How practical is an electric sports utility vehicle? I almost ran out of gas just going up into logging territory in northern California, I couldn't imagine going in an electric vehicle with less range.
Journeys into remote areas would require a bit of planning as to where, when and how to charge. But that's not that different from driving a petrol car. If you run out of petrol in the middle of nowhere, it's just as bad as running out of battery because you are stuck in the middle of nowhere with no easy way to fix it. The difference is that an electric car will tell you how much range it has and is pretty accurate about it and be able to guide you to the nearest charging point.
But if you insist on draining the tank or battery until there's nothing left before you top up, then yes, you are going to be taking a risk. Simple suggestion: try not to do that. If the absolute worst happens and you ignore all the warnings the car gives you, the solution would be to charge the battery. For example from another EV (some models actually support this). By driving up to somebody's house and begging for permission to plug in. Etc. Absolute worst case is you'll be towed away by somebody shaking their heads to a place where the car can be plugged in. People would be shaking their head because it would be your own fault.
Now some people have a genuine need for hundreds of miles of range because where they are going there is nothing. The good news is you can fix that. Put up some solar panels, truck in some batteries, etc. Easy to do. I imagine, many logging operations will end up doing exactly that sort of thing.
Of course it is! I can go pretty much anywhere in the CONUS and not have to worry about running out of gas because gas stations are everywhere. In the few cases where they aren't, there are usually clear indications, e.g., "next gas station 50 miles ahead" signs. Or if I'm that concerned, I can take a 5 gallon can full of gas with me.
> you are stuck in the middle of nowhere with no easy way to fix it
I've stopped to give people rides to the gas station (where you can rent/borrow a gas can) when they ran out. Probably won't be feasible with electric for quite some time.
Sure, people should plan their trips, but please don't make a false equivalence between gas & electric in this regard.
It's much easier to install and maintain a charging station in a remote area than it is to install and operate a gas station.
I think the downsides are that carrying extra fuel is easier (although it wouldn't surprise me if extra batteries you can load onto the truck become a thing), and also that the refill time is much worse.