Until a road trip where they wish chargers were as obvious as gas stations. Enough exist to make the trip, but are not as common and are not on the beaten path so you need an app to find them.
When I make a road trip I’m often traveling on roads I’ve already looked up and I don’t wasn’t that voice yelling at me so I’m not using a GPS most of the time. We still use the gas car for road trips, but I often play the game “it had been 150 miles where is the nearest charger without using an app” I typically don’t find it the next 50. An app would find one in sure but that isn’t something I should need.
For short trips my EV passes them all and like you say I’m glad I’m not paying those prices. Until I pull into a charger because it is there and discover they have weird pricing systems. yesterday has would have been cheaper because I didn’t know I would have to move so fast and so I paid a minimum charge more half hour worth of charge was worth. (The group tour said meet here I thought it was to unload not drive into normally of limits areas.)
Rented an EV once on a vacation. First time ever with an EV. Intentionally to force myself to learn. I spent the nights on that trip researching chargers and looking for charge stations on my path next day that can do fast charging. Definitely there was a bit of range anxiety throughout and slightly inconvenienced. But it was agood learning experience. Would do it again 😀
Not a compelling argument for an EV of you have to spend that much effort planning the trip. There is freedom knowing your gas car is never more than 15 minutes from a refuel - it costs a lot more for that, but it is also liberty knowing you can safely change plans on a whim.
this is… an interesting argument. as an EV driver, you’re essentially saying ‘I want giant signs and chargers on every corner’ which is how you’d find them without needing a map. this seems unlikely to really ever happen because we simply have better options now, but I guess we’ll see.
I guess Im old because having charging stations like gas stations where you can simply pay with cash or card and no app sounds so, so much better than the current situation.
You guess right. Unfortunately many of you around to drag down improvements for the younger generations.
EDIT: I read this comment as only wanting cash payment, which I find unreasonable. App use should be optional or non-existent, I agree (but connected infrastructure is necessary, just not having an app for each charging network)
I’m dumb and read the comment to which I replied as only wanting paying with cash “with no card or app”… I’m all in for avoiding app fragmentation and just use one card (cash is a real stretch… pretty unreasonable).
im driving a ev for 2 years now and not even once used an app to pay.
also i havent searched once for a charging station manually. (but that means that the car has internet access wich opens another can of worms. i really dislike that part since the car uses google services for that functionality and wish car manufacturers would allow alternative software for the infotainment system)
In a lot of European countries, rest stop signs (along the highways) announce what amenities are available at the rest stop. Those signs include symbols for things like toilets, restaurants, gas stations as well as charging stations. Here’s a German example. Pretty solid solution in my opinion.
In the USA most exits have those signs. Most places that target travelers will have a large sign some place. Gas stations though are always right on the end of the ramp so they don’t need a sign.
rest stops are a public good that won’t have gas though.
If you want fast charging (which you usually do during a Road Trip, and only during a road trip) you usually need to pre-condition the battery, so driving by signs alone limits a lot the vehicles capabilities.
Data from CDN chargers says fast charging is only used 10% of the time.
It’s as if the media has overblown charging times and range anxiety, or something.
It’s essential for long distance viability of EVs, though. I agree on the overblown part, but it’s a real matter, especially for edge cases like towing a trailer and frequent travelers. It’s one of those things that is seldom used but actually essential. Exactly like… a car? :D
EVs are the perfect towing vehicles: with well designed fast chargers (accommodating car+trailer without unhitching), they would fit every conceivable parameter and make the reduced range viable.
BC Hydro has been very good about adding high speed chargers on all the hwy routes and many gas stations also have added chargers. It keeps getting easier to use an EV although 90% of my charging is at home.
I’m old enough to remember when driving long distances in an ICE car had some of the same range anxiety due to low milage and small tanks, which is why there are abandoned gas stations all over the place. Imagine having as many charging stations around as there are, or were, gas stations?
You might have to worry about that, like at most, once a month, for going places where you wouldn’t already have been familiar with charging places including backups if one is closed.
I’m thinking of yearly trips. My in-laws live far enough away that it is a major trip to visit. Flying the family is expensive so often we make it a two or three day road trip. We try to see something weird everyday so it won’t be the same roads or stops. The general plan is head southwest until we hit i10, about 3 pm we book a hotel that we will arrive at around 6, and use GPS to ensure we do, but otherwise there is no reason for using any particular road.
Anecdotally, this is not really the case any more in Sweden. There’s a fully sufficient amount of fast chargers along the road for all the road trips I participate in on a regular enough basis.
Basically this is a problem that goes away as EVs continue to get adopted
I just use a better route planner and with ionna building out new good chargers I never worry on trips, I make the same 5 hours trip almost every 2 months and the only time I got worried was when my normal spot was filled and took a chance on a circle k charger and they don’t accept payment on the machine. Thankfully they are getting replaced.
Until a road trip where they wish chargers were as obvious as gas stations. Enough exist to make the trip, but are not as common and are not on the beaten path so you need an app to find them.
When I make a road trip I’m often traveling on roads I’ve already looked up and I don’t wasn’t that voice yelling at me so I’m not using a GPS most of the time. We still use the gas car for road trips, but I often play the game “it had been 150 miles where is the nearest charger without using an app” I typically don’t find it the next 50. An app would find one in sure but that isn’t something I should need.
For short trips my EV passes them all and like you say I’m glad I’m not paying those prices. Until I pull into a charger because it is there and discover they have weird pricing systems. yesterday has would have been cheaper because I didn’t know I would have to move so fast and so I paid a minimum charge more half hour worth of charge was worth. (The group tour said meet here I thought it was to unload not drive into normally of limits areas.)
Rented an EV once on a vacation. First time ever with an EV. Intentionally to force myself to learn. I spent the nights on that trip researching chargers and looking for charge stations on my path next day that can do fast charging. Definitely there was a bit of range anxiety throughout and slightly inconvenienced. But it was agood learning experience. Would do it again 😀
Not a compelling argument for an EV of you have to spend that much effort planning the trip. There is freedom knowing your gas car is never more than 15 minutes from a refuel - it costs a lot more for that, but it is also liberty knowing you can safely change plans on a whim.
I just took a decent trip in mine. It was fine.
Trips are absolutely doable. However they are not as easy.
this is… an interesting argument. as an EV driver, you’re essentially saying ‘I want giant signs and chargers on every corner’ which is how you’d find them without needing a map. this seems unlikely to really ever happen because we simply have better options now, but I guess we’ll see.
I guess Im old because having charging stations like gas stations where you can simply pay with cash or card and no app sounds so, so much better than the current situation.
You guess right. Unfortunately many of you around to drag down improvements for the younger generations.
EDIT: I read this comment as only wanting cash payment, which I find unreasonable. App use should be optional or non-existent, I agree (but connected infrastructure is necessary, just not having an app for each charging network)
I don’t think charging stations requiring an app to use/pay is an improvement, but you do you I guess.
I’m dumb and read the comment to which I replied as only wanting paying with cash “with no card or app”… I’m all in for avoiding app fragmentation and just use one card (cash is a real stretch… pretty unreasonable).
UK has a law (or similar) that you have to be able to pay with contactless on new charger or older ones above 50kw
Infuriatingly, that law only applies to charger 8kW and up. A lot of chargers, especially smaller destination chargers, are 7.5kW.
im driving a ev for 2 years now and not even once used an app to pay. also i havent searched once for a charging station manually. (but that means that the car has internet access wich opens another can of worms. i really dislike that part since the car uses google services for that functionality and wish car manufacturers would allow alternative software for the infotainment system)
In a lot of European countries, rest stop signs (along the highways) announce what amenities are available at the rest stop. Those signs include symbols for things like toilets, restaurants, gas stations as well as charging stations. Here’s a German example. Pretty solid solution in my opinion.
In the USA most exits have those signs. Most places that target travelers will have a large sign some place. Gas stations though are always right on the end of the ramp so they don’t need a sign.
rest stops are a public good that won’t have gas though.
If you want fast charging (which you usually do during a Road Trip, and only during a road trip) you usually need to pre-condition the battery, so driving by signs alone limits a lot the vehicles capabilities.
Data from CDN chargers says fast charging is only used 10% of the time. It’s as if the media has overblown charging times and range anxiety, or something.
It’s essential for long distance viability of EVs, though. I agree on the overblown part, but it’s a real matter, especially for edge cases like towing a trailer and frequent travelers. It’s one of those things that is seldom used but actually essential. Exactly like… a car? :D
Furthermore: what is CDN?
Country code for Canadian.
EVs are the wrong vehicle for towing.
EVs are the perfect towing vehicles: with well designed fast chargers (accommodating car+trailer without unhitching), they would fit every conceivable parameter and make the reduced range viable.
BC Hydro has been very good about adding high speed chargers on all the hwy routes and many gas stations also have added chargers. It keeps getting easier to use an EV although 90% of my charging is at home.
I’m old enough to remember when driving long distances in an ICE car had some of the same range anxiety due to low milage and small tanks, which is why there are abandoned gas stations all over the place. Imagine having as many charging stations around as there are, or were, gas stations?
Meanwhile in Ontario…the feds put chargers in, Doug Ford rips them out.
You might have to worry about that, like at most, once a month, for going places where you wouldn’t already have been familiar with charging places including backups if one is closed.
I’m thinking of yearly trips. My in-laws live far enough away that it is a major trip to visit. Flying the family is expensive so often we make it a two or three day road trip. We try to see something weird everyday so it won’t be the same roads or stops. The general plan is head southwest until we hit i10, about 3 pm we book a hotel that we will arrive at around 6, and use GPS to ensure we do, but otherwise there is no reason for using any particular road.
Anecdotally, this is not really the case any more in Sweden. There’s a fully sufficient amount of fast chargers along the road for all the road trips I participate in on a regular enough basis.
Basically this is a problem that goes away as EVs continue to get adopted
I expect the same here, but we haven’t reached that yet. I have no doubt in twenty years finding gas will start to become a similar effort.
I just use a better route planner and with ionna building out new good chargers I never worry on trips, I make the same 5 hours trip almost every 2 months and the only time I got worried was when my normal spot was filled and took a chance on a circle k charger and they don’t accept payment on the machine. Thankfully they are getting replaced.