Who has or is planning to get an electric car / EV Talk

[Apple fanboy]

First the anti-EV people actively try to block efforts to increase EV charging infrastructure. Then they point to the lack of infrastructure as "proof" that EV's can't succeed.

North Carolina Looks to Remove Public EV Chargers, Probably to the Trash

A bill currently in the works in the North Carolina legislature would allocate $50,000 to get rid of free public EV chargers unless free gas pumps are built alongside.

www.caranddriver.com

So sad. People have to realise that we simply can’t keep doing the same things as we have for the last 100 years and not cause even more damage to the planet.
People need to get on board with electric. For all its limitations, it does work in most circumstances. I’m glad my country has embraced the charging infrastructure. Hope the US catches up soon.

 

[SalisburySam]

Out of curiosity... I checked the map for Electrify America around the Charlotte, NC area. There's only one EA charging station in this metropolitan area of 2.5 million people. I was shocked... I thought Electrify America was the big one.

BUT... I did a Google search and found that there are dozens of charging stations in the area from other charging companies (ChargePoint, EVgo)

So yeah... use the apps... all the apps. There could be plenty of charging stations in a particular area!

EA will need to install many more in Charlotte to be sure. There are three existing Tesla Supercharger locations in Charlotte, totaling 28 charge points. A fourth location is due to open 4Q22.

 

[Huntn]

First the anti-EV people actively try to block efforts to increase EV charging infrastructure. Then they point to the lack of infrastructure as "proof" that EV's can't succeed.

North Carolina Looks to Remove Public EV Chargers, Probably to the Trash

A bill currently in the works in the North Carolina legislature would allocate $50,000 to get rid of free public EV chargers unless free gas pumps are built alongside.

www.caranddriver.com

It related to why the humanity is not going to make it, if it doesn’t. 🤔

 

[RSB96]

I have tested an electric Hyundai Kona several times, in the area of Asturias, Spain, which is a mountainous area, with a lot of slopes and mainly secondary roads.

The truth is that the times I have tested it I have achieved very good consumption.

On the first trip we made a journey of 161km (about 100 miles), with a consumption of 18.2 kwh/100km, which is a pretty good figure. This section was more highway than the next one I will explain.

The second trip was longer, 213km (over 132 miles), with a consumption of 14kwh/100km, which was an excellent consumption in my opinion.

Overall, the car seems to me to be an almost rounded product for daily use and for short to medium commutes, bearing in mind that its biggest handicap is charging, which is not particularly fast compared to other similar models, such as the Volkswagen ID.3.

But in Spain, it is one of the most economical models, has a relatively contained price, a very good autonomy, correct qualities and a good equipment/price ratio.

With 204 hp the car moves very agile in all conditions. It is a relatively stable car, perhaps it could be better soundproofed, and the suspension on the highway may not filter well, bouncing a little on occasion. Obviously, on country roads, the weight is noticeable, and although it is stable, it is not particularly agile.

I hope that if the new generation improves these aspects, it could be an option for me.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I have tested an electric Hyundai Kona several times, in the area of Asturias, Spain, which is a mountainous area, with a lot of slopes and mainly secondary roads.

The truth is that the times I have tested it I have achieved very good consumption.

On the first trip we made a journey of 161km (about 100 miles), with a consumption of 18.2 kwh/100km, which is a pretty good figure. This section was more highway than the next one I will explain.

The second trip was longer, 213km (over 132 miles), with a consumption of 14kwh/100km, which was an excellent consumption in my opinion.

Overall, the car seems to me to be an almost rounded product for daily use and for short to medium commutes, bearing in mind that its biggest handicap is charging, which is not particularly fast compared to other similar models, such as the Volkswagen ID.3.

But in Spain, it is one of the most economical models, has a relatively contained price, a very good autonomy, correct qualities and a good equipment/price ratio.

With 204 hp the car moves very agile in all conditions. It is a relatively stable car, perhaps it could be better soundproofed, and the suspension on the highway may not filter well, bouncing a little on occasion. Obviously, on country roads, the weight is noticeable, and although it is stable, it is not particularly agile.

I hope that if the new generation improves these aspects, it could be an option for me.

I thought the hills on a recent trip I went on in a friends ID3 would kill the range, but didn’t seem to be a massive issue. I guess the regen on the way down offsets the juice going up.

 

[RSB96]

I thought the hills on a recent trip I went on in a friends ID3 would kill the range, but didn’t seem to be a massive issue. I guess the regen on the way down offsets the juice going up.

The mountainous areas, if they are in national roads, are not as bad as it may seem to an electric car.

The Volkswagen ID.3 does not have steering wheel paddles to modulate engine brake regeneration, but with the Hyundai you can go on the highway and brake with the paddles while charging the batteries. The truth is that the paddles in an electric car seems to me a game changer, because I find them useful to extend the range of the car both in the city and on national roads, on the highway the paddles are very useless, and the regeneration is not greater as one might think, because if you go with the cruise control the regeneration is minimal, obviously.

 

[Apple fanboy]

The mountainous areas, if they are in national roads, are not as bad as it may seem to an electric car.

The Volkswagen ID.3 does not have steering wheel paddles to modulate engine brake regeneration, but with the Hyundai you can go on the highway and brake with the paddles while charging the batteries. The truth is that the paddles in an electric car seems to me a game changer, because I find them useful to extend the range of the car both in the city and on national roads, on the highway the paddles are very useless, and the regeneration is not greater as one might think, because if you go with the cruise control the regeneration is minimal, obviously.

No paddles in my BMW i3 but the regen is pretty good. You can see it working on the dashboard. As soon as you lift off the accelerator (like on corners), it kicks in. Very clever. Also saves your brake pads.

 

[quagmire]

The mountainous areas, if they are in national roads, are not as bad as it may seem to an electric car.

The Volkswagen ID.3 does not have steering wheel paddles to modulate engine brake regeneration, but with the Hyundai you can go on the highway and brake with the paddles while charging the batteries. The truth is that the paddles in an electric car seems to me a game changer, because I find them useful to extend the range of the car both in the city and on national roads, on the highway the paddles are very useless, and the regeneration is not greater as one might think, because if you go with the cruise control the regeneration is minimal, obviously.

It's all in the tuning then paddles being game changers. All EV's have regen braking able to recharge the battery and extend the range. It's just how the manufactures tunes it and how it is used.

What some manufactures are likely doing is trying to make the transition between ICE and EV smoother for drivers vs where Tesla you have to readjust your driving habits. For example, there is no coasting in my Model 3 like there would be in an ICE vehicle when you fully let go of the accelerator pedal. If you say at 55 MPH take your foot off the accelerator in my Model 3, you are getting your face planted in the steering wheel because you will get full regeneration braking going and you will decelerate quickly. Cars with paddles on the steering wheel are probably not tuned with such aggressive regeneration braking allowing the ability to coast like with an ICE vehicle. Thus the paddles make regen braking more aggressive. Some manufactures don't tie regen to the accelerator pedal. They use the brake pedal to engage regen braking and then blend in the friction brakes.

Some manufactures are going for a smoother transition to get drivers used to single pedal driving vs ripping the band aid off type of approach Tesla did.

 

[Apple fanboy]

It's all in the tuning then paddles being game changers. All EV's have regen braking able to recharge the battery and extend the range. It's just how the manufactures tunes it and how it is used.

What some manufactures are likely doing is trying to make the transition between ICE and EV smoother for drivers vs where Tesla you have to readjust your driving habits. For example, there is no coasting in my Model 3 like there would be in an ICE vehicle when you fully let go of the accelerator pedal. If you say at 55 MPH take your foot off the accelerator in my Model 3, you are getting your face planted in the steering wheel because you will get full regeneration braking going and you will decelerate quickly. Cars with paddles on the steering wheel are probably not tuned with such aggressive regeneration braking allowing the ability to coast like with an ICE vehicle. Thus the paddles make regen braking more aggressive. Some manufactures don't tie regen to the accelerator pedal. They use the brake pedal to engage regen braking and then blend in the friction brakes.

Some manufactures are going for a smoother transition to get drivers used to single pedal driving vs ripping the band aid off type of approach Tesla did.

That’s similar to how my i3 works. Different driving modes vary its intensity, but you adapt pretty quickly. To the point where it seems the norm.

 

[Tagbert]

The mountainous areas, if they are in national roads, are not as bad as it may seem to an electric car.

The Volkswagen ID.3 does not have steering wheel paddles to modulate engine brake regeneration, but with the Hyundai you can go on the highway and brake with the paddles while charging the batteries. The truth is that the paddles in an electric car seems to me a game changer, because I find them useful to extend the range of the car both in the city and on national roads, on the highway the paddles are very useless, and the regeneration is not greater as one might think, because if you go with the cruise control the regeneration is minimal, obviously.

Don’t the Kona or the ID.3 have regen on the brake pedal? The two EVs I’ve owned had the regen paddels but also fully regen on braking the the braking was easier to use when your hands were busy. I know that Tesla never got around to integrating regen into normal brakes but most other manufacturers have figured out how to make it work.

 

[Tagbert]

It's all in the tuning then paddles being game changers. All EV's have regen braking able to recharge the battery and extend the range. It's just how the manufactures tunes it and how it is used.

What some manufactures are likely doing is trying to make the transition between ICE and EV smoother for drivers vs where Tesla you have to readjust your driving habits. For example, there is no coasting in my Model 3 like there would be in an ICE vehicle when you fully let go of the accelerator pedal. If you say at 55 MPH take your foot off the accelerator in my Model 3, you are getting your face planted in the steering wheel because you will get full regeneration braking going and you will decelerate quickly. Cars with paddles on the steering wheel are probably not tuned with such aggressive regeneration braking allowing the ability to coast like with an ICE vehicle. Thus the paddles make regen braking more aggressive. Some manufactures don't tie regen to the accelerator pedal. They use the brake pedal to engage regen braking and then blend in the friction brakes.

Some manufactures are going for a smoother transition to get drivers used to single pedal driving vs ripping the band aid off type of approach Tesla did.

I hate auto-regen like that where you are either accelerating or deccelerating and cannot have a relaxed cruise in between without a very tense focus. i don’t see why there can’t be a plateau for more relaxed driving. I’m not doing a race with every drive.

 

[quagmire]

I hate auto-regen like that where you are either accelerating or deccelerating and cannot have a relaxed cruise in between without a very tense focus. i don’t see why there can’t be a plateau for more relaxed driving. I’m not doing a race with every drive.

You get used to it. I’m able to drive my Model 3 in a relaxed cruise without constantly accelerating/decelerating and maintain speed without tense focus.

It has become a thoughtless action that I’ve been able to go between driving an ICE vehicle and my Model 3 without having to consciously think about how I need to drive each. I just to do it.

 

[RSB96]

Don’t the Kona or the ID.3 have regen on the brake pedal? The two EVs I’ve owned had the regen paddels but also fully regen on braking the the braking was easier to use when your hands were busy. I know that Tesla never got around to integrating regen into normal brakes but most other manufacturers have figured out how to make it work.

Yes, the Kona has 3 levels (one of them, the most aggressive, is practically a one pedal), but on national roads, instead of going with a certain level, and touching the brake pedal, many curves can be taken by simply pressing the cam (+) to brake harder and not having to touch the brake, taking the turn without touching the brake.

I think I expressed myself wrong, the Kona has the 3 levels, but with the cams you can play with this regeneration from more to less and "brake the car" simply with the cams and be able to roll with the car without pressing the brake or without having a preset mode of regeneration, which can sometimes be very excessive on the road.

In the city, with level 3 you do not have to touch the brake except to bring the vehicle to a complete stop at a traffic light, for example.

The ID.3 has no paddles, so you cannot modulate the regeneration. You have the "normal" mode that regenerates little, being quite similar to a "traditional" vehicle and the B mode, which is quite aggressive, but it is not so aggressive to be considered "one pedal". If I had cams, playing with the different levels of regeneration is interesting, especially on national roads in which many of the curves are light and you don't need to brake much, because you are not going at a very high speed (in Spain, between 80/90 km/h/49/55 mph).

 

[Neodym]

How would that be easy? As in, what would make it ‘easy’ exactly?

Size/Space. A (battery) fan on a Smartphone would produce annoying noise and probably move little air. Not to mention the high percentage it would take from the small total volume of the Smartphone body.

An EV is way bigger and would offer lots of room to add another fan invisibly (and with a lot less annoying sound while moving a lot more air), if the existing battery cooling solution would be insufficient for wireless charging.

 

[Tagbert]

Yes, the Kona has 3 levels (one of them, the most aggressive, is practically a one pedal), but on national roads, instead of going with a certain level, and touching the brake pedal, many curves can be taken by simply pressing the cam (+) to brake harder and not having to touch the brake, taking the turn without touching the brake.

I think I expressed myself wrong, the Kona has the 3 levels, but with the cams you can play with this regeneration from more to less and "brake the car" simply with the cams and be able to roll with the car without pressing the brake or without having a preset mode of regeneration, which can sometimes be very excessive on the road.

In the city, with level 3 you do not have to touch the brake except to bring the vehicle to a complete stop at a traffic light, for example.

The ID.3 has no paddles, so you cannot modulate the regeneration. You have the "normal" mode that regenerates little, being quite similar to a "traditional" vehicle and the B mode, which is quite aggressive, but it is not so aggressive to be considered "one pedal". If I had cams, playing with the different levels of regeneration is interesting, especially on national roads in which many of the curves are light and you don't need to brake much, because you are not going at a very high speed (in Spain, between 80/90 km/h/49/55 mph).

I have used the regen paddles on occasion but it is not a regular part of my repertoire. Most of my regeneration is just done by using the brake pedal as part of normal braking operations. I find that gives me the full range and control of regen without needing to fight with the auto-regen on accelerator lift-off that some driving modes have. It also uses the brake pads to a small degree thus ensuring that they work when you need them and keeping the brake discs clear of rust. I do understand that many prefer the single pedal driving mode of auto-regeneration but it just does not suit me.

 

[Tagbert]

EV‘s are a different breed in terms of battery tech. Most modern EV’s have a cooling system (if not full AC) for their batteries.

And it’d be easy to add a(nother) fan to an EV to accommodate wireless charging.

I believe that most EVs now run the air-conditioning system to cool the batter while it charges. Mine produces a series of odd whirling noises when i get home and plug it in. I expect that those systems could cope with inductive charging, as well. I would expect inductive charging to be slower just as it is for phones, now, too.

 

[Neodym]

Wireless charging is the least of the hurdles in the way of EV battery design. The most difficult problem at the moment is to figure how to build batteries of greater capacities without increasing weight.

IMHO the most difficult problem is to change people‘s ideas of what is really needed for personal mobility.

if one loads any EV car with passengers, the drive range is shortened because of the added weight. The same happens to an ICE automobile, but to a lesser degree.

The big question is: Does that really matter for everyone? How often does Joe Average load his car to the maximum and drive 1,000 miles in one go?

The average distance travelled daily is way lower than that - even if it differs depending on country and local specifics.

In rural areas, current EV ranges may not be sufficient yet for everyone, but in urban areas many people could already be okay with a modern EV car. For the long-distance vacation once a year or the visit to Aunt Margaret once in a blue moon, those people could use a different means of transportation (such as e.g. train, plane) or simply rent an ICEV for a few days.

Sure - motorheads will still prefer to run their V8 for the small trip to the grocery store (which they could perhaps even walk, if they were inclined to), but an EV would probably more than suffice already for most daily trips.

The problem is in people’s heads, thinking they’d need to be prepared for the worst possible (range) scenario - even if that’d happen only once or perhaps never in their lifetime.

 

[VictorTango777]

I believe that most EVs now run the air-conditioning system to cool the batter while it charges. Mine produces a series of odd whirling noises when i get home and plug it in. I expect that those systems could cope with inductive charging, as well. I would expect inductive charging to be slower just as it is for phones, now, too.

The more serious EVs have liquid coolant circulating through the battery and to a radiator under the hood. Vehicles with smaller batteries such as plugin hybrids cool the battery using fans that pull air from inside the cabin. Some of those models can run the air conditioning to cool the air inside the cabin while the battery is charging. Then there is the Nissan Leaf which even with the latest models, have no active cooling system for the battery, not even a fan.

 

[Apple fanboy]

IMHO the most difficult problem is to change people‘s ideas of what is really needed for personal mobility.


The big question is: Does that really matter for everyone? How often does Joe Average load his car to the maximum and drive 1,000 miles in one go?

The average distance travelled daily is way lower than that - even if it differs depending on country and local specifics.

In rural areas, current EV ranges may not be sufficient yet for everyone, but in urban areas many people could already be okay with a modern EV car. For the long-distance vacation once a year or the visit to Aunt Margaret once in a blue moon, those people could use a different means of transportation (such as e.g. train, plane) or simply rent an ICEV for a few days.

Sure - motorheads will still prefer to run their V8 for the small trip to the grocery store (which they could perhaps even walk, if they were inclined to), but an EV would probably more than suffice already for most daily trips.

The problem is in people’s heads, thinking they’d need to be prepared for the worst possible (range) scenario - even if that’d happen only once or perhaps never in their lifetime.

Bingo. Couldn’t agree with your post more. This is exactly what we need. Different thinking. When I used to run an ICE car, I didn’t need it to be able to do 350 miles on every trip. But apparently we do with EV’s. Yes there will be some people who have unique user cases, but most could make the switch today.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

I hate auto-regen like that where you are either accelerating or deccelerating and cannot have a relaxed cruise in between without a very tense focus. i don’t see why there can’t be a plateau for more relaxed driving. I’m not doing a race with every drive.

It seems that regenerative braking works quite well in F1 race cars.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

IMHO the most difficult problem is to change people‘s ideas of what is really needed for personal mobility.


The big question is: Does that really matter for everyone? How often does Joe Average load his car to the maximum and drive 1,000 miles in one go?

The average distance travelled daily is way lower than that - even if it differs depending on country and local specifics.

In rural areas, current EV ranges may not be sufficient yet for everyone, but in urban areas many people could already be okay with a modern EV car. For the long-distance vacation once a year or the visit to Aunt Margaret once in a blue moon, those people could use a different means of transportation (such as e.g. train, plane) or simply rent an ICEV for a few days.

Sure - motorheads will still prefer to run their V8 for the small trip to the grocery store (which they could perhaps even walk, if they were inclined to), but an EV would probably more than suffice already for most daily trips.

The problem is in people’s heads, thinking they’d need to be prepared for the worst possible (range) scenario - even if that’d happen only once or perhaps never in their lifetime.

Please understand that I am not anti electric vehicles. What I was referring to before relates to drive range, which by the way is something that applies to both EV's and ICE vehicles who don't live in city centers. But as I mentioned before, trucks used to carry (or tow) heavy loads is not something that most electric and ICE car drivers worry about much.

I won't assume what "ICmotorheads" nor "electricmotorheads" prefer one thing over another. Every person has his or her own needs or wants. While you may want an electric automobile, another may want a motorcycle, or even a bicycle. There are a great number of EV drivers who also have ICE automobiles, even motorcycles. Some others drive hybrid vehicles. A farmer may need a truck, but families of farmers usually share whatever vehicle (s) they have, regardless of kind, including horses. A lot of families with children and pets may want to buy minivans and SUV's to seat 5 or more people, etc.

I hate auto-regen like that where you are either accelerating or deccelerating and cannot have a relaxed cruise in between without a very tense focus. i don’t see why there can’t be a plateau for more relaxed driving. I’m not doing a race with every drive.

Regenerative braking seems to work well in Formula One automobiles.

 

[JT2002TJ]

You might not have traffic, but the nearest decent store, often a Walmart, may be 30 miles in one direction and a hospital 50 miles in the opposite direction. Did a bicycling trip on a portion of the cross-country bicycle route and things are totally different away from the Interstate. 1 block towns with boarded up storefronts. A big deal is when you get can get to a larger town with a population of a few thousand where you can actually buy things.

I lived in a small town in TX before moving back to the NYC metroplex. If you live in a small town you could 100% get away with charging from home. Even if Walmart is 20 miles away. How often does someone who lives and works in a small town actually drive 300 miles daily (on a regular basis)?

Soon enough, you will end up pulling into your Super Walmart, connecting the charging cable, and by the time you get of 30+ mins later, you will have a full enough charge to last you days, and still have the benefit of your home charger.

 

[SalisburySam]

Soon enough, you will end up pulling into your Super Walmart…

SuperTarget maybe. Walmart, never.

 

[JT2002TJ]

SuperTarger maybe. Walmart, never.

In a small town, it's more likely there is a Super Walmart, and it may be the only option...

 

[BigMcGuire]

In a small town, it's more likely there is a Super Walmart, and it may be the only option...

Our Walmarts here (52 miles from downtown LA) have free VOLTA chargers - but only 2-4 of them. And they’re almost always either ICE’d or there’s an EV parked there not plugged in lol. The cables are in really poor shape so sometimes it doesn’t even work.

I’ve noticed Volta chargers popping up all over at Malls/Vons/Whole Foods grocery stores - really happy about that but they only charge my Tesla at 21-26mi/hr. But they’re free so that’s cool.

As I mentioned above - Tesla put in a supercharger near my house (1.9 miles away) - been charging there recently because for whatever reason it hasn’t been charging me when I’m charging there. (Charging my wallet, lol). I have no idea why. Maybe it’s a new billing feature? - all the superchargers I’ve used up till now immediately charge my CC when I use them. This one has not and doesn’t even show up on the charging history in the Tesla app. Going to utilize that free charging as much as I can while I have it.