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I rented an electric car for a 4-day road trip. I spent more time charging it than I did sleeping
Fox Business/Wall Street Journal ^ | June 7, 2022 | Rachel Wolfe

Posted on 06/08/2022 2:33:06 PM PDT by CedarDave

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To: SeekAndFind

By your asking these pertinent questions it shows that you shouldn’t own an EV. You obviously do not have the proper EV-dissonance to be a E-head.


61 posted on 06/09/2022 4:48:08 AM PDT by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn...)
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To: CedarDave

Wonder if there’s a way to build-in a small amount of generation, say like when coasting to a stop? (Do EV’s freewheel coasting to a stop or use some power to slow the wheels in addition to braking?) Minuscule I know but for long rides it may add something to its range.


62 posted on 06/09/2022 5:14:41 AM PDT by jughandle
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To: central_va

I agree with you. I don’t intend to own one, much less buy stocks in companies that make them.

But please answer my questions if you can.


63 posted on 06/09/2022 5:15:22 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind
1. How prevalent are these charging stations in the country today?

My take is there is not enough of them to handle peak interstate travel times like holidays.

2. How long does it take to fully charge an EV ?

It depends on the technology in the car and at the charging station. Most people charge at home and with a fast enough charging system the car can fully recharge overnight. For a road trip, you really need the latest/greatest tech and a long range battery to get where you want to go in a somewhat reasonable amount of time. The latest Tesla cars and supercharging stations can add something like 180 miles in ~15 minutes. If a newer supercharging station isn't available you are looking at 30 minutes plus assuming you don't have to wait for a charging stall.

3. On average, how many miles must one drive before the next charge?

It depends on battery capacity, weather conditions and how fast you want to drive. For everyday use you are looking at using around 70% of battery capacity. Let's say the EV has a list range of 300 miles under ideal highway driving conditions. The effective range is about 210 miles. In harsh winter climates, that range can be cut nearly in half with a winter vortex..

64 posted on 06/09/2022 10:19:23 AM PDT by EVO X ( )
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To: jughandle

They come with regenerative braking systems.
with many you don’t even need to use the brake pedal if you prefer.


65 posted on 06/10/2022 8:25:27 AM PDT by mowowie
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To: mowowie

Yeah they beat me to it! All the models owners manuals are online and I was looking through them a bit. The way their braking system works explains why I thought a few times when following their brake lights were out. It doesn’t go into the tech aspects of it sadly but still interesting stuff to me.

I’ve just been more and more intrigued by these cars now that Musk is relentlessly attacked by the left for the twitter deal.


66 posted on 06/11/2022 10:44:22 AM PDT by jughandle
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To: TheShaz

A lot of people are hard pressed to afford even a $30k vehicle. And a $30k EV is NOT going to have top quality batteries in it. That’s where the real troubles begin.

I was a very early adopter of rechargeable batteries ever since NiCad batteries came out. I use a LOT of rechargeable batteries. And that’s not counting various equipment with built-in or custom battery packs (laptops, cordless power tools, etc.) Right now I have a Opus BT-C2000 V2.1 charger and 3x Opus BT-C3100 chargers recharging various NiMh and Li-Ion batts (18650’s), plus 4 mid-to high end EBL chargers doing same. The batteries involved range from top end Eneloops to mid-grade Chinese. I’ve given up on anything les than, as a brand name, EBL (a fairly decent Chinese made brand.)

The savings in buying batteries were obvious, but to fully realize them one has to use the batteries in near ideal conditions and situations. The NiCads were finicky as hell. Then came NiMh and various lithium types. Energy storage is better, and the better ones are a bit less finicky about usage and such. Now they are only finicky as heck. So far, the latest and greatest Eneloops have been best, although I have none over a year old, and none have faced really tough usage. Lesser batteries, depending on how “lesser”, are prone to all sorts of issues, even babied.

A $100k+ car would hopefully have top grade, or at least near top grade batteries in it. (Gotta recall those packs are really just a whole lot of 18650’s strapped together.) Theoretically a $100k plus car should have very good electronics doing the battery care (avoiding the more serious “hard use” issues and such.) A $30k car is unlikely to have neither the batteries or the electronics at that quality level. Oh, its electronics should help avoid the very worst battery pack “abuse” issues (ie., how most people would use it!), but the odds are poor that the battery pack will not take long to develop a number of deteriorated or even “bad” cells, which not only decrease range but can cause all but the very best chargers problems of poor or slowed charging.


67 posted on 06/12/2022 3:59:30 PM PDT by Paul R. (You know your pullets are dumb if they don't recognize a half Whopper as food!)
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