Quote:
Originally Posted by casper
Interesting, that is a change in strategy. I was at an event in Victoria about two years ago put on by Tesla. At the time they explained that they were using the supper charger stations between cities trying to build out a network that support long distance travel.
I have not been in one of these, at the time they said something about how they wanted the charging stations to be "social" a place where Tesla owners could meet and chat while charging.
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I don't think it's a change in strategy at all. They've already built the in-between chargers at key strategic locations. Note also that the land that in-between chargers is considerably less expensive than land in cities.
There's been a lot of spirited conversation here.
I'll tell you my experience. I thought EV cars were a 'neat' idea but wasn't sold on the idea until I test drove a BMW i3. If you haven't done so, I highly recommend test driving one of these cars. They are wicked fun to drive. The dealership let me take it overnight and it was a joy to drive. It's ugly, though. The regenerative braking takes a while to get used to, but I'm sure Prius drivers are used to the feeling.
I decided to put a $1000 down payment on a Tesla. Why? I don't know, just mostly for the sake of doing it. As for it being a 2-year interest-free loan to Tesla... better to Tesla than rotting in a 0.5% interest rate savings account. The deposit is 100% refundable, in any case. It's really not a big deal. I suspect the first few Teslas will be high demand and have the ability to be resold at higher than they were purchased, in any case.
As for charging infrastructure needing to be built I'm not worried about it. I think it really requires a thinking change. When talking to the guy at the BMW dealership, he had a loaner for a few months. For what he did, he almost NEVER had range anxiety and never really ran into problems. He didn't have an EV charger at home, but he used the one at work. Even though the i3 range is a paltry 160km in comparison to the Model 3.
I think this is where you are going to find progress before strata units install en masse. It's a perk to have electric car charging stations.
As long as you have access to home charging, range matters little for day-to-day stuff. We're so used to filling up a tank and going for a week or two before filling up a tank that we think cars need 500km range. With an EV, the idea of 'going out' somewhere to get energy for your car is strange. You never have to fill up. You just need to plug in at home. You don't NEED fuel stations. Yes, for longer trips you do, but 95% of the average person's driving will be charged from home... at night. ( While we don't have cheaper rates YET in BC at night, I don't doubt that they're coming now that we have smart meters ).
Also remember that batteries charge to 80% really quickly. That's how they work ( and it's also why they don't overcharge and explode ). Tesla's charging station use a Tesla connector, but Elon has gone on record open sourcing the idea. One of the problems right now is a standard on fast charging and connectors. As I understand it, you wouldn't be able to safely plug any EV car into a Tesla Supercharging station.
Long-term reliability for electric cars are VERY good. Aside from the battery, which will lose range over time ( and perhaps need to be replaced ) the other parts last a LONG time. Compare our electric trolley buses to the diesel ones. Even though Diesel engines are tough, the electric trolleys last twice as long.
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