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Comment by dnissley | Hacker News Reader

Thinking through the particulars in my case: How do I charge if I only have street parking? Can I rely on superchargers only? What's the price of those vs charging at home vs gas? Will I destroy my battery over time if I do that? Am I giving up the thing I like most about my current car (2013 civic -- never leaves me stranded + basically only have to get the oil changed + replace wearable items)?

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The greater reliability of EVs is one of the factors pushing business uptake in areas like taxis.

If you dont drive many miles then todays EVs are already fine for your use case. If you drive a lot then the fuel savings are enough for you to want to make it work.

Lots of places (theaters, grocery stores) have destination chargers (some are even free). If you go to those once or twice a week, top up there. If you don't drive much, a weekly supercharger visit is fine. Keep in mind that charging is currently worst case. It will improve by ~50% each year.

Battery degradation is not something you should be worried about. It will remain above 85-90% for hundreds of thousands of miles.

Don't forget about depreciation. Gas cars will be worth nothing soon as millions become undesirable. Electric will be so in demand that they'll barely depreciate. Used Model 3s right now are selling for thousands more than a new one.

> Gas cars will be worth nothing soon as millions become undesirable.

Long bet: in 10 years you're wrong.

I would put some money on this. There are very few inherit benefits to gas right now except "faster to refill" and "more range between stops". Both get solved by increasing battery densities, charging speeds, etc. At 300 miles range, I have 1 common trip I need to charge for 5 minutes. At 400 miles range (which I can get on an S), all my common trips are charge free. Vacation trips already work great with 300 miles range.

Vague bet. What does "worth nothing" mean? Obviously collectibles will be worth something and even crappy cars will have scrap value.

Gas stations will start going under. Gas prices will increase. Parts will stop being made or have prices increase. Used market will be flooded, in a race to the bottom. New electric cars will become cheaper and charging ubiquitous. Battery charging speeds will improve.

This means that within the decade, EVs will be more convenient and cheaper (already cheaper including lifetime costs).

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