That's how they started out, but as I understand it, a lot of the safety standards for SUVs have been upgraded. NHTSA gives safety ratings to SUVs, and some score as high as the best cars. But an F150 is a big truck, not really designed to be used as a passenger vehicle. Why is it more desirable and prestigious than, say, a Ford Explorer SUV, not to mention all the other vehicles that sell for the same or less as an F150?
Electric Vehicles
- Thread starter acbytesla
- Start date
- Status
That's how they started out, but as I understand it, a lot of the safety standards for SUVs have been upgraded. NHTSA gives safety ratings to SUVs, and some score as high as the best cars. But an F150 is a big truck, not really designed to be used as a passenger vehicle. Why is it more desirable and prestigious than, say, a Ford Explorer SUV, not to mention all the other vehicles that sell for the same or less as an F150?
Shalamar
Dark Lord of the JREF
Arrived in Missoula. This is a long charge, going from 20% to 85%. It’ll take about 40 minutes. It’s getting colder, which is causing the range to drop. A little extra padding in the charge and we’ll get to Butte without slant issues.
Ideally you want to arrive between 10% - 15% at a supercharger ( level 3 ) as the charging is faster. Just enough to get to the next charger. As the charge approaches 100% the slower the charge rate. It can be faster to do multiple shorter charges than fewer but longer.
Ideally you want to arrive between 10% - 15% at a supercharger ( level 3 ) as the charging is faster. Just enough to get to the next charger. As the charge approaches 100% the slower the charge rate. It can be faster to do multiple shorter charges than fewer but longer.
RecoveringYuppy
Penultimate Amazing
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2006
- Messages
- 14,185
Are you having to go off the most straightforward route to find chargers? And would you be able to find more chargers on route if you wanted to charge more frequently?
Shalamar
Dark Lord of the JREF
We’re pretty much driving straight down I90. We also use the app ‘a better route planner’ which takes into account your cars range, as well as your comfort level with how low you want to arrive at each stop.
There are a crap ton of Tesla superchargers along the route. We’ve passed a handful on our way. A little more sparse now though.
Delvo
Дэлво Δε&#
They're not prestigious, and the phrase "status symbol" is misleading at best. "Cultural identity" fits for some, though, but only as a badge of a subculture that's actually the opposite of prestige-based; instead it's a type of people who perceive themselves as being looked down on by others and have embraced that as a good thing. If there's a "status" that they're a symbol of, it's "not one of those elitists and not listening to them either".
Ignoring that and focusing on practical matters, though, there are reasons to get a truck that have nothing to do with image/identity, but it's also true that most trucks never get used for the biggest "practical" abilities they were designed for. Their beds stay empty all the time and they never go off-road. However, some people figure it's best to have the options even if they're rarely used, rather than be stuck without them if & when the rare occasion happens when you would use them.
And even aside from things like hauling your own lumber once in 15 years (when it would be cheaper to drive a car that whole time and either rent a truck or a flatbed trailer or even have it delivered for this occasion), there are still other practical considerations. I, for example, find it a much better driving experience. Yes, bumps & dips in the road make its suspension sway slightly more, but I don't care, and the visibility is far better, both because of the height and because of the reduced number of "pillars" (vertical metal parts between windows) obstructing the view. Cars make me feel like my butt's on the pavement and I can't see everything I should see, and the low roof makes all the bending & ducking & maneuvering to get in & out, and take anything else out or put it in, an annoyance that I am free from with my truck. An SUV of the same height would solve the height thing, but still have more pillars in my rear view and cost several thousand dollars more for extra seats I have no use for. And, about those back seats... one thing I did like about my last car was that its rear seats were removable, which not only meant I could take more stuff from place to place but also made the back area usable for sleeping in. But no cars or SUVs are made with removable seats anymore, so the only choices that would serve the same purposes are to either buy a car/SUV/van and spend a bunch of money on seats only to amputate them to make room anyway, or get a truck for much less money than an equivalent SUV/van and come up with some way to (at least sometimes) enclose the bed. (I did get a light truck, not a full-size one, so the width & length aren't so atrocious for maneuvering in limited space, the fuel efficiency is better, and it was over $10000 cheaper, without much sacrifice in height... but a full-size pickup truck would have gotten me slightly more height and slightly more bed space.)
arthwollipot
Observer of Phenomena, Pronouns: he/him
They're safer for the driver and passengers. They are less safe for the people you hit.
arthwollipot
Observer of Phenomena, Pronouns: he/him
I posted this in the Greta thread, but it belongs here too:
My car is only five years old so far, and it's the best car I've owned, and I can't afford a new one yet anyway, but...
Canberrans offered free registration for electric vehicles in bid to get more zero-emission cars on ACT roads
New charging stations are also going to be put in all over the city in the next 12 months.
Incidentally, right now Canberra is already running at 100% renewable energy - if you count offsets. By the time I'm ready to buy a new car, we'll probably be full 100%.
My car is only five years old so far, and it's the best car I've owned, and I can't afford a new one yet anyway, but...
Canberrans offered free registration for electric vehicles in bid to get more zero-emission cars on ACT roads
New charging stations are also going to be put in all over the city in the next 12 months.
Incidentally, right now Canberra is already running at 100% renewable energy - if you count offsets. By the time I'm ready to buy a new car, we'll probably be full 100%.
Ziggurat
Penultimate Amazing
- Joined
- Jun 19, 2003
- Messages
- 61,585
Large SUVs like the GMC Suburban WERE trucks (as in, like a large pickup truck). And nobody had to be programmed to like them. In fact, they aren’t very popular even now. It’s the small SUVs, like the Honda CRV, that really took off. As to why, it’s simple: they have advantages over cars. More cargo room, more headroom, better view of the road, and if you live anywhere with snow, better handling in the snow. In fact, the CRV is the most popular car model in New York. Because, get this, it snows a lot in winter, and CRVs are pretty good in snow.
Shalamar
Dark Lord of the JREF
We arrived in Butte at 18% of a charge. The Leg from Butte to West Yellowstone was our longest, at roughly 2 hours and 20 minutes. With the Temperature dropping (which affects the range), we decided to charge up to 92% at the supercharger. Which the car charged, we had dinner.
From there we took the long drive to Yellowstone where we ended up arriving at 22% of a charge at our hotel, which is just outside the entrance to the park.
Our Hotel has 3 destination chargers (level 2), two of which are Tesla chargers. The car is plugged in and will be fully charged by the morning for our excursion into the park.
EV's can be used for such long trips, they may require a little more planning and time. over all, we're happy with the results. While they aren't for everyone, I just want to break the myth that you cannot use AN EV for a longer trip. A Tesla EV does make it easier with the extensive Supercharger network, however.
From there we took the long drive to Yellowstone where we ended up arriving at 22% of a charge at our hotel, which is just outside the entrance to the park.
Our Hotel has 3 destination chargers (level 2), two of which are Tesla chargers. The car is plugged in and will be fully charged by the morning for our excursion into the park.
EV's can be used for such long trips, they may require a little more planning and time. over all, we're happy with the results. While they aren't for everyone, I just want to break the myth that you cannot use AN EV for a longer trip. A Tesla EV does make it easier with the extensive Supercharger network, however.
bonzombiekitty
Graduate Poster
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2011
- Messages
- 1,848
Friends of mine have a Tesla - they often do a drive from Philadelphia to Cape Cod in it. That's a good 6ish hour drive. They apparently have to do one 15 minutes stop in CT to recharge.
Seems reasonable to me. Personally, with kids, I'd prefer to have it reliably get me from Philadelphia to Syracuse without a stop. Theoretically possible based on miles, but with big hills and cold winters, I doubt it would actually make it most of the time.
OR I'd like the supercharger networks to be fleshed out more. When I last looked at the network, there were only 2 stops somewhat around where I'd like to recharge, one of which is convenient. I wouldn't want to rely on that one stop being available.
But that's something that would come with time.
Sorry to sound like a broken record, but what happens with the people which are the majority, that don't have off street parking to charge.
Is it just going to be a how many extra long extension chords kids can cut for a laugh competition?
As frankly, at about10- 13 I would have probably found it funny.
Is it just going to be a how many extra long extension chords kids can cut for a laugh competition?
As frankly, at about10- 13 I would have probably found it funny.
TurkeysGhost
Penultimate Amazing
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2018
- Messages
- 35,043
As far as I can tell, this remains one of the great unsolved problems with EV's. EVs, as they exist now, make a lot of sense for people living in single family homes in the suburbs or those with enough money for garage/dedicated parking in the urban core, but is a total nonstarter for people who park on streets or in large surface lots at in dense housing complexes.
Tesla made the right marketing decision to build luxury vehicles targeted at people of means, because that market is really the only one where such a vehicle is even practical.
Trickle charging a battery overnight is a great solution for anyone that owns a private garage or other private parking spot with power, but an absolute nightmare for anyone that doesn't, which is huge portion of the car driving population.
Last edited:
Filippo Lippi
Philosopher
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2002
- Messages
- 5,354
It has been discussed in thread, but to recap
Short term - you need to go around to the local rapid charger and fill up there
Medium term - cables within street furniture Here's some
Slightly longer term - induction charging plates in the road, either under your parking space or as you drive along. They have the former for taxis in Oslo and Nott'numb, the latter has been demonstrated.
Longer term - dunno, we'll all be car sharing by then and the autonomous unit will sort itself out, charging wise
Short term - you need to go around to the local rapid charger and fill up there
Medium term - cables within street furniture Here's some
Slightly longer term - induction charging plates in the road, either under your parking space or as you drive along. They have the former for taxis in Oslo and Nott'numb, the latter has been demonstrated.
Longer term - dunno, we'll all be car sharing by then and the autonomous unit will sort itself out, charging wise
Filippo Lippi
Philosopher
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2002
- Messages
- 5,354
Or battery swapping, as they do in parts of China
You don't necessarily need a charger at home so long as there are (or will be) adequate alternatives including:
- Charging at work
- Charging at the train station
- Charging at public charging points when shopping, going to the gym, going out for a meal, going to the cinema and so on
- Charging at to be installed on-street charging points
Of course it depends on how often the owner needs to recharge. Someone who drives 200-300 miles a day every day would need a home charger. These days I drive 50-100 miles a week so I would only need to charge once or twice a month. Mrs Don or I go to the supermarket once or twice a week for 30-45 minutes. That would be plenty of time to keep the battery topped up for normal use.
I think use of extension chords should be discouraged in any case for safety reasons.
Unless chargers are installed there, or they find a way to charge at other times.
As long as there are chargers there (and in my case there are), I could easily keep an EV charged if I topped up when I went to the supermarket.
TurkeysGhost
Penultimate Amazing
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2018
- Messages
- 35,043
Sure. What you're suggesting is a massive infrastructure project.
I see public charging stations at train stations or new shopping plazas from time to time. It's usually a handful of token spots out of hundreds of other non-EV spots. Going from early adopter EV usage to widespread adoption is a massive leap. Often these stations are along walls or other spots where there is already existing electricity run. You don't often see these stations free standing out in the middle of a large surface lot, because doing so would mean digging up large portions of asphalt and running new electrical wire. This is exactly the kind of thing that will have to be done for EV to become more than just a niche option.
Maybe this is something that would have to be forced by regulatory requirement. Some private businesses and cities have been adding a few EV charging spots out of the goodness of their hearts, but that's not something we can rely on for mass adoption. Requiring parking lot owners to install these as part of some broader building code might be a solution.
Last edited:
It depends on whether there is money to be made from it.
If people stand to make a profit then the charging points will appear. After all, that's how the petrol stations got there.
TurkeysGhost
Penultimate Amazing
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2018
- Messages
- 35,043
My experience with privatized utilities leads me to believe this is probably not the best way to do this.
I don't see why municipalized charging stations couldn't be a solution as well, especially in locations where the electricity service is not privatized.
- Status