I am going to do a full write up on my Kia EV6 and what it’s like to drive a (non-Tesla) electric. But for now I feel it would be helpful here to comment.
EVs have mileage just like gas cars. Except you get immediate feedback on driving 80mph by watching the range number shrink before your eyes. The only time I’ve ever been able to see the gas gauge move on a regular car is back in the say driving my stepdad’s Pontiac Grand Prix with its 454 4-barrel. Press the pedal on that baby and watch the needle move. (Jay can attest to this.)
EVs also react to using the AC, bad aerodynamics and driving conditions and show you how those reduce range (mileage). You don’t see it in a gas car, because you only watch the gauge. Idling in an EV, not such a drain because, well, there’s no engine to run (just accessories).
I’d have to say driving an EV (and a PHEV before that for 3 years) has made me a more mileage aware and probably better fuel economy driver. Instead of fuel price anxiety I get range anxiety. The only difference is more immediate feedback versus the checking account balance.
My concern is that an EV as an only car would turn a 900-mile drive into a three-day (or maybe four-day) trip. Otherwise, they should be great for urban commuting and running errands. Not sure they are of much use as an only car in sparsely populated areas.
My experience is 900 miles is a cake walk unless it’s 900 miles through places with few superchargers. Tesla has done an extremely good job building it’s network, but Tesla superchargers only charge Teslas. The Kia EV6, along with a few other models (NOT Ford), can use 800VDC high amperage chargers. These vary in location and capability. As far as that goes, America being a big country, we are not “there” yet driving 900 miles without careful planning for contingencies and some range anxiety.
My EV6 charged from 15%-80% in ~15 min at a supercharger based at a Walmart. You go in the store and when you come out it’s done. Using the lower kW Georgia Power superchargers (there is 1 ONE in Metter nestled by 8 Tesla superchargers at the same gas station), it takes a little longer but a bathroom and drink break will get another 50 miles easy.
900 miles (one way) means 5 or 6 charging stops of varying length but should not be over 15 min. If you hope to travel that far in a single day, good luck, I wouldn’t do it in a gas car at my age! 600 miles in a day is a more proper driving day for me.
But let’s say it’s an overnight trip. If you find a stopping over place with a supercharger nearby or a motel with a level 2 charger (many have them free) you’re good to go overnight. You’ll make 2 or 3 stops per leg and they’ll be short. Plan them while you eat or bathroom breaks and it’s not much different than a gas car road trip.
This is one reason why current EVs are in the upper 50k more luxury range because they all need advanced connectivity and infotainment to handle the planning and contingencies of finding charging stations. When the chargers become as ubiquitous as gas stations and all EV models can charge on all chargers with fast charging, this requirement will be unnecessary.
While the US is light years further along toward this than 5 or 6 years ago, we are not there yet. Another 5 or 6 years and I think at this pace we will be.
Thanks. I picked 900 miles because it's absolutely the max I could drive in two days. I would normally take two days to drive from NE Georgia to Sarasota and it's way less than 900 miles. Wonder how long the charger wait lines would be along I-75.
I use 2 apps, Electrify America (many superchargers) & ChargePoint (hit & miss). There are a lot of chargers on both between Atlanta and Sarasota on I-75.
That’s been a concern for me as well, but my understanding is that some of the public chargers work very rapidly. I think you can get a pretty full charge in an hour or so from some of them. Still not as quick as a full-up but pretty close, especially if you don’t do long road trips often.
I'm thankful I live in a place with public transit. $75 (was $100) a month gets me everywhere I need to go. It's not a perfect solution (especially in light of the rising crime on Chicago public transit that the City is just starting to work on), but it gets the job done.
If you like densely populated areas, you are well situated for the future envisioned by AOC and her ilk. Just get your backyard hen house and garden plot ready.
Fortunately, I live in a city on a Great Lake. Should things get as bad as you fear, I've been learning how to sail and work on a boat, so I have a fallback plan of fishing should the need arise.
I just I hope I can learn to love the taste of carp.
I believe Lake Michigan has trout and walleye. I don't know of any freshwater fish better than walleye. Some of the Great Lakes have salmon which should be good.
That's a good omen for me, then. I had carp on the brain as the Asian variety has a lot of folks worried for when it finally manages to invade Lake Michigan. I'm assuming that will happen before the AOCpalypse.
The sailboat is for getting me (a fellow who grew up in a land-locked state) used to being on the water and all that entails. I doubt I'd do much fishing in a sail boat, but it's at least teaching me enough skills that make me a more attractive candidate to staff the fishing boats during the AOCpalypse. I can swab a mean deck. :-)
What a useless comment. We get it: you don't like urban areas and liberals. What does that have to do with the use of public transit (where available and viable) to reduce gas usage?
Having lived a similar amount of time in both rural (Northeastern New Mexico) and urban areas (Chicago), I can confidently state that rural folks seem more preoccupied with urban folks than the inverse. You learn to file it in same bin as the "those damn folks from California that moved here are ruining everything".
Could be although I've lived fifty years in urban areas and not just in the southeast. I don't mind if you think I'm in the cohort that believes liberals are an invasive species.
The green new deal crowd want population density. Their theory is it is energy efficient which is true to a certain extent. They do not consider or understand the value of rural areas or the impact of their preferred policies. At some population point cities turn into what we see in Chicago or San Franciso. Plenty of well-to-do citizens, a lot of lower income citizens, a lot of criminals and parasites and a bloated city government to make sure the favored politicians get the votes.
Two of my workmates and friends live in the same residential area as me, so we decided to carpool to work(It's 40 minutes one way from home). We rotate taking turns driving by the day. Since most of my gas consumption comes from commuting to work and back, carpooling with colleagues has proven to be helpful in mitigating these increased prices at the pump.
I am going to do a full write up on my Kia EV6 and what it’s like to drive a (non-Tesla) electric. But for now I feel it would be helpful here to comment.
EVs have mileage just like gas cars. Except you get immediate feedback on driving 80mph by watching the range number shrink before your eyes. The only time I’ve ever been able to see the gas gauge move on a regular car is back in the say driving my stepdad’s Pontiac Grand Prix with its 454 4-barrel. Press the pedal on that baby and watch the needle move. (Jay can attest to this.)
EVs also react to using the AC, bad aerodynamics and driving conditions and show you how those reduce range (mileage). You don’t see it in a gas car, because you only watch the gauge. Idling in an EV, not such a drain because, well, there’s no engine to run (just accessories).
I’d have to say driving an EV (and a PHEV before that for 3 years) has made me a more mileage aware and probably better fuel economy driver. Instead of fuel price anxiety I get range anxiety. The only difference is more immediate feedback versus the checking account balance.
I'm interested to read some real world experiences from people who own these EVs, so I'm looking forward to your write up.
My concern is that an EV as an only car would turn a 900-mile drive into a three-day (or maybe four-day) trip. Otherwise, they should be great for urban commuting and running errands. Not sure they are of much use as an only car in sparsely populated areas.
My experience is 900 miles is a cake walk unless it’s 900 miles through places with few superchargers. Tesla has done an extremely good job building it’s network, but Tesla superchargers only charge Teslas. The Kia EV6, along with a few other models (NOT Ford), can use 800VDC high amperage chargers. These vary in location and capability. As far as that goes, America being a big country, we are not “there” yet driving 900 miles without careful planning for contingencies and some range anxiety.
My EV6 charged from 15%-80% in ~15 min at a supercharger based at a Walmart. You go in the store and when you come out it’s done. Using the lower kW Georgia Power superchargers (there is 1 ONE in Metter nestled by 8 Tesla superchargers at the same gas station), it takes a little longer but a bathroom and drink break will get another 50 miles easy.
900 miles (one way) means 5 or 6 charging stops of varying length but should not be over 15 min. If you hope to travel that far in a single day, good luck, I wouldn’t do it in a gas car at my age! 600 miles in a day is a more proper driving day for me.
But let’s say it’s an overnight trip. If you find a stopping over place with a supercharger nearby or a motel with a level 2 charger (many have them free) you’re good to go overnight. You’ll make 2 or 3 stops per leg and they’ll be short. Plan them while you eat or bathroom breaks and it’s not much different than a gas car road trip.
This is one reason why current EVs are in the upper 50k more luxury range because they all need advanced connectivity and infotainment to handle the planning and contingencies of finding charging stations. When the chargers become as ubiquitous as gas stations and all EV models can charge on all chargers with fast charging, this requirement will be unnecessary.
While the US is light years further along toward this than 5 or 6 years ago, we are not there yet. Another 5 or 6 years and I think at this pace we will be.
Or better yet: a system like NIO's battery swap - 5 minutes to drop the old battery and attach a new one. https://youtu.be/OBVsPZm5IGU
Thanks. I picked 900 miles because it's absolutely the max I could drive in two days. I would normally take two days to drive from NE Georgia to Sarasota and it's way less than 900 miles. Wonder how long the charger wait lines would be along I-75.
I use 2 apps, Electrify America (many superchargers) & ChargePoint (hit & miss). There are a lot of chargers on both between Atlanta and Sarasota on I-75.
Also I never had to wait even once at a charger.
That’s been a concern for me as well, but my understanding is that some of the public chargers work very rapidly. I think you can get a pretty full charge in an hour or so from some of them. Still not as quick as a full-up but pretty close, especially if you don’t do long road trips often.
I'm thankful I live in a place with public transit. $75 (was $100) a month gets me everywhere I need to go. It's not a perfect solution (especially in light of the rising crime on Chicago public transit that the City is just starting to work on), but it gets the job done.
If you like densely populated areas, you are well situated for the future envisioned by AOC and her ilk. Just get your backyard hen house and garden plot ready.
Fortunately, I live in a city on a Great Lake. Should things get as bad as you fear, I've been learning how to sail and work on a boat, so I have a fallback plan of fishing should the need arise.
I just I hope I can learn to love the taste of carp.
I believe Lake Michigan has trout and walleye. I don't know of any freshwater fish better than walleye. Some of the Great Lakes have salmon which should be good.
That's a good omen for me, then. I had carp on the brain as the Asian variety has a lot of folks worried for when it finally manages to invade Lake Michigan. I'm assuming that will happen before the AOCpalypse.
Finding the right species using a sailboat might be difficult. Lake Michigan is almost half the size of Georgia.
The sailboat is for getting me (a fellow who grew up in a land-locked state) used to being on the water and all that entails. I doubt I'd do much fishing in a sail boat, but it's at least teaching me enough skills that make me a more attractive candidate to staff the fishing boats during the AOCpalypse. I can swab a mean deck. :-)
What a useless comment. We get it: you don't like urban areas and liberals. What does that have to do with the use of public transit (where available and viable) to reduce gas usage?
Having lived a similar amount of time in both rural (Northeastern New Mexico) and urban areas (Chicago), I can confidently state that rural folks seem more preoccupied with urban folks than the inverse. You learn to file it in same bin as the "those damn folks from California that moved here are ruining everything".
Could be although I've lived fifty years in urban areas and not just in the southeast. I don't mind if you think I'm in the cohort that believes liberals are an invasive species.
It doesn't bother me one bit. :-)
Humans have been gathering into cities since the dawn of creation. I think you give AOC and "her ilk" far more credit than they deserve.
The green new deal crowd want population density. Their theory is it is energy efficient which is true to a certain extent. They do not consider or understand the value of rural areas or the impact of their preferred policies. At some population point cities turn into what we see in Chicago or San Franciso. Plenty of well-to-do citizens, a lot of lower income citizens, a lot of criminals and parasites and a bloated city government to make sure the favored politicians get the votes.
Two of my workmates and friends live in the same residential area as me, so we decided to carpool to work(It's 40 minutes one way from home). We rotate taking turns driving by the day. Since most of my gas consumption comes from commuting to work and back, carpooling with colleagues has proven to be helpful in mitigating these increased prices at the pump.