Study Says 98% Of EV Vehicles Currently Have The Range Consumers Need For Daily Use

For the folks who start with declaring "I'm getting a plug-in hybrid; let's see what's the best fit for me", this article is good support.

For people who start with "I'm choosing the vehicle I like most, and then let's see if it's available in a plug-in hybrid variant," then that's an entirely different story. I'm in this second category. I'm just not inspired enough by the "total package" offered by today's plug-in hybrid shining stars.

It appears that they are NOT talking Hybrids (Most of them do not have anything near a 100 mile electric only range) - but Plug in ONLY Electric Vehicles without a gas back-up - and there is indeed a problem - it is one of perception as well as reality.

1 - Most people are not comfortable driving on a nearly empty tank of gas - and that could mean that a lot of people are uncomfortable driving on a nearly used up electrical charge. WHile most rides may be less than 100 miles - few EVs actually get a 200 mile range for both ways - BUT - in addition - most will not be comfortable coming that close to no charge at the end of the ride. In certain areas - the distance may not even be the trouble - it is really easy to spend a couple of hours in traffic in New York City and use up your charge whie not moving much.

2. And then = how do you get home? (and get the car home too) if you use up more of the charge than you expected - The problem is there is no back-up plan - you cannot just stop at the nearest gas station and fill up (I assume eventually - gas stations will also offer charging) yet.

3 - WHat happens if you forget to charge your car overnight? With the gas car - I can leave a few minutes earlier and fill up - can't do that with a full electric car.

I believe that there will eventually have to be a replaceable battery pack that could be swapped out before Electric Cars will be accepted fully.

@TomM: " it is really easy to spend a couple of hours in traffic in New York City and use up your charge whie not moving much." you are talking out of your exhaust pipe - you clearly don't have real world experience with an EV. When it is not moving the EV only spends energy running the HVAC and on board electronics which does not significantly affect the range. 10% hit is what I get for spending 1 hr in traffic. Driving at 70MPH for 15 minutes can do worse for the range than 1 hr in traffic. The beauty of an EV is the privilege to drive solo in HOV lane which will reduce your commute time by a large margin and would prevent getting stucked in traffic in the first place.

HENRYN - They may have HOV lanes in California - not so often in NYC. You are correct - My experience is with a Hybrid vehicle that does have a gas engine - because I do put a LOT of mileage on my vehicle- far more than 100 miles per day - and with a range of about 25 miles on electric alone - I would never get anywhere.

A 10% hit for a car with a 200 mile range would be 20 miles - and if I need the full range for the trip both ways - I will end up 20 miles from home - but then even 2 miles from home would not be acceptable to me - again - because there is no easy way to get the car home once it is dead. So - even an hour in traffic might end with a tow truck - and even more time lost. And add in that weather conditions also affects your range in the winter.

My point however - was that MOST people - me included - are simply not comfortable planning a trip using a vehicle that may be that close to not having enough charge to move. So - I might consider an EV for 3/4 of its REAL range - but probably not more than that. I would want to leave some room for error - since as I noted - traffic is not predictable in the NYC area - as well as other areas too. AND while I might allow 3/4 of the range - others will not even allow that much. ALL you need it to get stuck once - and the loss in time as well as money will not be worth it to you. And that also means that I cannot use the EV for longer trips. I would have to either have another car or rent one - for longer trips. While I can afford that easily - others simply cannot consider that because they don't have the money.

So - for people who want to have a car that can cover ALL Of their potential trips - an EV is simply not an option today. Until there is a way to add "range" (By maybe swapping battery packs along the way - a "quick" partial charge will still take time) - an EV might be a good commuter car - where there are charging stations at your intermediate destinations - but there is no such infrastructure in the USA today.

And for SanJoseDriver - sorry but for some of us - we actually do enjoy driving long distances - I have driven from NYC to Florida and back every year for the last 40 years - straight through - it is only about 1100 miles between the two houses. AND no EV today has such a range nor is likely to do so. Without Battery swaps - it is not doable without the loss of time. Even an hour stop will not give enough additional charge to be worthwhile. That leaves Hybrids - or real gas engine cars - and I really do not like driving the Hybrid long distances either. THey are simply NO FUN to drive. And since you regularly post here - you know that most people here do not consider a car to JUST be an appliance that takes you from one place to another.

I have the smallest battery Tesla ever offered, 40kWh no supercharging. That translates to ~130-140 miles of range and I have never had range anxiety driving all around the Bay Area.

That being said, I don't enjoy long road trips and would rather fly to LA than drive there. 140 miles is borderline overkill if you don't do long-distance travel. For all car travel including long distance, 200+ miles of and fast changing is all the overwhelming majority of people would need. Battery-swapping will never be a thing, there is no need and it is not worth the infrastructure costs. If you are driving 4+ hours hours, you are going to stop at least once to grab a bite to eat and use the restroom.

Almost all of the next gen electric cars from all manufacturers will have 200+ miles of range. Tesla is already at 300 miles and the Model 3 will start at 215 miles and go up from there. Range anxiety is like Y2K, all hype.

Range anxiety is NOT like Y2K, but what is 100% hype is that electric cars are viable.

I could not drive from here to South Coast and back in a Tesla and be certain that I would make it home. But you say, just hook it to a charging station once I'm there. OK. Now I have no transportation.

EV's are OK for around town, but not yet viable as full replacements to real cars.