Fascinating thread! Ive got a MY on order and tbh, I've not really thought too much on range as I just want to get on with using it as I'm have a home charger. But this thread has opened my eyes to people's anxieties/frustrations...!
I have a 40 mile round trip to work...ideally I don't want to be charging every night (extreme laziness) but is it OK to charge up to say, 95% each time until you're down to say, 10-20% before plugging in again...I'm just trying to see whether people have developed strategies so the 'range anxiety' doesn't kick in and you can just enjoy the car.
(With my diesel, I don't fill up to 80%, I just want to avoid going to a pump as infrequently as possible)
You've identified a significant difference between EVs and fuel cars. Yes you CAN run an EV in a similar way, by "filling up" and running until near empty before charging but that's really not the best plan for several reasons. It's not a problem ... it's just different. If you can make plugging in as easy as possible then it just becomes the thing you do when you return home. My home set up means that plugging in takes literally seconds and the car does any necessary charging overnight ... and doesn't use the battery to supply power when I prewarm the car in the morning (a real joy in the winter).
Starting the day with 80 or 90% means that, for most people, "range anxiety" just isn't a thing ... with point 3) below it really will be!
1) With a diesel or petrol car with a quarter of a tank you still have loads of useful range without immediately having to get a top up. With a quarter of a "tank" in an EV it's not the same ... especially as putting in a useful amount quickly is going to depend on having a handy Supercharger or equivalent speed charger nearby.
2) EVs prefer frequent topping up. The battery capacity and general longevity benefits from being kept in the mid range percentages (80% to 20% ish) so adding 40% on a couple of evening charges to replenish the battery is better than putting 80% in all at once. (An exception is the LFP battery tech in the new base Model 3 which is so little affected that the advice is to freely charge to 100%.)
3) Few people have totally consistent car use and can live with a car sitting with 15 miles of range because they only plan driving 10 miles tomorrow! Note in this thread how variable the range can be due to various factors. That unexpected requirement to drive to ailing relatives 200 miles away is no big deal if you can fuel in a few minutes.