Comment by b112 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by b112 | Hacker News Reader

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Not sure where you get these numbers, bjt a 600km range is 480km when charging to 80%, and you don't wait until 0 range to try to find a working fast charger.

That means 600km becomes 400km or less at 80% charges, and when you drove 140km/hr or more, the acceptable speed in many US states, that means less than 3hrs, and 600km isn't rated at 140km/hr speeds!

In other words, EVs don't work for long range driving.

Some may drive slow, or not count the 10 minutes to get on/off road and find a charger, and the 20 minutes to hook up and charge, and the potential to not find a free charger.. but I did.

And when I used these sensible, real world values, a trip from Quebec to California, which I take from time to time, changed from 3 days, to 8.

Lots of people drive like this. Lots. Especially Canucks wanting to escape snow, darkness, and wolves.

I've seen all the replies before, and all of them take some random thing, which I base on reality, averages, and fact, and try to pretend that ot doesn't matter.

But it does.

As others have said, if you are city driving only? Great! And many families have two cars, and that's another great place for an EV. One EV, on gas.

And we will get there range wise. We're just not even close yet, for long drives.

My personal experience (model y lr) is 4 hour trips are the sweet spot and anything over 6 hours becomes a drag. I can reliably go over 200 miles @ 80mph without charging but after the first charge you have to stop every 100 miles or less. When we do long cross country trips (8+ hours per day) we take the gas car.

140km/h is automatically reckless driving in many states like VA. In only 15 out of 50 states can you hit 140kph without doing 17+ mph over the speed limit.

Also, if all you’re doing is speeding down interstates all day what’s the point? Might as well just fly.

I've seen all the replies before, and all of them take some random thing,

See, this is the problem.

Two random things this time, which are not based upon reality.

1) Driving distance

You missed the part about being a Canuck, and escaping the winter.

This means I, and more than a million other Canadians, typically take our cars. Why? Well if you're gone for 3 or 4 months, a car rental is far more expensive than just taking your own car.

And this applies for even shorter timed trips too. Not to mention, the amount of luggage you can haul.

And no, you don't have a better way. And no, renting a car doesn't make sense. I know. We know. We're the ones doing it, and we're not dumb.

It's an enormous cost savings to drive.

(Love how you tried to invalidate my statement that electric cars have no legs, by instead saying it's just silly to drive long distance(just fly!))

2) Speed limit

It may be reckless driving in your state, and perhaps others, but it sure isn't everywhere. Otherwise, 25% of the cars I drive with on my trips are all looking for that same charge. And by that I mean, I'm barely speeding.

But it doesn't really matter, now does it? Because a) everyone is doing at least 10 mph over, and b) I do 140km/hr.

And you still hit extra wind drag, and therefore reduced range specs as a result. And yes, moving from 100 to 140km/hr makes a massive time distance on long trips.

Always, people with random points that really aren't relevant.

There is no need to defend electric cars. They have their place, people are buying them, and range is slowly extending.

But for now?

Not for long trips.

If you really want to do those distances in an EV you can get about a 30% range boost from drafting. But for a trip you’re making twice a year an extra hour is hardly that big a deal. If you have both then sure use an ICE, but over 6 months you’ll save more time charging at home and avoiding gas stations than you spend on that road trip.

> Love how you tried to invalidate my statement that electric cars have no legs, by instead saying it's just silly to drive long distance

I was saying doing a road trip for well past 1,000km is an odd choice. It seems odd that 1 million Canadians can be gone from home for 3-4 months and what have second houses?

Edit: Looks like 40% of Canadians wintering in Florida drive. So yea it’s a thing, but not the most common choice. https://www.thestar.com/life/travel/travel-smart-driving-sou...

But for a trip you’re making twice a year an extra hour is hardly that big a deal.

That's not your call, for it's my deal. And 3 days to 8 days, as I said, is indeed a big deal.

And here we are again, with you hand-waving away my needs and requirements.

No, your way isn't better. It's worse. For me.

But that's not the point. The point is, electric cars have no legs.

And at a 40% estimate, that's 1/2 a million Canucks driving. And you try to wave away this number, by arguing as if this the only reason anyone ever drives long distances!

It's rare you claim. Well, no it isn't.

It's very common to drive more than 1000km, for many many people, although I realize you're not used to it.

Here's the thing, when people say they need the range, and that electric cars currently don't make sense for them?

They're absolutely, unarguably correct. They're correct, because requirements aren't met, and that's that.

8 days is silly, stock EV’s can do 2,800 miles in 2 days at the limit with multiple people doing so. I say 1,000 km per day as the edge of comfortable cruising because I know people that break up 700km trips over 2 days and I that’s roughly the point where most people I know fly.

Anyway, US electric cannonball run using a stock Tesla 3 stands 2,835 miles in 48 hours 10 minutes set in 2019. It’s easily beatable, but people have generally swapped to other models.

Using a stock and in fact rented Tesla Model S Long Range on October 22, 2021, Manhattan to Portifino Inn in Redondo Beach, CA 42 hours, 17 minutes. Lucid air was 44 hours 32 minutes, but they ran into issues. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannonball_Run_challenge

Of course modified cars can beat this, lowering the model 3 shaved 3 hours and there’s plenty of options to push things further. But that’s well outside of what a normal road trip represents.

I said Quebec to California. That's farther that US coast to coast.

And how on Earth can you compare a cannonball run, with meticulously chosen routes?

Have you ever driven 3 days at 14 hours, at 130 to 140km/hr, each day? While eating, staying in hotels, refueling and so on? Yes, that turns in 8 days in an EV.

Look, I'm basically done with this thread.

>I said Quebec to California. That's farther that US coast to coast.

Ontario Quebec to Sacramento California is 2,809 miles just under the cannonball run distance. So your specific trip might be longer, but Quebec to California isn’t necessarily that far.

> Have you ever driven 3 days at 14 hours, at 130 to 140km/hr, each day? While eating, staying in hotels, refueling and so on? Yes, that turns in 8 days in an EV.

I’ve done 35 hours of driving out of 36 hours in a row only leaving the car at gas stations and even using a piss bottle.

As to EV’s over 3 days it might increase your trip by 3-6 hours depending on what stops you normally make and force you to pice a hotel with charging, perhaps pushing you to 4 days but that’s about it. There’s simply no way you’re seeing 8 days while driving an EV 130kph vs 130-140kph for an ICE.

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