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Comment by qrybam | Hacker News Reader

We bought a new primary car last April, it was a toss up between an electric and a petrol/diesel, and we opted for a diesel car in the end.

Reasons: range anxiety, and war anxiety.

I want a Tesla, but the problem is that an electric car becomes a giant paperweight in an emergency.

We have a secondary, small electric car and we use it for short local trips. There’s been more than a few instances where a lapse resulted in not being able to use it because it wasn’t charged fully. And don’t get me started on the state of public charges, it’s a mess.

Don’t get me wrong, I like electric, but edge cases are real and important and so they must be planned for.

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Huh? What emergency? You will always have solar on your roof. I think in emergencies, gas will run out much quicker than electricity?

And where do you live that you have a mess of public chargers? The quick charger network is excellent where I live (Benelux)

> You will always have solar on your roof.

Methinks you assume too much. Rooftop solar is only really an option for someone that owns a SFH, or is in a townhome with a fairly permissive HOA (In the US).

Someone living in an apartment probably has no ability to access reliable solar except via the primary grid (which we assume will be down in case of emergency.) And in other places, like California, having solar panels is growing increasingly expensive due to the additional fees imposed by the electric utilities (and nevermind the initial costs.)

Gas is relatively easy to stockpile in large volumes, it has a huge energy density, and is highly useful for other things, not to mention being fairly portable. You can even use it for producing electricity by using a generator.

If that is the case, chances are you are in not a good position for any emergency. For ‘emergencies’ you want to be outside the city, with a big stockpile of food and clean water. Maybe enough land to grow some veggies. Extra points for solar and a battery. A gas powered car won’t save you in any real emergency. Do you stock 100liters of gasoline in your home?

> A gas powered car won’t save you in any real emergency.

And unless you happen to live somewhere with reliable off-grid electric generation, neither will your EV. What are you going to use your EV for if you live on the 4th floor of an apartment building that's a 1500' walk from the closest parking spot? Run a giant extension cord up to the balcony?

> Do you stock 100liters of gasoline in your home?

I keep a jerrycan or two of gas in the outdoor storage space that I refill every half year or so. Sure, that's not 100L, more like 40, but it's not nothing. I could easily expand my storage capacity to 200L or so without much problem if I decided I needed to. And like I said, gas has many uses, including as a currency in more extreme circumstances.

No, in an emergency, we all run out to the gas station to fill the containers that we just bought. Then we find out they are out, because that is what happens in an emergency.

It's a terrible idea to keep petrol on an apartment. It's illegal here, for that reason.

> Huh? What emergency? You will always have solar on your roof. I think in emergencies, gas will run out much quicker than electricity?

You're assuming having solar on your roof (most people still don't) but more importantly, assuming an emergency where you get to stay home.

For example when we had to evacuate due to California wildfires a few years ago, we left the EV behind. Doesn't have enough range to be a good evacuation car and who knows how busy charging stations were going to be with everyone doing the same.

We have gas cars too so no big deal. But having only an EV in such an emergency would be scary.

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