Range anxiety is overrated

[Fat Charlie]

The Indianapolis wasn't too small to protect against sharks, it was too big to avoid torpedoes- being bigger would just have just drawn more torpedoes (and in the end, more sharks).

[NeilBlanchard]

This thread has veered way off topic.

Anybody who drives a car - has some anxiety about range.

However, range anxiety for EV's is waaaaaay overrated.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

I have all those non-comp/collision coverages for $17 a month, I have bought insurance in Montana, Idaho, Washington, and California, although never Oregon. My coverage is also 3 times the minimum required. I have 2 poor, young, neices in Portland and I know they don't pay those rates on their old beaters. Also for stop and go crawl wouldn't an old Prius do just as good? Less sales tax there as well. I see nice $5000 10 year old Prius' all the time on the NW action sites and Craigslist.

This may be why we are talking past each other on insurance cost. Minimum coverage in Oregon is 25/50/20. $25K medical per person or $50K medical per accident and $20K per accident for property damage. (+ the others for uninsured and PIP) In my opinion, that level coverage is useless, it only checks the box to drive legally but provides next to nothing in actually coverage.

My liability coverage is $500K/$500K/$500K. I used to carry coverage similar to your 3X minimum until my wife and I were involved in an accident 6 years ago. I broke my leg, had surgery, spent a few days in the hospital, then rehab. The bill was $141,235.39 for a single broken bone. My wife went the ER, got some x-rays and a scan and walked out 4 hours later. The bill for her was $16,974.48. (That was in Alabama not Portland) That experience made me realize how easy it is to rack up expenses in an accident and I upped my coverage. I also have significantly more assets to protect today and declaring bankruptcy isn't an option.

On the property damage side, minimum coverage in Oregon doesn't cover 1/2 the replacement cost of a typical F150.

[Grant-53]

Most ICE vehicles have a 400 mile range. Most people are ready for a pit stop by that time anyway. An electric vehicle is primarily a commuter so two round trips will satisfy most people if 100 miles is the range.

[Vman455]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

This thread has veered way off topic.

Anybody who drives a car - has some anxiety about range.

However, range anxiety for EV's is waaaaaay overrated.

True, but this will continue to be the case as long as consumers are told, "Your concerns are waaaaaay overrated." Consumers also know that fast food is generally bad for us, that smoking causes cancer, and that driving while using a handheld device is illegal in most of the country, but we still eat at McDonald's and Burger King like they're going out of business, smoke like chimneys, and text while driving at alarmingly high rates. Humans are not rational creatures, and any attempt to treat consumers as such will fail. When potential car buyers are told, "Your concerns about range are waaaaaaay overrated," they react emotionally--"No, they're not; why are you trying to minimize my concerns? I'm going over to dealer x and buy an SUV!" EV sales didn't really take off until Tesla made one that's A) sexy and B) has a range longer than 200 miles, which hit the right emotional buttons; I think, for the near future at least, that's going to continue to be the norm for anyone who wants to market and sell EVs successfully.

[Vman455]

And another problem, that I don't think has been touched on in this thread yet:

Unless You Own A House, Living With An Electric Car Still Sucks In 2016

For reference, 52% of Los Angeles residents are renters.

This is a particular concern for me as well; I wouldn't mind picking up a Prius Prime now that they're out, and 25 miles of range would be more than adequate for my daily driving while still having a gas engine for road trips. But, since I live in a multi-unit building and don't have a garage or even an assigned parking spot, I have nowhere to plug it in.

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by Vman455

And another problem, that I don't think has been touched on in this thread yet:

Unless You Own A House, Living With An Electric Car Still Sucks In 2016

For reference, 52% of Los Angeles residents are renters.

I have nowhere to plug it in.

Ive always rented and always owned an ev, never a problem

[jamesqf]

The other side of this form of range anxiety (that is, where you've already bought the EV, and aren't sure if it will make it home) is what do you do if you DO run out of charge short of your destination? With an IC engine, if I run out of gas (and it has happened a few times over the years) it's at worst a mild inconvenience to hike to the nearest gas station and back with a gas can. But AFAIK there's no practical equivalent for pure EVs.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by Vman455

And another problem, that I don't think has been touched on in this thread yet:

Unless You Own A House, Living With An Electric Car Still Sucks In 2016

For reference, 52% of Los Angeles residents are renters.

This is a particular concern for me as well; I wouldn't mind picking up a Prius Prime now that they're out, and 25 miles of range would be more than adequate for my daily driving while still having a gas engine for road trips. But, since I live in a multi-unit building and don't have a garage or even an assigned parking spot, I have nowhere to plug it in.

Plenty of people rent single family homes with a garage. Maybe not in LA but they do here in PDX. Portland (maybe OR) also has building codes that require a 240v plug for a level 2 charger to be installed in every garage for newly constructed homes. Over time having a charger will be standard for a garage.

In multi-unit buildings the property manager could install chargers in dedicated EV parking spots for tenants to use. They could be pay chargers or free depending on how they want to do it. Plenty of rentals roll utilities into the rent so there is no reason EV charging could be another.

I agree owning an EV isn't practical for someone that does not have a dedicated place to charge that EV. However, that is not the limitation for EV adoption today.

Originally Posted by jamesqf

The other side of this form of range anxiety (that is, where you've already bought the EV, and aren't sure if it will make it home) is what do you do if you DO run out of charge short of your destination? With an IC engine, if I run out of gas (and it has happened a few times over the years) it's at worst a mild inconvenience to hike to the nearest gas station and back with a gas can. But AFAIK there's no practical equivalent for pure EVs.

I could detour to the nearest place I could find a plug and use the 110v charger that comes with the car and stores under the hatch. There are millions of EV charging stations around the nation, they are just slow.

I could also call AAA

[NeilBlanchard]

In an EV it is REALLY hard to not know whether you can make a drive when you leave home - there is a number of miles estimate on the dash.

If you do see that you aren't going to make it home - you can use Plugshare.com to find a charging station. And if that fails, you can use an extension cord, and plug in with the L1 that came with your car.

Or, you can call a tow truck. I am sure that eventually, tow companies will have portable chargers.