Tesla Model 3 looks to be a total game changer!!!

[sojourner]

Not me, John Clark.

 

[John Clark]

I think you're missing the issue here. Running a cable from a building/house to a car parallel parked on the street can be problematic. It's a trip hazard and an invitation for mischief.

Yup. Pretty much. Given one of my mates, I'd guarantee he'd at least trip himself up on it every time he came round. (I wouldn't rule out him doing something even more harmfull to himself)

I did not realize that you were parallel parked in the street. I thought you were parked in a driveway adjacent to the house. In your situation, home charging probably would not work. So, yeah, I totally get why an EV might not be a good choice for you. That's a bummer.

Indeed. I've thought about getting a plugin hybrid before now (use the fuel for my longer trips and the electric to and from work) and would have if our work place offered the plug in point.

Of course, if I move and get a driveway, I'd probably revisit the situation.

 

[FPAlpha]

I think your 500 miles number is too high. Most American ICE cars have a gas range of about 400 miles, not 500 miles. So 342 miles is really good. The thing with ICE cars is that it is so easy to refuel that the gas range has become irrelevant. I bet most people don't even know what their car's gas range is.



I agree but only in part. Quick charging will be important in order to make EVs good for long distance driving like road trips. Right now, EV cars are seen as only good for city commuting and I believe that it is a big reason why they are not more popular. Most people want a car that they can drive long distances without worrying about range.

But EVs don't need charging to be as quick as refueling for most driving unlike gas cars. A gas car can only refuel at a gas station so no matter how short your drive is, when the car is near empty, you will need to stop at a gas station. You basically have to take time out of your drive to refuel so quick refueling is a must. With an EV, in most instances, you don't need to take time out of your drive to recharge because you can recharge when you are already doing something else, like at home when you are sleeping or in a parking lot when you at a ball game. Driving outside your range is the only time when charging will be a concern. And most EV drivers can always leave their home on a full charge which you cannot do with an ICE car. So if the drive is within their range, then they never have to worry about charging because they can always leave home on a full charge and come back home on the same charge. And there are more and more chargers at places where people already stop for long periods of time like stadiums or hotels. So again, if you are planning to stop for a couple hours at a sports event or a hotel or a restaurant, then charging for 30-40 minutes is not a big deal. So I think charging definitely needs to be faster but does not need to be as fast as refueling.

I forgot about US cars gas mileage vs European standards and i was being conservative with the 500 miles. If i drive my 98 Renault, 105 hp car conservatively i can go up to 560 miles (though most of that would be highway and not city traffic i'll admit) and that's an old car (hopefully replaced in a few months). Modern european cars have even better gas mileage so electric cars will have to compete against this.

You are assuming that charging stations will be everywhere.. that's not the case and won't be for a long time as it's a huge investment no single company can stem. I rarely see them now in Germany though Germany is a bad example for this as electric cars or even hybrids are not that popular here.
For them to gain popularity and break into the mass market chargers will have to be at least as ubiquitous as gas stations and charging has to be as quick as refueling because people are like this.. the smallest inconvenience will turn them off such cars. They will not want to plan their drives in advance and hope there's a free chargers to where they're going, they want to get at least the same mileage out of an electric even if it means they will only have to charge it once every 10-14 days.
Not everyone will own a home where they can install a personal charge system and leave it on over night so there will have to be a widespread public charging system that most countries still have to build.

All these are hurdles electric cars need to overcome to make it in the mass market.. it will happen and in our lifetime too but there will have to be an example of this generation's Model T that makes it happen and shows that electric cars can keep up with fuel powered cars for the same or even lower cost.

I hope Tesla can produce such a model and make it marketeable to the masses, they deserve it and i'll be looking forward to sitting into my own fully electric car and have it drive me autonomously to work so i can take an additional half hour nap in the morning (and hope the cops don't catch me)

 

[Kor]

Electric cars need to be available under $20k to appeal to a mass market.

Kor

 

[Romulan_spy]

You are assuming that charging stations will be everywhere.. that's not the case and won't be for a long time as it's a huge investment no single company can stem. I rarely see them now in Germany though Germany is a bad example for this as electric cars or even hybrids are not that popular here.

Well, the US has over 15,000 public charging stations. And Tesla has built a network of 810 supercharger locations spread across the US. They may not be "everywhere" but the network is growing fast. We are making progress!

For them to gain popularity and break into the mass market chargers will have to be at least as ubiquitous as gas stations and charging has to be as quick as refueling because people are like this.. the smallest inconvenience will turn them off such cars. They will not want to plan their drives in advance and hope there's a free chargers to where they're going, they want to get at least the same mileage out of an electric even if it means they will only have to charge it once every 10-14 days. Not everyone will own a home where they can install a personal charge system and leave it on over night so there will have to be a widespread public charging system that most countries still have to build.

I don't disagree that we need more public charging stations. But I think a big problem is education and communication. Most people can't tell you where the nearest EV charging station but they can tell where the nearest gas station is. Everyone sees gas stations on every corner so they know that there are lots of places to refuel their car but they don't see where the charging stations are unless they happen to already own an EV and check the Tesla supercharger map or PlugShare.com. I think it would really help if charging stations had better signage to indicate their locations. Gas stations have big signs with the BP, Marathon or Shell logos that are instantly recognizable but a lot of public charging stations are just small boxes in a parking garage. They are very hard to see. Heck, I drove past my local Meijer's supermarket for months with no clue that there was a Tesla supercharger station in the parking lot. It is only when I stopped and really looked around and noticed some stalls with Tesla printed on them that I realized where the supercharger station was.

It is also a lot easier to charge at home than people realize. You can plug in to any electric outlet, no special charge system required but you can get a wall charger for faster charging that is not difficult to set up. Tesla has a wall charger for $500 that any electrician can install. I think if more people understood both how to find public charging stations and how easy it is to charge at home, it would go a long way to making EVs more viable.

All these are hurdles electric cars need to overcome to make it in the mass market.. it will happen and in our lifetime too but there will have to be an example of this generation's Model T that makes it happen and shows that electric cars can keep up with fuel powered cars for the same or even lower cost.

I am very optimistic on EVs. We've already seen huge progress thanks in large part to Tesla. We've gone from ugly looking city cars that can only do 50 miles range to beautiful cars with mainstream appeal and 200+ range. I believe we are only 5-10 years away from EVs making it in the mass market.

 

[scotpens]

. . . I would much prefer an electric car over a fuel one. It's safer, more eco friendly and cheaper to operate.

More environmentally friendly, yes. Lower maintenance costs, yes. But safer? In what way?

In any case, I like driving a stick shift. That's why I'll never have an electric vehicle. (Of course, I suppose I could always play with my dick and pretend. )

. . . There are a couple of Teslas I see regularly and I would like to try one, but they're not quite as convenient for me as my current vehicle yet.

Only a couple? Where do you live? The Tesla Model S is an extremely popular car in the Los Angeles area. I see them all the time whenever I'm out on the road.

 

[FPAlpha]

More environmentally friendly, yes. Lower maintenance costs, yes. But safer? In what way?

Driving around with litres (or gallons for you imperial measurements inclined) of a combustible liquid is surely more dangerous than a battery (though having fuel is not a top reason for damage to current cars despite what exploding car Hollywood wants us to believe). On top of that they are universally modern cars and thus adhere to modern safety standards as opposed to the many shitboxes i encounter daily on the road where having a safety belt is the height of security features.

 

[{ Emilia }]

It is also a lot easier to charge at home than people realize. You can plug in to any electric outlet, no special charge system required but you can get a wall charger for faster charging that is not difficult to set up.

I've seen the endless American suburbia where that certainly is possible but in dense urban areas of Europe that just won't work because most people are parallel parking on the street.

 

[Romulan_spy]

I've seen the endless American suburbia where that certainly is possible but in dense urban areas of Europe that just won't work because most people are parallel parking on the street.

I live in the US so I was speaking from the perspective of the "endless american suburbia".

 

[John Clark]

More environmentally friendly, yes. Lower maintenance costs, yes. But safer? In what way?

In any case, I like driving a stick shift. That's why I'll never have an electric vehicle. (Of course, I suppose I could always play with my dick and pretend. )


Only a couple? Where do you live? The Tesla Model S is an extremely popular car in the Los Angeles area. I see them all the time whenever I'm out on the road.

UK. There's probably more on the road, but I don't see that many yet. (Some of the Hybrids are more common though). I don't see that many of the hydrogen powered cars either.

I learnt to drive in a stick shift so I've never quite been completely comfortable the few times I've driven an automatic either.

 

[scotpens]

I learnt to drive in a stick shift so I've never quite been completely comfortable the few times I've driven an automatic either.

Oh, I feel perfectly comfortable driving an automatic. It just isn't any fun.

 

[Romulan_spy]

Oh, I feel perfectly comfortable driving an automatic. It just isn't any fun.

I'm guessing you won't be interested in a self-driving car.

 

[mos6507]

Electric cars need to be available under $20k to appeal to a mass market.

IMHO, the low end of the market is going to wind up giving up on personal car ownership entirely and opting for carsharing as a service.