DOJ probing Tesla’s EV range after reports of exaggerated numbers | Tesla has allegedly been canceling service appointments from customers who are discovering their vehicles are not getting as much…::Tesla disclosed that the Department of Justice is seeking information about the company’s vehicle range after reports alleged that the company was exaggerating its figures.
Honestly, I strongly feel that charging time is an important metric if you’re trying to displace ICE vehicles. Range, as long as you’re somewhere around 200-300 miles, is fine. On the highway my 4Runner gets about 300 a tank, my TLX gets about 500. In either case I’m lucky to go 180-200 before either someone has to pee, it’s lunch time, or I’m just tired and need to stretch. If I can charge up in ~15 min, while we’re all eating, stretching, using the restroom, etc, that’s perfectly acceptable and would easily replace my ICE vehicles. If it’s going to take an hour or more that really kills any sort of road trip. Especially around holidays when the chargers are going to be slammed. Think about the amount of pumps the average gas station has now and then realize that you’re talking 5x for 25min, if it’s an hour, 10+ times as long a stay at each one. That really changes the way we move in the US.
Sure day to day, this won’t matter. I’ll top off over night and be good to go for my commute. But no one’s going to buy one EV and one ICE/hybrid just to be able to visit family. They are WAY too expensive for that, and unfortunately, We don’t have the train/airline infrastructure here in the US for not doing that.
Thats just getting the charging network sorted as I can already charge my EV from 20 to 80% (or about 47kwh) in about 18 minutes at the right charger and faster charging EVs are already coming. My car doesn’t even have battery pre conditioning that would improve things further.
Charging to 100% on stops on a road trip is always a bad idea, you are always going to need A LOT longer to get that last 20% or so than the 60% of charge from 20 to 80% due to the way current batteries work.
It is almost always quicker on an ultra fast charger to charge twice to 80% than once to 100% and you get significantly more range doing so. Charging twice to 80% nets me 94kwh and charging once to 100% from 20% nets me 61.6kwh, and the former is usually minutes faster to do as well.
Big batteries don’t charge faster than small ones due to both being different amounts of smaller batteries, at the same time installing quick charging capabilities in domestic garages is complete overkill, over night is perfectly adequate.
There’s probably going to be a mix of services: Quick charge ones which just might be done before you’re done peeing and looking at sandwiches, where the operator wants you out of the booth as quick as possible so another can come in, and more relaxed road side diner like situations where an hour is perfectly acceptable (well, at least from an European POV), but there’s also going to be as many chargers as parking spots.
Yea, 300-400 miles would be okay imo. However it takes me five minutes to fill my Gass tank and in that time everyone could go and pee and we can be on the road again. Roght now it’s like 40 minutes for am 80% charge on these cars. Also every few miles there is a gas station. Who knows how long inhale to drove to get to a charger.
I think instead of ev tax credits that largely benefit the wealthy they should have spent that rebate money rolling out rv charging stations. To be honest I think we need at least a 2:1 ratio of ev chargers to current gas pumps and more likely a 4-1 ratio for this stuff to really take oft.