The Environment

BigRedBuster said:
That's interesting because, not too long ago I tried finding how long it takes to charge a car on line and I really couldn't find a good answer.  So, if the battery is about dead, it would take 15-20 minutes to charge all the way if you're at a charger in one of those networks?
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Maybe I don't totally get it but do you only charge your battery when it is almost dead or is it like a phone where you can plug it in whenever you want...

And honestly, 15-20 at a "pump" would drive my crazy.

 
BigRedBuster said:
That's interesting because, not too long ago I tried finding how long it takes to charge a car on line and I really couldn't find a good answer.  So, if the battery is about dead, it would take 15-20 minutes to charge all the way if you're at a charger in one of those networks?
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No, it would take a long time to charge from empty to full. EV batteries are charged more carefully than phone or laptop batteries because you want them to last instead of dying every couple years (last I saw Tesla battery packs should last for 300k+ miles). There's a charging curve (different max charging rates depending on battery conditions) which allows faster charging when the battery is closer to empty and slower when it's getting close to full, so the 15-20 minutes is an estimate based on charging the battery from nearly empty to around 50-60%. You could charge up to 80-100% but you'll spend more total time charging even though you'll stop less often, which makes sense if you stop and eat or something, but if you're looking to make the best time, then you'll want to charge to 50% or slightly more if you need the range.

Here's a specific example of charging a Tesla Model 3 from 2% to 100%: https://insideevs.com/news/506520/tesla-model-3-supercharger-test/

2% to 80% took 32 minutes then 80% to 100% took an additional 31 minutes (but 2% to 50% only took 16 minutes)

Note that this is for the long range Model 3, where 30% battery capacity is roughly 100 miles of range. An EV with a smaller battery would take slightly less time each charge but would need to stop more times to recharge.

teachercd said:
Maybe I don't totally get it but do you only charge your battery when it is almost dead or is it like a phone where you can plug it in whenever you want...

And honestly, 15-20 at a "pump" would drive my crazy.
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It's like a phone, you can charge anytime you want. Remember that the "time at a pump" only applies to road trips since you'd normally charge the vehicle at night while you're sleeping like your phone or laptop. I'd much rather have to spend a few more minutes on a road trip than the time to go to the gas station every week or two.

 
teachercd said:
Maybe I don't totally get it but do you only charge your battery when it is almost dead or is it like a phone where you can plug it in whenever you want...

And honestly, 15-20 at a "pump" would drive my crazy.
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My comment was based on if you were going on a long drive.  Let's say I drive to Denver for the weekend.  I'm assuming once I'm there, I would need to charge it and am interested in knowing how long.

I would think normal driving every day it would be like your phone where you would plug it in at night and top off the battery.

Another question I've always had is, let's say you're getting low and you can't find a charging station and your battery dies.  How do you charge it enough to go find a charging station if you are stranded somewhere?

 
BigRedBuster said:
Another question I've always had is, let's say you're getting low and you can't find a charging station and your battery dies.  How do you charge it enough to go find a charging station if you are stranded somewhere?
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Right now you'd have to be towed to a charger, but there are companies working on solutions to allow recharging a little to allow the car to make it to a charger. For example: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a32069151/blink-roadside-mobile-charger/

But I think you'd still call a tow truck, which would then recharge the EV on the side of the road.

 
RedDenver said:
No, it would take a long time to charge from empty to full. EV batteries are charged more carefully than phone or laptop batteries because you want them to last instead of dying every couple years (last I saw Tesla battery packs should last for 300k+ miles). There's a charging curve (different max charging rates depending on battery conditions) which allows faster charging when the battery is closer to empty and slower when it's getting close to full, so the 15-20 minutes is an estimate based on charging the battery from nearly empty to around 50-60%. You could charge up to 80-100% but you'll spend more total time charging even though you'll stop less often, which makes sense if you stop and eat or something, but if you're looking to make the best time, then you'll want to charge to 50% or slightly more if you need the range.

Here's a specific example of charging a Tesla Model 3 from 2% to 100%: https://insideevs.com/news/506520/tesla-model-3-supercharger-test/

2% to 80% took 32 minutes then 80% to 100% took an additional 31 minutes (but 2% to 50% only took 16 minutes)

Note that this is for the long range Model 3, where 30% battery capacity is roughly 100 miles of range. An EV with a smaller battery would take slightly less time each charge but would need to stop more times to recharge.

It's like a phone, you can charge anytime you want. Remember that the "time at a pump" only applies to road trips since you'd normally charge the vehicle at night while you're sleeping like your phone or laptop. I'd much rather have to spend a few more minutes on a road trip than the time to go to the gas station every week or two.
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So what you are saying is that women can't own an electric car because they never remember to charge their phone at night so the car would also be dead each morning?

I kid, I kid, sort of, the girls at my school NEVER have a fully charged iPad or phone.

RedDenver said:
Right now you'd have to be towed to a charger, but there are companies working on solutions to allow recharging a little to allow the car to make it to a charger. For example: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a32069151/blink-roadside-mobile-charger/

But I think you'd still call a tow truck, which would then recharge the EV on the side of the road.
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Can't you carry a portable charger that is juiced up and ready for use?

 
teachercd said:
Can't you carry a portable charger that is juiced up and ready for use?
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You could, but it makes more sense to put that into the vehicle battery instead of carrying it around for emergencies given the extra weight, loss of storage, and needing to remember to charge the portable battery periodically. Really you just need to pay a bit more attention to not run out of fuel/energy.

 
RedDenver said:
You could, but it makes more sense to put that into the vehicle battery instead of carrying it around for emergencies given the extra weight, loss of storage, and needing to remember to charge the portable battery periodically. Really you just need to pay a bit more attention to not run out of fuel/energy.
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That's easier to do if you are driving around your local community where you are going to be home to charge it or know where charging stations are.

I think of this as traveling since I do a lot of that.  If you're on a long trip and in a strange community, it could be hard to find a charging station all the time.  You said earlier that at a station, you would maybe charge it to 50-60%.  Well, then at what point do you stop to charge it again?  I can't imagine there's much range if you are going to charge it at 20-30% every time and only go to 50-60%.

 
BigRedBuster said:
That's easier to do if you are driving around your local community where you are going to be home to charge it or know where charging stations are.

I think of this as traveling since I do a lot of that.  If you're on a long trip and in a strange community, it could be hard to find a charging station all the time.  You said earlier that at a station, you would maybe charge it to 50-60%.  Well, then at what point do you stop to charge it again?  I can't imagine there's much range if you are going to charge it at 20-30% every time and only go to 50-60%.
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The cars know where the charging stations are and add charging stops automatically when you put in a destination. There are also third-party apps and websites that you can use as well (best one I've seen is https://abetterrouteplanner.com). There's youtube channels where they test EV's including road trips and charging, if you want to go down that rabbit hole.

Overall, my advice is to get an EV if you can, but obviously things like how often you drive long distances and how much you can afford to spend up front are big considerations. If your family has multiple cars, then consider getting an EV for the non-road trip vehicle and easing into the change that way. Tesla is currently the best EV maker out there, but Ford has recently done a good job with the Mustang Mach-E and the F-150 Lightning looks promising on paper. And the Nissan Leaf is fine as a small commuter car, but it's not fun to drive like Teslas or the Mach-E.

 
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RedDenver said:
The cars know where the charging stations are and add charging stops automatically when you put in a destination. There are also third-party apps and websites that you can use as well (best one I've seen is https://abetterrouteplanner.com). There's youtube channels where they test EV's including road trips and charging, if you want to go down that rabbit hole.

Overall, my advice is to get an EV if you can, but obviously things like how often you drive long distances and how much you can afford to spend up front are big considerations. If your family has multiple cars, then consider getting an EV for the non-road trip vehicle and easing into the change that way. Tesla is currently the best EV maker out there, but Ford has recently done a good job with the Mustang Mach-E and the F-150 Lightning looks promising on paper. And the Nissan Leaf is fine as a small commuter car, but it's not fun to drive like Teslas or the Mach-E.
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A buddy of mine has the mustang, he loves it.

 
As the car companies shift their production away from ICE's and to EV's, that will drive up the demand and necessity for more charging stations to be made available.  I would think that the car companies will help fund the capital investment to add more quick-charging stations nationwide, as it would help overcome the "obstacle" of charging time.  Most car companies will be producing only EV's within 10 years, so the infrastructure will be needed to be built to handle more of the EV's on the road.

 
B.B. Hemingway said:
I just want to know the technology that will make my 67 Chevy C-10 sound like it's supposed to, after they make me put an electronic motor in the thing.
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I’m pretty sure a 67 C-10 with an electric motor shouldn’t make any engine noise....unless you got a bad bearing or something.

:zoom

 
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