Ridiculous concept of range anxiety.

[Kaivball]

That's a nice problem to have. Around here EVs are still rare.

Not here.

There are 2 Model S, 8 Prius, 4 Leaf and 1 Coda.

All vying for two charge points ($0.50 per hour, much cheaper than you can do at home).

It's a game of musical chairs all day long. Everybody exchanges phone numbers and a new car gets the juice within 10 minutes of each other.

 

[Doug_G]

I see public infrastructure as being about enabling trips, not about saving money versus charging at home. If supply and demand are mismatched then perhaps they should raise the price so that only people who NEED the charge use them.

 

[stevezzzz]

That's not the point.

I already ordered the car.

All I am showing is what would happen if even 20% of cars are EV.

Unless we are saying that EV's will only/mostly charge at home and people will have a a second car for long distance trips.

That's exactly what we're saying. In 23,000+ miles of EV driving I have charged outside my home garage, out of necessity, um, exactly, ah...wait, let me add up this column of zeros...

That's right: zero times. Which means I'm one of those guys who drives his EV on a daily basis, charges at home every night, and when a road trip comes up two or three times a year, takes the Acura. Someday I'd like to take a road trip in the Model S; that'll happen when the supercharging infrastructure gets built out.

 

[Zapped]

....Ask random people if a car loses energy when parked and they'll look at you like you're a fool and then say no. That's a perfectly reasonable assumption to make.

Someone could have siphoned the gas tank.:cursing:

 

[Mayhemm]

Charging the EV is now the modern equivalent of the smoke break...

Only much healthier for all involved. :wink:

 

[thedonald]

I think range anxiety is different for Model S owners than for the reporters who are writing about them. Owners have enough "stick time" with the car to know what its capable of. A reporter is new to the whole thing and is reporting from a position of lack of experience--a perfect place for anxiety to fester.

 

[Rodolfo Paiz]

All I am showing is what would happen if even 20% of cars are EV.

Unless we are saying that EV's will only/mostly charge at home and people will have a a second car for long distance trips.

There are two charge ports at my work. There are already 15 EV's.

Every day is a mad rush of who gets their first and then it's a long conga line of cars shuffling to the charger throughout the day.

Not all EV's are created equal. I see a lot of charge stations around Miami as I drive around in my Roadster. But in over 18 months of having the car, I've needed to use one of them exactly ZERO times. The Roadster gives me about 160 miles of projected range with my lead-foot driving style, plus another 25-mile reserve if I run low, plus the top end of the battery that I normally don't use since I only do standard charges. I've never exceeded that in one day.

So yes... Tesla owners mostly, or nearly always, charge at home.

 

[mknox]

I see public infrastructure as being about enabling trips, not about saving money versus charging at home. If supply and demand are mismatched then perhaps they should raise the price so that only people who NEED the charge use them.

I agree. I should have more than enough capacity from charging at home, and would really only need public infrastructure on trips. Having said that, I'll probably siphon off as much free juice as I can from free stations that I happen to be at, but would certainly feel guilty if I was blocking someone who needs a charge. Not sure what the answer is, but charging ($) is certainly one way to go. I wouldn't be inclined to pay for a charge I don't really need.

 

[arg]

Ask random people if a car loses energy when parked and they'll look at you like you're a fool and then say no.

Someone could have siphoned the gas tank.:cursing:

Actually, a friend of mine did run out of gas coming across town to visit me because his ICE had lost energy while parked. The car in question is a '70s Lotus that is not his daily driver, and apparently fuel evaporates from the carburettor when parked in the summer. Now he was probably still an idiot to actually run out, but....

 

[mknox]

Now he was probably still an idiot to actually run out, but....

I've run out of gas at least twice, both times with the Low Fuel light on. I just thought I could make it a little bit further. Guess I'll have to change my name to "Broder" :redface:

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

That's not the point.

I already ordered the car.

All I am showing is what would happen if even 20% of cars are EV.

Unless we are saying that EV's will only/mostly charge at home and people will have a a second car for long distance trips.

There are two charge ports at my work. There are already 15 EV's.

Every day is a mad rush of who gets their first and then it's a long conga line of cars shuffling to the charger throughout the day.

It's a huge distraction. Leave the office, move the car, charge. 2-3 hours later, leave the office again, move the car...

Charging the EV is now the modern equivalent of the smoke break...

Questions:
Is the workplace charging free?
How many of those people actually need to plug in?
How many of the people plugging in need a lot of charge?
EDIT: sorry, I didn't see your later post. ah Prius plug-ins, that explains a lot.

I suspect that simply pricing the electricity and chargers properly would cut down on a lot of the scramble.

 

[SByer]

Range anxiety is an affliction of the gas-powered neophytes who haven't owned a 'real' EV for at least a week or two.

The problem of the charge shuffle at work is the number of not-quite-EVs (PiP, I'm looking at you!) that have waaaaaay small batteries. (And I'd say something about other companies' facilities staff not keeping up, but I know I work in a bubble - go Rolf!)

I keep trying to calmly remind myself that every electric mile is a good one. (Sorry, the greenwashing that is the PiP still chafes my hide)

And, of course, get to work early enough on the one day a week I charge so that I get a spot my Roadster can charge in most of the day.

 

[AnOutsider]

Range anxiety is an affliction of the gas-powered neophytes who haven't owned a 'real' EV for at least a week or two.

Or don't live in an EV oasis like California? On the longer drives I do, there are no convenient charge locations (and even the ones that are there aren't particularly powerful), and the weather in the NE is colder.

I've been anxious on more than one occasion. I expect things to get better, but also acknowledge the problem exists.

 

[Mayhemm]

Try living in rural Canada. One of the biggest obstacles to me purchasing a Tesla has been a lack of charging points. I'd have to really baby the car to reach my nearest destination (400km away) and then I'd have nowhere to quickly charge up for the rest of the trip. Sun Country Highway has done a lot to fix this problem, but none of their chargers are really far enough north yet. It would be nice to be able to still reach the nearest charger after driving at full highway speed (65 - 70mph).

 

[Doug_G]

400 km is probably not even possible in the winter without ridiculous hypermiling techniques. The practical range in winter driving conditions, in my experience, is 330 km, and I don't attempt a leg much over 300 km, because I like to maintain a safety buffer.

The infrastructure can only get better...

 

[Mayhemm]

400 km is probably not even possible in the winter without ridiculous hypermiling techniques.

Agreed, Doug.
To be fair, though, I don't really travel much in the winter. The 106 is too long between communities and there's no cell coverage.
However, I am hoping to play a part in getting a charger installed at about the 300km mark soon, then I won't have much to worry about even in winter.

 

[DavidM]

Not here.

There are 2 Model S, 8 Prius, 4 Leaf and 1 Coda.

All vying for two charge points ($0.50 per hour, much cheaper than you can do at home).

It's a game of musical chairs all day long. Everybody exchanges phone numbers and a new car gets the juice within 10 minutes of each other.

With the Model S, it's not worth the bother. Just charge at home. I do about 1200 miles per month, and my electric bill only went up by about $40. Let the other folks compete for the chargers.

 

[Kaivball]

With the Model S, it's not worth the bother. Just charge at home. I do about 1200 miles per month, and my electric bill only went up by about $40. Let the other folks compete for the chargers.

True, but at home I pay $0.22 and at charge point only $0.09

 

[Rodolfo Paiz]

Precisely proves the previous point that the musical-cars game is being driven (no pun intended) by improper pricing. The at-work chargers should be around $0.25 IMHO, just a slight premium from charging at home.

 

[Doug_G]

Agreed, Doug.
To be fair, though, I don't really travel much in the winter. The 106 is too long between communities and there's no cell coverage.
However, I am hoping to play a part in getting a charger installed at about the 300km mark soon, then I won't have much to worry about even in winter.

Yes 300 km is no problem in winter, as long as you are a little bit careful with your speed, and use the Range heating mode. I've done 304 km in a blizzard at -20C with 30 km projected remaining.