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Comment by j79 | Hacker News Reader

> Were not for the battery degradation ghost, people would be switching in droves already.

When you say people, are you referring to people who are in a position where they could buy an electric car, but have not yet?

I personally feel the vast majority of people have not switched because:

1) Cost

2) Options (we're a country that loves SUVs/Trucks)

3) Housing / Charging

Funny enough, I could probably afford an electric vehicle, but I have no way of charging that vehicle due to my housing situation.

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3 is huge, if you're a renter, why would you buy a car where you have no idea if you'll be able to charge it should you move. I'd also add on the fact that you still can't reasonably take road trips with an electric car in the same way you can with a traditional one.

Car rental is affordable and you aren't putting wear and tear on your daily driver. Win/win for long trips

I'm assuming you can't charge at you workplace either. In that case, it would be best to wait for a bit.

For a while, I was charging in the garage in my rental condo. They had a normal 110v power socket. Would take forever to charge from zero, but it was more than enough to offset a 25 mile commute each way(at around 4 miles/h)

Cost is still an issue, indeed.

> "25 mile commute each way(at around 4 miles/h)"

That'd be 12h/day commuting, innit?

The 4 mph refers to "4 miles of additional range per hour charging".

That makes much more sense. ;)

Also range, especially in winter. I have to drive about 180 miles every couple of weeks, and have another trip for a vacation that is about 580 miles (and no, flying would be impractical), which I usually do in one shot or with a single overnight.

There are very few electric cars on the market that make the 180 mile trip without a long charging stop on the way in good weather, the Tesla and the Bolt are the only that I know of (though it has been a while since I've checked), and I'm not sure how I'd trust them for that rage in sub-zero temperatures.

And the longer trip would probably require at least two or three charges. While it requires stopping for gas in a gasoline car, that's a 5 minute stop, not the 30 minutes to an hour for even a fast-charge to 80% you get on an EV.

3 is huge. I’d love an electric for our 2nd car. We own a house, but it’s a townhouse with on-street parking. Unless the neighborhood installs communal chargers, I have no way to charge an EV. I walk to work, so charging there isn’t feasible (and the chargers there are pricey).

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