extra time spent taking a gas car to a gas station every week when you're not on a road trip? If you can charge at home, then you don't need to do that, and that extra ten minutes a week adds up over the course of a year. Even if you can't charge at home, it's becoming increasingly practical to own an EV and charge weekly at local supermarkets, restaurants, etc., that have DC fast chargers.

 

[jboy210]

I think people will adapt. They need to get out the gas station mentality. Charge at home while you sleep or at work while you work, or at the store while you shop and never worry about it except on trips. And as the number of high-speed chargers builds out that becomes less and less of an issue. And then batteries capacities are increasing.

My first car was a 1970 Boss 302 Mustang back in 1973. Great exhaust notes and all. But my Model X or 3 handles better, will blow it into the weeds, and be silent while it is doing it. Same is true with all the Lexus, BMW, and Ford ICE cars I have owned. I can't imagine going back to an ICE vehicle.