this post was submitted on 22 Feb 2024
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[Dormant] Electric Vehicles

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Data from thousands of EVs shows the average daily driving distance is a small percentage of the EPA range of most EVs.

For years, range anxiety has been a major barrier to wider EV adoption in the U.S. It's a common fear: imagine being in the middle of nowhere, with 5% juice remaining in your battery, and nowhere to charge. A nightmare nobody ever wants to experience, right? But a new study proves that in the real world, that's a highly improbable scenario.

After analyzing information from 18,000 EVs across all 50 U.S. states, battery health and data start-up Recurrent found something we sort of knew but took for granted. The average distance Americans cover daily constitutes only a small percentage of what EVs are capable of covering thanks to modern-day battery and powertrain systems.

The study revealed that depending on the state, the average daily driving distance for EVs was between 20 and 45 miles, consuming only 8 to 16% of a battery’s EPA-rated range. Most EVs on sale today in the U.S. offer around 250 miles of range, and many models are capable of covering over 300 miles.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Yeah. Average trips most days amounts to not needing much.

But that's just most days. To be a replacement for a vehicle it has to also handle the rest of the days, and if it can't, that means you'll have to have two vehicles instead of just one, and one of them will have to be an overpriced 1,100 pound giant battery, or an ice vehicle.

In other words, saving the planet with ev's means you'll have to own more vehicles.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago

It would be much more useful for a study to look at the outliers, since that’s what people decide by. How many trips, how many days in a typical year will I not have the range.

My EV theoretically can go 330 miles. Last month I drove to a town 110 miles away, drove around for the weekend, and came back. But I needed a recharge enroute. The first month of the year and I already had a trip not handled by home charging. In theory it should have but the reality is I already have two days where range became a concern. People have made decisions on less

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago
[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

This is such a bone-headed approach. Averages are meaningless. People don't have one car for short trips and a different one for long trips.

You're worried about range but did you know that range is only a problem for 3% of the journeys you make? Just stop visiting people, going on holiday, or travelling for work and it's fine!

[–] [email protected] -2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

is only a problem for 3% of the journeys

If each trip is one day, you’re telling me the car will not be useful ten days every year? Phrase it like that and it becomes much more obvious how useful that is

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

Except it doesn't. Because your fancy electric car demands $700/month already.

Now you want them to have an extra 2 grand to throw at rental cars for 10 days. On top of the car payments, and the actual vacation expenses.

Your salary pays your bills everyday of the year except the first of the month. How odd. That's only 12 days per year. Nothing to worry about.

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[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (3 children)

I want to buy electric when my ICE vehicles die in 10-15 years. But if I were in the market for a car today, I wouldn’t purchase electric. The fuck am I supposed to do when I visit my family 200 miles away from home? In the winter, when battery performance sucks, and with a loaded car and 4 passengers?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago

You know, I don't know about this exact situation, but I just did a ski vacation with my model Y. The distances weren't super long but the mountain climb was significant. Basically we rented a place at 1400ft and every day drove to the lodge at 6000+ ft. We had snow tires on admittedly dumb 20" wheels, car loaded with 5 people and all the gear. We did this routine for 4 days in a row. I think the actual distance was only like 20 miles or so but I don't remember exactly.

Leaving the rental at 80% battery every morning and then returning at the end of the day at about 61%. The temperature ranged from 23F at the coldest to 36F on the warmest day.

Obviously a bit of a worst situation for EV efficiency.

All in all the efficiency didn't really matter much, there were 6 ev chargers at the top of the mountain, though usually full ( one time a jeep double parked blocking two of them, fuck that guy). Though I didn't used them this trip as I would just charge at the rental overnight.

Our trip to the rental is probably also a terrible situation, we left with 80% and arrived with ~40% on a somewhat short 60 miles. It took over two hours though due to heavy traffic.

We've done a bunch of road trips in this car over the last two years and what I've learned is that none of this stuff really matters for our lifestyle and location. Yeah winter wrecks efficiency. Yeah large wheels and snow tires wreck efficiency, stop and go with 5 people and all their gear in the freezing cold wrecks efficiency ,but even doing day trips to the mountains is fine, that's when I plug into the charger while I ski. I had to get gas in my previous car for the same trip (Hyundai suv) which is annoyingly at the bottom of the mountain.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (4 children)

Stop half way, charge for thirty minutes and smell the roses? We've been programmed to all be type-A drivers, where the journey is just a burden. I drove 600 miles in my EV, made three stops I wouldn't normally make along the way and saw some new places.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Not even. We exclusively roadtrip in an EV now. The whole family gets out to pee, grab snacks, and by the time we are ready, so is the car. As the driver, if it’s mealtime I might eat the harder to manage portion before we leave, and we aren’t rushing, but there was certainly no time to smell roses!

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[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Rent a van or take a train for such trips.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Not sure why you're being down voted. Rental cars exist and can be a better option that spewing emissions 360 days/year just so your can take your one long vacation, that isn't really even that long...

Realistically though, a 200 mi trip, even if op lives in Alaska, is going to be at most 1 stop, and only if it's really really cold.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Yeah, it's like people who own a pickup truck only so they can tow a boat once or twice a year. It's unnecessary.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago (2 children)

How about they have a pickup to tow a boat any time they want during the season, and also be able to get firewood, mulch or a Christmas tree?

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