Hacker News Reader

Comment by Merad | Hacker News Reader

I don’t see EVs taking off for average Americans until there’s an exponential increase in charging infrastructure. I live in a place where it would make great sense to have an EV (only commute 12 miles each day), but I can’t charge at home (townhouse) and I’m not aware of any chargers in my immediate area. There’s also the issue of travel, meaning an EV can’t really be your only car or else you need to be prepared to rent any time you go on a trip.

View on HN

I think you're underestimating the Tesla supercharger network. It basically solves both of those problems (if you have a Tesla) and live in the vicinity of one - if you don't live near one then it still solves the second issue.

The infrastructure is expanding rapidly, so your "unless" is a fairly safe bet.

What do you do if you don’t have a Tesla? They’re not exactly a mass produced value car. And that’s what you need for real penetration to the car market.

Well, all the other manufacturers are trying to match what Tesla has (and is still working on). Tesla's also going to bring a value-ish car in a couple of years.

$35K Model 3 out early next year, the average selling price of a US car.

I've been hearing promises of the $35K Model 3 for 2.5 years now. I'm still taking the "over" on early next year for broad availability of a $35K Model 3.

According to Tesla's map there are only 12 supercharger stations in my state. That seems be a pretty typical number for most of the US outside of Southern California and a handful of other major areas. That might be enough to support a handful of enthusiasts and early adopters, but it's a drop in the bucket when your goal is to have millions of people using EVs as their primary vehicle.

You don't think they plan on building any more??

Reply on news.ycombinator.com