“My EV gave me freedom from the pumps, but took away my freedom to roam” (CBC)

[RBH]

In the spring, I purchased a new electric Volkswagen ID.4, which has a range of more than 400 kilometres on a full charge, and thought this was the perfect opportunity for a road trip back to B.C. to move the rest of my belongings to Ontario.

From my home in Toronto, I decided on a 15,000-km route. I would more or less follow the historic Route 66 to California, staying in old motels with neon signs and taking in the Americana along the way. From Los Angeles, I would head up the coast to Vancouver Island, taking frequent stops to watch waves crash into picture-perfect rocky coves. Coming home, I would meander through B.C. before making my way back through Canada.

Once you own an EV, you are immediately preoccupied with understanding where your next charge will come from. Planning the route required research to ensure there were suitable chargers along the way.

All charging stations are not created equal and, because I intended to cover so much ground, I focused on the fastest ones. I didn't want to spend more than an hour at each refueling stop during the day; a slower charge was fine when I stopped for the night.

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Despite my diligence, I realized almost immediately this trip would not go as I had hoped.

The fast charger in Newport, Mich. — my first planned charge after crossing the border — was not operational despite a review on the PlugShare mobile app saying it had worked days before. I had just enough charge to get to the next fast charger, 135 kilometres away.

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Most new EV owners go through a period of "range anxiety," or fear that their charge may not be sufficient to get to the next station. I found myself suffering from a new affliction — "charger anxiety." Even when I was certain to arrive at my next charging station, I couldn't be sure it would work.

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Covering longer distances meant I was often dependent on a single, small-town charger being operational. If it wasn't, I could spend hours — even an entire day — charging at whatever three-pronged outlet I could find.

On occasion that meant cutting the day short and spending the afternoon and night at a campground with electric service. These delays became a relaxing break — and a chance to meet new people and see places like western Oklahoma and Terrace Bay, Ont., where I hadn't planned to stop.

Other times, it meant wandering the cultural void of busy roadways near car dealerships, searching for moderate-speed chargers and feeling envious of motorists going about their business with no concern for how they will refuel.

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Being self-employed and able to work remotely meant I didn't have a strict schedule for my trip, but it made me think that most people can't afford to add a day to their journey just to refuel.

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I love my EV — the driving experience is so much fun and the features are great — and I am happy to do the work to plan my trips. But it has also fundamentally changed my perception of car ownership.

I used to relish the freedom to pick up, grab some gear and head wherever my heart desired. Now, I feel like the car is in charge and I can only go where charging stations allow it. Taking a road trip now is a research project before any bags are packed, and then many prayers along the way.

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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/first-person-caroline-fric-electric-vehicle-charging-anxiety-1.6902397

Thought this was a good article talking about the current BEV infrastructure and how it can alter driver behavior when it comes to longer-distance driving in particular. It does create a restriction on mobility in the sense that you have to plan routes with charging stations in mind, stations that are much less abundant compared to gas stations, and then there's no guarantee that those charging stations will even be functional when you arrive. Having more companies switch to the Tesla charging network will help long-term, but the transition period is still going to be a pain, and they still need to build out more charging stations in general. Thus it's no surprise that these issues along with the average price of an EV represent barriers to entry for people considering an EV. I know some people will reply by either saying "Just get a Tesla, bro" or suggest to get both an ICE and EV car, but the former misses the point of the article, while the latter is not practical for a lot of people in this economic climate.

And before a billion people make the same post about the 15000km distance of this trip, the points in the article are still valid even if it was a 1000km trip instead.

 

[Transistor]

I love my EV but I would never even consider using it for long road trips until the infrastructure is much better. Also, having to stop for half an hour every 200 - 300 miles kind of sucks

 

[CherryWoodFuton]

The longest road trip I have done with my Y was from SF to San Diego and there were pros and cons.

The big pro of stopping to charge is it gave us time to stretch our legs

Obviously the big con is that you can't just blaze through it and have to plan around charging. Charging even with superchargers also takes about 30 min max which is def more time than just pumping gas

 

[henhowc]

Why the Prius Prime has been attractive to me as a stop gap while charging infrastructure is built out. Could go fully EV for my day to day work commute/local errands and gas for the long trips.

If only there was actually stock and not insane markups :\

 

[GoldenEye 007]

What's the percentage of people taking a 15,000km trip on a whim on a regular basis?

 

[Wrexis]

I decided on a 15,000-km route.

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Oh come on.

 

[ss_lemonade]

Drove from Seattle to LA to Vegas, then back to Seattle with my Model 3. Not even close to 15000 km, but still a long drive. Luckily didn't run into any issues charging or finding chargers along the way

 

[Phatmanny]

I've been really eyeing an EV seriously lately but I've always figured if I go on a long trip, which I seldom do, id just rent a gas car

 

[BasilZero]

Which is why I'm going with Hybrids.

 

[Nobleman Swerve]

Why the Prius Prime has been attractive to me as a stop gap while charging infrastructure is built out. Could go fully EV for my day to day work commute/local errands and gas for the long trips.

If only there was actually stock and not insane markups :\

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Seriously I'd love a 40-50 mile plug in as my next car. 95% of all my driving would be EV, but no anxiety on heading out to a campground and wondering if there'll be any charging out in the sticks.

 

[Det]

Oh come on.

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Lmao, quite the unique use-case here. I do understand the overall point, as an EV wouldn't work well for me due to my job and having to drive quite the distance in a single day every now & then.

 

[L Thammy]

The farthest I'd want to drive is around 100 kilometers. If this person thought they could pull off 15,000, I guess EV ranges wouldn't be a big problem for me?

 

[Carbon]

Electric cars aren't as good as ICE cars on road trips. That seems to be the crux of ALL these articles. Yeah, we get it.

If you take frequent road trips, EVs are an inferior experience, and will be for some time to come. It is known.

Chargers do need to improve, in speed, consistency and quantity. That's not a reason to not own an EV though, unless you commute 200 miles a day, or take frequent road trips.

 

[Transistor]

Oh come on.

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While I do find their choice of route laughable, it does kind of make sense for the article. With a gasoline car, you can take whatever route you want and you'll be able to find a place to fill up. For the most part. You have to do a lot more careful planning with an EV.

 

[h1nch]

EVs are made for being daily drivers within whatever place one lives.

They can do longer trips, but it fucking sucks. It just does. Even with a Tesla, the fact that you have to even think about your route to the next charger makes it absolutely unacceptable to me as a road trip vehicle.

 

[Balbanes]

I've had an EV for a few years and I've charged in public one time. 200+ mile range makes sense for 99% of what I use it for, and then I have an ICE vehicle in case I need to take a long trip. Works perfectly.

 

[nded]

Most people don't buy cars for the freedom to roam.

 

[Venatio]

Another one of these articles...I take a road trip once a year at most. I'll be fine with my Bolt.

 

[Det]

Electric cars aren't as good as ICE cars on road trips. That seems to be the crux of ALL these articles. Yeah, we get it.

If you take frequent road trips, EVs are an inferior experience, and will be for some time to come. It is known.

Chargers do need to improve, in speed, consistency and quantity. That's not a reason to not own an EV though, unless you commute 200 miles a day, or take frequent road trips.

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That's me unfortunately even though I'd love an EV. I WFH as a territory manager, so I drive variable distances to meet with clients each week; some within single charge range, some much further. Looking at PHEVs in the meantime until the infrastructure/charging speeds improve.

 

[RBH]

What's the percentage of people taking a 15,000km trip on a whim on a regular basis?

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Oh come on.

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The points in the article are still valid even if it was a 1000km trip instead

 

[GoldenEye 007]

Electric cars aren't as good as ICE cars on road trips. That seems to be the crux of ALL these articles. Yeah, we get it.

If you take frequent road trips, EVs are an inferior experience, and will be for some time to come. It is known.

Chargers do need to improve, in speed, consistency and quantity. That's not a reason to not own an EV though, unless you commute 200 miles a day, or take frequent road trips.

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Exactly. It's an emerging technology still but has made decent strides relatively quickly.

These are major purchases. I would hope people would do some basic level of research to understand the benefits and limitations going full EV.

And if you find the urge to do very long road trips on occasion, understand it will be a different experience. Similar to me not buying a truck for the 3-4 times a year I may need to haul something large around, I keep regular cars then rent the truck to get what I need.

 

[Shadow of the Void]

Who the fuck is going to be driving 15k kilometers on the regular for a road trip? The furthest I've driven was from from here in Augusta to Orlando and back. The only other places I've driven to are Atlanta, Columbia, and Charleston. Imminently doable with an EV. I rarely leave the Augusta area anyway, so I have no need for some ridiculous range for an EV.

That being said, we still have a lot of work to do in regards to infrastructure for EVs.

 

[RBH]

While I do find their choice of route laughable, it does kind of make sense for the article. With a gasoline car, you can take whatever route you want and you'll be able to find a place to fill up. For the most part. You have to do a lot more careful planning with an EV.

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Yup, exactly

 

[subpar spatula]

15,000km trip is hampered a bit because of charging infrastructure? Well, yeah. But that is the reality of current EVs. You trade gas and maintanence prices for something cheaper long term. No reasonable EV user is going to drive 15km without a solid plan super chargers. Most folks I know who go long distances through more rural areas rent a hybrid for the trip. Even then, a lot of routes especially where I live in Canada, have loads of chargers available. I've driven from Vancouver to Portland and Calgary just fine even with stops along the way in places like Penticton, Banff.

 

[msdstc]

I love my EV but I would never even consider using it for long road trips until the infrastructure is much better. Also, having to stop for half an hour every 200 - 300 miles kind of sucks

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I had to travel where I also had to rent a car for long road trips. The car was a Tesla so I thought neat we'll get to try out an ev since I'm in the market for one anyway.

The car actually was really great. Obviously the software was amazing, the silence of everything, how powerful it all feels, etc. but it was a 6+ hour road trip and stopping was killer. On top of that when we got to the place it was tough finding charge stations that were along our route, not that it was super necessary but it was a hurdle.

I think they're perfect if you really don't take 3+ hour trips. You can just plug in when you get home from work or wherever and always be topped off, but the long stops are brutal.

 

[Transistor]

I had to travel where I also had to rent a car for long road trips. The cat was a Tesla so I thought neat we'll get to try out an ev since I'm in the market for one anyway.

The car actually was really great. Obviously the software was amazing, the silence of everything, how powerful it all feels, etc. but it was a 6+ hour road trip and stopping was killer. On top of that when we got to the place it was tough finding charge stations that were along our route, not that it was super necessary but it was a hurdle.

I think they're perfect if you really don't trick 3+ hour trips. You can just plug in when you get home from work or wherever and always be topped off, but the long stops are brutal.

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Yep. It's why we are also keeping my wife's Pathfinder for now

 

[Ambient]

Cry me a river. The premise of the article is beyond stupid.

 

[The Albatross]

Damn well I wanted an EV exclusively for weekly trans continental voyages so I guess I'm fucked

 

[Dan-o]

Which is why I'm going with Hybrids.

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Honestly, I'm probably going to end up with a plug in hybrid. Seems like the best option for most people who spend a lot of time in the city, and do the occasional road trip.

But the prices… oof.

 

[Doctor Shatner]

I realize this sounds absurd with current tech, etc but I wonder if any company tries a more "propane tank" approach, of hot swapping batteries. Let the slow charge happen later while drivers get on the road. Even 30 minutes is pretty brutal.

 

[Det]

Yep. It's why we are also keeping my wife's Pathfinder for now

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Which EV do you have? I was looking into one but due to the nature of my job, it would be a hassle. Could do an EV + PHEV/hybrid to manage those long travel days but that is a bit pricey to do at once. Maybe a PHEV/hybrid first then replace our 2nd car with an EV.

 

[Volimar]

While I do find their choice of route laughable, it does kind of make sense for the article. With a gasoline car, you can take whatever route you want and you'll be able to find a place to fill up. For the most part. You have to do a lot more careful planning with an EV.

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But you know that going in. I get that it's frustrating if the fast charger is out of service but most of the article sounds like someone deciding to make a cake and then expressing frustration having to need an oven at some point.

 

[GoldenEye 007]

The points in the article are still valid even if it was a 1000km trip instead

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I don't really agree. I doubt the percentage of people doing trips like that on a regular basis is that high.

"Taking away my 'freedom' to roam." Come on. The hyperbole is off the charts.

Short to medium trips they're mostly fine. Of course trips taking people through vast stretches of nothingness will not be a smooth experience. I'm not sure why anyone thought the EV networks would be rivaling the breadth of gas networks 10-15 years in.

 

[Deleted member 8750]

My next vehicle will definitely be a hybrid for this reason. I don't have to drive often but I when I do it's through areas that have little to no infrastructure for EVs. (This article comes across as a bit hyperbolic though)

 

[Atolm]

Yeah no shit. Try using an EV outside of cities in Europe. Lots of chargers simply don't work.

 

[Cruxist]

My next car will be an EV, which I hope is at least another 5-7 years out.

But I am excited to start testing out EVs. I actually have a trip back to visit my parents coming up, and I chose Hertz's "EV manager special" for my rental car. I assume I'll be freaking out about the battery the whole time, but I can't wait to put it through the paces.

 

[Transistor]

Which EV do you have? I was looking into one but due to the nature of my job, it would be a hassle. Could do an EV + PHEV/hybrid to manage those long travel days but that is a bit pricey to do at once. Maybe a PHEV/hybrid first then replace our 2nd car with an EV.

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I have a Nissan Ariya. I've been a Nissan owner for a long time and I've rarely had issues, so I decided to bite the bullet and get one. I absolutely love it.

But you know that going in. I get that it's frustrating if the fast charger is out of service but most of the article sounds like someone deciding to make a cake and then expressing frustration having to need an oven at some point.

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Oh, I agree completely

 

[MrWhiskers]

It's a total mindset change that took me a bit to get used to. I never charge to full during a long road trip. Once I see that kw rate plummet I unplug and move on to the next. More request short stops makes it feel much faster

 

[GoldenEye 007]

My next car will be an EV, which I hope is at least another 5-7 years out.

But I am excited to start testing out EVs. I actually have a trip back to visit my parents coming up, and I chose Hertz's "EV manager special" for my rental car. I assume I'll be freaking out about the battery the whole time, but I can't wait to put it through the paces.

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I think by 2025 or so, it will be vastly different. It seems like manufacturers are settling on a charging plug standard (NACS/Tesla), and by that time, many more car manufacturers will be able to use Tesla plugs in addition to others. At least in North America.

Nobody should have expected that just a few years in, the EV road-trip experience was going to be the same as a gas car.

 

[RBH]

I don't really agree. I doubt the percentage of people doing trips like that on a regular basis is that high.

"Taking away my 'freedom' to roam." Come on. The hyperbole is off the charts.

Short to medium trips they're mostly fine. Of course trips taking people through vast stretches of nothingness will not be a smooth experience. I'm not sure why anyone thought the EV networks would be rivaling the breadth of gas networks 10-15 years in.

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There are tons of people that drive 400-500 miles in one day when driving from Georgia to Florida or a similar state line trip in the U.S, and issues regarding charging stations availability and whether they're actually functional are legit issues that are just as valid there compared to middle-of-nowhere parts of the country. And I don't think any sane person is proclaiming that "EV networks would be rivaling the breadth of gas networks 10-15 years in."

Cry me a river. The premise of the article is beyond stupid.

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Not really, random drive-by post with zero thought put into it :)

 

[Zorg1000]

Doesn't the Infrastructure Law address this, something like half a million charging stations along major highways?

It might suck now but a few years from now things could look a lot different.

 

[Superpupperbabysassy]

There needs to be more chargers. I have a model 3 and the issue I've seen lately is not having enough options. Another issue, which was a thread made last year, is non Tesla EV's not having updates.

 

[PanzerKraken]

This is why we have two cars. Our EV is our daily driver, commuter, our money saver. Our old gas car is used for long distance trips, and cargo

There are tons of people that drive 400-500 miles in one day when driving from Georgia to Florida or a similar state line trip in the U.S, and issues regarding charging stations availability and whether they're actually functional are legit issues that are just as valid there compared to middle-of-nowhere parts of the country. And I don't think any sane person is proclaiming that "EV networks would be rivaling the breadth of gas networks 10-15 years in."

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The FL turnpike is lined with EV chargers throughout the entire state. It's actually one of the most EV friendly states to travel long range.

 

[Carbon]

Doesn't the Infrastructure Law address this, something like half a million charging stations along major highways?

It might suck now but a few years from now things could look a lot different.

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It'll still suck until the technology can improve, but more chargers does help.

Road trips in EVs will stop sucking once we can charge a 400 mile-range EV to 90% in 15-20 minutes. We're getting there, but not there yet.

 

[Zhengi]

Honestly, they should put more EV chargers around tourist attractions.

When I planned a trip to the Grand Canyon with my wife a few years ago, we stopped by a few attractions on our way there. We visited the Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon, the Carlsbad Caverns, and other smaller attractions along the way. Of course, we like to stop at different places to check out the sights and experience the locale. Having EV chargers in those places will definitely help as we look around different places.

 

[Deleted member 15666]

Cry me a river. The premise of the article is beyond stupid.

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This!

 

[Deleted member 36578]

I live in a city with lots of ev chargers but when I bought an ev, I went with a plug in hybrid for this very reason. In the case of an emergency I want the option to use gas.

 

[firehawk12]

Funny, I thought this was another CBC story I read about how people in cities can't find chargers because condos don't want to install them.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/electric-vehicle-charging-private-1.6867265

 

[Bear]

Yeah there's some truth to this story, but the fact is EVs will be fine for 99% of car rides. Unless you're someone who is constantly traveling great distances.

 

[RBH]

The FL turnpike is lined with EV chargers throughout the entire state. It's actually one of the most EV friendly states to travel long range.

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Quantity of chargers is one thing, but functionality is another. Thanks in part to Electrify America dropping the ball when it comes to regular maintenance of their chargers. Thus another reason why standardization of the charging system to Tesla's network is for the best.