Sometimes the mainstream media’s representation of Tesla makes you cringe a bit — though I suppose that something similar could be said about Tesla fanboy behavior from some of the blogosphere as well. On that topic, the Washington Post recently did a review of the Tesla P90D that, while not terrible, did make me cringe a bit a couple of times.
I really have to wonder why the coverage of electric vehicles (EVs) so often includes so many comments about “range anxiety”. Do that many people really get “anxious” about somehow just magically running out of battery out of nowhere? It’s not a difficult thing at all to keep an eye on your battery level and plan accordingly — no different than driving in a gas-powered car and keeping an eye on your gas tank really.
There’s no reason to think that you’re somehow going to get stranded without realizing before hand that you should find somewhere to charge. Which can, it should always be remembered, be done practically anywhere in an urban environment. While it’s certainly most convenient to do so at a charging station, there are often other options that can be used as well.
On that count anyways, I really have to wonder why it’s often not mentioned how much more convenient it is to simply charge your car at home overnight than it is to have to search out gas stations every day (or two). Granted not everyone has their own house, but I would presume that most EV owners do. Anyways…
As far as the recent Washington Post review — the review was somewhat positive, so I’m not going to go on and on about it… But does anyone actually think the way that this guy is claiming that he does:
You forget all of that when your battery gets low. The problem of “range anxiety” in electric cars remains very real. When you’re near E and there are no open stations around, you realize how much you take for granted the simple pleasure of having a gas station on every corner. You become obsessed with your battery percentage, like how I imagine teenagers feel about their iPhones. You imagine waiting for a tow truck in your fancy corpse car, like a $140,000 sucker.
The driver who dutifully charges every night may have no problems on a daily commute. But forgetting to charge or pushing for a longer trip can bring a level of anxiety the traditional driver may not be used to. A nationwide road trip is theoretically possible, but the driving public will want convenience, too.
I missed the car when I gave it away — the quiet of the drive, the smoothness of the suspension, the power and speed — but it also felt a bit refreshing to not have multiple screens in my line of sight. Electric cars are coming rapidly, perhaps for the good of the planet. But for now, I appreciate not having to worry about a progress bar.
I’m skeptical.
(Tip of the hat to “Lanny” on the Tesla Motors Club forum.)
Same here. With 530 km of range I don’t see the issue. I think the guy has some sort of anxiety problem. Home charging is better than going to a gas station. What makes me cringe is every time I fill my supposedly efficient car and have to pay a massive gas bill and breath in all those nasty chemicals. Also, you can do the exact same thing with a $ 140’000 gasmobile: drive it till it’s empty and sit by the side of the road like an idiot waiting for a tow truck. By the way, running out of gas is an offense where I live. Just be a disciplined driver.
530km? 328 miles? I prefer to drive faster than 35 mph…
That’s what Tesla’s website says. Didn’t invent anything.
Tesla website also tells you other less flattering and more realistic things too.
I’m lost, what do you mean exactly?
I mean they also show you the that the car loses 20% of the mileage if you drive it at normal highway speeds of 80mph. That it takes 40 minutes to charge from 10% to 80%. So if you are on a long distance trip you have lost 50% of the rated mileage. Which means the 250 miles becomes only 125 miles. So you are looking at 125 mile segments and then 40 minute charges to make it somewhere. Not wide open 328 mile segments you might get if you travel at 45 mph on a 100% full charge and then die on the side of the road. I’m saying keep it realistic and not hit the extremes of stating 328 miles or other people like myself are inclined to show the other extreme.
I’m saying, I write what manufacturers mention. Write or wrong go have that discussion with them… Jeez can’t even write a comment without being attacked.
Sorry for attacking you. I get tired of fan boy stuff from time-to-time and find myself looking for some reality. Besides if Tesla is to do well they can’t have people get disillusioned with wild claims. It’s much better to see the strengths and weaknesses instead.
What I wrote is not fanboy stuff, just got it from their site. I’m not a fanboy of Tesla, only that in my view they have a pretty decent solution to pollution from road vehicles. I’m pragmatic, so should other people be. A gasoline vehicle of more than 400 PS would also go through a tank of gas much faster than the stated range if you drive in an inefficient way. Mixed use, I bet I’ll get pretty close to the 530 km and certainly going faster than 25 km/h. I find the argument outrageous that because you can’t drive with foresight and achieve the stated range that no one else can. Like I said, challenge accepted.
Go buy a Tesla then.
You are right, but you have to pay a lot of gas to do this average speed (understand that real average speed of 80 mph it’s not so easy to do) and it’s more risky than driving with your family at 70 mph for example. But if you are in a hurry to make a piss in the next gas station and give more money to fund ISIL, go on then. The Koch brothers seem to be from the same generation than you, so your concern is understandable as theirs, but I’m glad to see studies which shown that more than 85 % of teens want to drive pure electric cars when they will have age for buy one. So dinosaurs will soon gone…
I just had a horrible day. Seems like once a month I get stuck driving hundreds of miles. Today was that time of the month for me. Got an emergency call early in the morning and have been all over. I think that’s not that uncommon here in Southern California though.
Anyways much of it was on the freeways and much of it around the flow of fast traffic. That is 85 mph. Yeah, it’s hard to maintain an average speed of 85 but the majority of freeway time is at 85. Really though we need to increase our speed limits to something where you don’t go brain dead with boredom. Like maybe 150 mph.
I don’t have problems with ISIL. Other than we are in their country.
I can’t wait for dinosaur autos to vanish. I’m not a teenager but I love BEVs. Well Tesla BEVs. But Tesla needs to double their current mileage before I’ll lose my range anxiety.
That explains the tone of your comments then. Hope you have a better time today.
I feel uncomfortable driving at 85 mph regardless of the the speed limit. I guess that’s why I don’t live in CA. In fact, I like traveling at around 67 mph, that way on a long trip I know i’ll travel about 200 miles every 3 hours. Aside from the foolish waste of fuel, electricity or gasoline, traveling at 85 increases your risk of injury. Why? Because traveling at 85 means you are moving at 125 feet per second. Driver’s education courses teach that you should observe a 2 second rule for following any vehicle. If an emergency happens you have 2 seconds to get your car slowed down or to avoid an obstacle. At 85, those 2 seconds mean 250 feet. If you leave 250 feet between you and the car ahead of you in LA, you will be cut off in a continuous stream. I guess that’s why I don’t live in CA.
I bet a lot of money I can achieve or surpass that stated range. Lend me a 90D and we’ll see…
Of course you can. Somebody has driven one at like 25 mph for 500 miles. Or something like that.
70% times 80% = 56%.
250 miles becomes 140 miles, not 125 miles.
Good catch.
It’s honest but cringe worthy.
“The simple pleasure of a gas station on every corner”
Don’t think I’ll ever put Pleasure and Gas Station together.
Teslas are for wealthy, or financially foolish, early adopters. Range anxiety will be less and less a thing as EV prices come down, range goes up, and charging station locations increase. Until I can get a 500 mile range electric car for about $25k and there’s a vast, VAST increase in charging ports, I’m good with a gasmobile.
One thing to look at when deciding if an EV is right for you is the “Total Cost of Ownership”. We estimate that driving a LEAF saves us close to $200/mo. Comparing the initial cost of a BEV to an ICE without TCO is like apples to oranges.
The TCO is the major thing I look at when I’m car shopping which is why I buy inexpensive used cars. I need an acceptable EV (The Leaf is not) to be available at a reasonable price so it becomes a good used car option down the road. You have to include the entire used car market when calculating the total cost of ownership .
Your are correct that if you are a very wise shopper and can make sure you are getting a good car, buying used can save you a lot of money. Everyone has their price point. In the extreme, walking may be the cheapest form of transportation and after that bicycling, but those are impractical for most trips. So much of the car buying experience has nothing to do with the cost. For example, I always get a laugh out of the most recent Lincoln commercials featuring Mathew McConaughey. It is all centered around how it should make you feel. Nothing is said about the features of the car or the price. The most you are able to see is him turning a few knobs.
As we all know, at present EVs are best used as a second car with a back up ICE in the garage. That rules out many people whose daily routine would not be met by an EV. On the other hand, if you have a short commute and already have an ICE car, there are some terrific bargains starting to show up on used EVs. That will probably be the case until EVs are more widely accepted.
Another big concern for me is winter. I keep hearing about range loss in winter months. We have sub zero winters in Michigan. I read you can just use the seat warmers in winter but seat warmers won’t defrost the windows. Every time I’ve mentioned to friends that I’m considering an EV, they think I’ve lost my mind. I think we are a long ways off from many folks here buying EVs.
We leased a 2011, 73 mile/charge LEAF for three years and then a 2014 that is rated at 84 miles/charge. There is a world of difference. The first car had only resistance heating and when I used it I saw a 3,000 watt drain on the battery. The 2014, 84 mile range, has a heat pump. After the cabin gets warmed a bit I’ve seen the draw go down to between 250W and 500W. Thus, they are getting better. Now for 2016 Nissan has a 107 mile option and the CEO, Carlos Ghson had tipped off that we will see a 200+ range LEAF in the next generation, either as a 2017 or a 2018 model. Thus, winter driving should become less of an issue.
You are right about range loss in winter, especially with the LEAF. The LEAF’s battery is cooled with ambient air, thus when it gets cold the battery loses capacity. We will see if the next generation LEAF has a coolant that will either heat or cool the battery to keep it at its optimum. Tesla already has that feature.