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Hersbird,
Time to find? The car does that automatically. It is literally part of the trip you plan on the app/car. I guess I could break out a paper map to plan a trip on a computer that has more computational power than all the devices I have in my house...
And yes, there is additional time to exit and get back on... but I am not cannonballing when I take car trips. There is usually no rush or need to squeeze every second to be on the road. 110 charges like 3 to 5 miles per hour. Not great, for sure. I have not seen a concrete boat ramp not have 110... I have seen gravel boat ramps not have power. Also most parks have RV parking, which has 240 at 50 amp plugs. Charges EVs pretty decently for AC.
Two human beings, with varying bladder capacity, dietary needs, and joint issues means at two to three hours we were wanting to stop anyway. And I remember when I was more... dedicated to trying to cram as much time in the car to see how fast/quick I could get to my destination, so I get that where I am at now is not where everyone is.
I disagree about EVs and towing in concept, but do see how now in practicality it is not going to work for your case. I think that Tesla, and other manufacturers, will learn from these EV and hydrogen semis, and by the time the Tesla Cybertruck (or the Ford F150 EV) comes out, maybe they will have learned how to do it better.
Also, trains are all electric prime movers, so if electric motors were bad at towing, I doubt that would be true. And if manufacturers can produce a battery (or battery and super/ultra capacitor) pack that provides 500+ miles of range for the right price, then distance and towing is more attainable.
I always liked the idea of a trailer with a battery incorporated in it and have seen that mentioned here (ecomodder forums) a few times. Yes, it lowers the amount of towed weight being cargo, but if range and time are most important, then trading range for weight would be the logical choice.
What if trailer brakes were regen braking and charging the trailer's pack? Not sure if that would be worth it for the extra weight for motors and electronics... Again, depends on if your top priority is range and lower downtime... Park the trailer in one recharging spot, park the truck in another.
Anyway, if you are always hauling something heavy (boat, rv?) and always going 500+ miles, then right this minute, there is not an EV that will do exactly that... but I think that within 5 to 10 years, you will be able to find an EV that does that.
Of course, the Touareg TDI's AWD towing capacity is like, 7,700 lbs? And you can get 700 miles towing? I mean, we got great mileage with our VW TDI wagen, but 700 miles? In 2 to 3 years, we will see what the Cybertruck is doing with its real world towing range. On paper, it seems like it should be able to tow anything your Touareg TDI AWD can tow... but the question will be, how far before it needs a recharge?
I would not recommend renting. I know some people say if you do not need it 95+% of the time you might be better off, but I own a Subaru Outback and I am not sure how often I 'need' AWD.
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