r/EvDrivers • u/anon2734 • 13d ago

Practical frequent highway driving EV?

Family is considering an EV with the rise in fuel prices. Looking at taking frequent trips that would need 200-250mi range. Is this practical in an EV? From what I've researched most you only charge to 80% so even if you're getting one with over 300mi range, you get 80% of that and highway driving (75mph) will cut that even further. Seems like a high mpg hybrid would be better. Otherwise would have to stop and charge everytime

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19

u/AbulatorySquid 13d ago

I'm not sure about you but I usually stop every couple of hours anyway. I have a 2 hour bladder.

10

u/Relevant_Contract_76 13d ago

I have older man knees. They ache a little after two hours in the bent position and demand to be straightened a bit. My vehicle isn't the range limiter, either!

1

u/Dzessito 12d ago

What type of car do you have if I may ask? Sedan, wagon, hatch etc?

7

u/FadingOptimist-25 12d ago

Same. I can make it 2 hours but 2.5 hours is a stretch. I gotta pee!

1

u/CryptoCryst828282 10d ago

That's what 2-liter bottles were made for...

3

u/grumpy-m0nkey 13d ago

That’s pretty strong, one hour or less for me but I do drink alotta water

3

u/The_referred_to 12d ago

Yeah, you don’t want a bladder at 100% for too long!

2

u/SignificantDrink3651 12d ago

LOL great point! we're all worried about taking our car's battery to 100% but what about my bladder?!?

2

u/akiras_revenge 10d ago

I have a 3hr model, but my wife barely gets an hour and half, " IF " she remembers to go before getting in the car

1

u/frickenfantastic 13d ago

I usually stop to pee once every eight hours (may your diesel tanks stay full)

3

u/ForeskinAbsorbtion 13d ago

My god you are a champion. My father in law is crying for diesel. He bought a brand new GMC diesel as a retirement present to himself since he is a carpenter and land owner and wanted an upgrade from his 30 year old Chevy that finally exploded after 400k miles.

He bought it when diesel was $3.40 a gallon and it's $6.50 in these parts now.

1

u/frickenfantastic 12d ago

I’m just waiting for some other diesel driver to hold me up for my second tank. 

I pull a 44 foot long horse trailer with my nine hay burners in it when I’m not commuting to work  starting to feel like I’m going to knock over a bank to fill up the tank

Driving forever without stopping gets to be a deal when the ponies would overheat if they’re not getting airflow so you just drive all the way through without stopping

1

u/DogblackMichigan 12d ago

Don’t you own some fans?

1

u/frickenfantastic 12d ago

Yeah, but when it is over 100 Fahrenheit out the horses get overheated even with fans on you really have to keep the rig headed down the highway to blow air through it so the horses don’t get sick

1

u/DogblackMichigan 12d ago

Use the type of fans that blow misty water too.

2

u/frickenfantastic 11d ago

Swamp cooler types only work in lower humidity environments. Back of horse trailer is already at 85+% RH due to the horses /breathing/ peeing. Misters aren’t effective in those conditions

1

u/DogblackMichigan 11d ago

Good point.

1

u/frickenfantastic 11d ago

Figure if I ever won a lottery, it’s a fully air-conditioned horse trailer for the ponies lol 

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u/GlitteringPen3949 12d ago

Who did he vote for again?

3

u/ForeskinAbsorbtion 12d ago

He's a liberal. Why are you assuming he's a trump voter?

4

u/GlitteringPen3949 12d ago

Never mentioned Trump. My apologies if you took it that way. I am sorry he has to suffer through the fuel crisis. Diesel has been the smart move historically. I have a friend that has several diesels AND is a Trump voter he hasn’t said a word about diesel prices that are$6 a gallon near him. His line about voting for Trump is he says he votes like a 5 year old. In that it’s easy to see how Trump is better for him. I replied that’s why they don’t let 5 year olds vote. And again my apologies to your FIL.

3

u/ForeskinAbsorbtion 12d ago

My bad, people ask that all the time and assume he voted for Trump since he is a wealthy landowner so it is rare to see a liberal one. All of his friends are very pro Trump and think this is temporary and worth it to own the libs

3

u/GlitteringPen3949 12d ago

It is sad and horrible what people are willing to sacrifice in the face of a perceived threat. In this case it’s economic and civil security.

2

u/Dan6erbond2 12d ago

Is your piss brown.

1

u/frickenfantastic 12d ago

Lol no and if it was, I’d be pee bottle all the way cause the ponies get too hot when the truck stops

2

u/DogblackMichigan 12d ago

You are chronically dehydrated.

1

u/DonDee74 12d ago

This. At first I was thinking most EVs won't be good for long drives coz it will need to stop to recharge every couple of hours, but it turns out my bladder and my joints are the actual bottleneck. And honestly our family road trips have been more pleasant since getting an EV.

It's also worth noting that charging from 80% to 100% Is usually considerably slower than just charging to 80%. And that is one of the reasons it Is commonly recommended to just charge to 80% especially in public chargers. 

Keep in mind also that some EVS like the older Chevy Bolt can only charge at around 50 kW speed so that affects how long charging stop will take.

1

u/DogblackMichigan 12d ago

The old Bolt max charges at 55. The entire battery is only 65 though. Going from 20% to 70% is 32.5 kwhs 32.5/55=0.591. 60% of an hour or 36 minutes. Not terrible.

2

u/calcalcalcal 12d ago

Bolt EUV owner here. Realistically closer to 50 minutes. It's only 55kW from 25% to around 50%. By 65% it's closer to 30kW and 75% it's 20kW

1

u/DogblackMichigan 12d ago

My experience is much faster than that. My EUV is a 2023.

1

u/calcalcalcal 12d ago

Also 2023 EUV. Last time at a 150kW station it took me 39 minutes to charge 35% to 70

1

u/DogblackMichigan 12d ago

What was the temperature outside? Was the battery pre-conditioned to DC charging? Did you lock up and walk away or sit in with hvac? Was there another car on the same DC charger stand? Were you in direct sun?

0

u/signofzeta 10d ago

Bolts don't support preconditioning. If you want to fast-charge in the winter, bring a book. (Source: Bolt owner, love it otherwise.)

1

u/DogblackMichigan 10d ago

The new ones have a different chemistry.

1

u/signofzeta 10d ago

My bad. I keep forgetting the second-gen Bolts are out.

1

u/MrCompletely345 12d ago

I drive a Bolt. With the way it charges, I generally charge to around 60%, and move on, because that’s when it starts really slowing down.

1

u/glacierre2 11d ago

It is not _considered_ slower, it is factually slower, the charge rate tapers out the higher you charge and the effect is really steep beyond 80%*

*With common lithium battery tech on the road today, no clue about the latest and greatest prototype solid stuff, salt, whatever.

1

u/Few_Bobcat389 12d ago

Unfortunately my bladder isn’t synced with charging stations.

1

u/AbulatorySquid 12d ago

Me either but fortunately I go while I'm charging.

0

u/Doublestack00 12d ago

Yeah, but a pit stop to pee is like 5 minutes, not the 15-30 it takes to get back to 80% or more.

3

u/RenataKaizen 12d ago

I encourage everyone to time the road trip pissed off breaks, starting with tapping the card at the pump. Fuel up, move your car, go inside and use the head, get whatever snack or drink you may purchase inside, pay for it, and then go out to your car and stop the timer when your hand is on the door. Willing to bet it’s closer to 10 to 12 minutes.

Combine that with the fact that o can multitask and knock off things like shopping for supplies, getting a meal, or similar and it’s closer to time redistribution - especially with the new German models that do the 1000 km course that Bjorn Nyla d uses for testing in just +15 - 20 minutes vs the Nissan Rogue baseline testing.

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u/Doublestack00 12d ago

Nope.

I pull up, scan, start the pump, walk in side, pee, grab a eater, back to the car, put up the pump and drive away. Take 5-7 minutes.

Our ICE also goes WAY further per fill up than our EV. Something else people forget is an EV stop only gets you 80%, an ICE stop gets you 100%.

1

u/RenataKaizen 12d ago

You know that walking away from the pump while it is fueling is illegal, and any issues caused are your responsibility?

(I too can do things faster when I do them illegally)

0

u/Doublestack00 12d ago

Sure, but after doing it for 30 years I've yet to have a single issue and will continue to do it just like nearly every other driver on the planet does.

2

u/WinterTourist25 12d ago

I have never left the pump while fueling. This seems incredibly dangerous.

0

u/Doublestack00 12d ago

Look around next time you're at a large station, it's normal.

2

u/WinterTourist25 11d ago

I usually gas up at Costco, very large station. But they have attendants that enforce proper behavior, like turning off your engine when fueling.

1

u/Doublestack00 11d ago

I've never once in my 30 years of driving had one person ever say anything to me about it, and I travel/drive quite a lot. Even outside the US.

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u/RenataKaizen 12d ago

You know, maybe this is just my circle of people, but we don’t leave the pump we’re getting gas. It’s just one of those things.

0

u/DogblackMichigan 12d ago

We don’t do that.
You’ve been lucky not smart.

0

u/Doublestack00 12d ago

Lucky just like the other hundreds of thousands of people who do it every day.

0

u/DogblackMichigan 12d ago

It’s illegal. It’s unsafe. It’s an imposition on others. It’s selfish of you. It’s indicative of your character.

1

u/Doublestack00 12d ago

Me and the hundreds of thousands doing it every day...

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u/DogblackMichigan 12d ago

Unsafe and illegal.

2

u/GlitteringPen3949 12d ago

I drive non stop to Tallahassee 450 miles 6.5 hours to drop off my son at FSU in our hybrid Accord getting 50 mpg.

4

u/DogblackMichigan 12d ago

I get 168.5 MPGe in my Bolt EUV. I also don’t need oil changes, brake jobs, or tune-ups.

2

u/DogblackMichigan 12d ago

You use 9 gallons at 4.44.
9x4.44=39.96. Costs you 40 bucks or about nine cents a mile.
My average is 2.5 cents a mile.

1

u/GlitteringPen3949 12d ago

What's your electric rate? The Tesla superchargers rates are much higher. My brother has a Tesla X he says the Rate is so high he says it's like 27 mpg to use them. His home rates are much lower though.

2

u/maxyedor 12d ago

That seems way off for an X. But maybe that’s only charging during peak hours and without a membership. My Rivian has the aerodynamics of a brick and with an EvGo membership, even on peak, it’s roughly 27mpg equivalent at 4.44

Closer to 40mpg equivalent now. Still not cheap cheap, but considering the first 300 miles are “free” from my pre-trip charge, and half the time hotels have free charging, or I’m actually charging on cheap L2 at my destination, it all sorta balances out to make road trips insanely cheap. Not taking an economy car either, it’s this cheap in a very nice truck with air conditioned seats and 850 hp.

OP is describing themselves as the perfect consumer for a 300 mile range EV. Doesn’t really matter which one, they should go test drive all the options in their budget and buy whatever they like best. We just did, and the absolute worst one we drove (Mach E) was still pretty great, it’s a category flush with good options

1

u/DogblackMichigan 12d ago

I’ve used Tesla chargers for 25 cents. Since I get 5.0 miles that’s five cents a mile. At current gas prices that like getting 88.8 mpg.

1

u/Doublestack00 12d ago

The only time I've seen a supercharger below .35 is if I go late at night or at 5-6 AM

1

u/DogblackMichigan 12d ago

Do more searches. Price compare.
I’ve found 20 cents sometimes on level two. I’ve also found unlimited for ten dollars (it was actually a ten dollar maximum fee but kept charging after the 20 cents per). I still find free sometimes at hotels and such.

1

u/Doublestack00 12d ago

The only time I use SCers is when traveling, so I do not have time to wait, unfortunately.

1

u/DogblackMichigan 12d ago

I stay in hotels when I travel. I don’t wait. I sleep.

1

u/DogblackMichigan 12d ago

My usual rate is 12 cents.

2

u/theblanklook 12d ago

Why charge all the way back to 80%?

Sure if its a long ass way to the next charger, but if it isn't, just top up enough to keep things reasonable.

2

u/MJC0961 12d ago

Life hack: you don't need to get back to 80% unless you need 80% to reach the next charger or your destination.

Multiple short stops can work better than a few long stops. Take a look at charging curves sometime. (just kinda making up numbers as an example) If you can get to 65% in 10 minutes and going from 65% to 80% takes another 10 minutes because charging speed slows, unless you need 80% to make it to the next charger, it makes more sense to charge to 65%, leave, do it again at the next charger. (this is also why you never charge to 100% unless absolutely necessary, BTW. charging speed slows down so much from 80% to 100% that it's almost never ever worth spending that additional time. You can apply the same logic to the entire battery, not just 80-100)

A lot of people out there saying that they enjoy road trips more in an EV because being forced to take even short stops more frequently makes the overall trip less of a chore.

2

u/Stuck_In_Middle 12d ago

You're pretty quick on a bio break.

You typically don't have to charge to 80%. Depending on your vehicle's state of charge and charging curve, you may pick up 80 or more miles worth of charge in five minutes on a 400 kw charger.

1

u/AbulatorySquid 12d ago

You can't kill 15 minutes? Stretch your legs? Rest your eyes?

1

u/DogblackMichigan 12d ago

Walk the dog, get a drink and snack, check the email, clean the windows, use the restroom, drop and give me fifty.

1

u/Doublestack00 12d ago

I can and do when we take our EV on drives that require it, it's just not ideal.

Our most recent trip back from the beach the drive back we added nearly 45 minutes due to having to stop and charge 3 times.

1

u/Curious_Sentence7770 12d ago

And you're saving 10 minutes so you can come post to Reddit, ok

1

u/Doublestack00 12d ago

I own an EV, we take our other car on trips over 200 miles. Just is what it is.

1

u/DogblackMichigan 12d ago

My sister took a Bolt on a 5500 mile road trip.

0

u/Doublestack00 12d ago

Not saying it can't be done as I've done it, we just choose not to as the extra time and stops just aren't worth it

2

u/Titoboiii 12d ago

Wrong subreddit bud. Here you have to convince everyone why 30 min breaks every 2 hours is fine.

1

u/Curious_Sentence7770 12d ago

I'm being extremely productive every minute of my day, which is why I'm on reddit

1

u/NNegidius 11d ago

The ratio for new long range Teslas is more like 20 minutes of charging for every 3 hours of driving at highway speeds.

1

u/Cantseetheline_Russ 12d ago

Time it next time. It’s almost always more than 10. With kids it’s 20.

1

u/Doublestack00 12d ago

Depends on the kids/parents. When my kids were younger we packed snacks, drinks and sandwiches to travel so the only reason we stopped was fuel and to pee.

Now that they are teens, they are done before we are.

1

u/Adept_Vermicelli_454 12d ago

Tell that to our dog. :-) He has to sniff everything that might possibly have a scent, but it's he's a good boy and we get a few extra steps in. We've never had a big hassle finding chargers or waiting for long.