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Comment by pif | Hacker News Reader

I'm not going to buy an electric-only car until these issues have been solved:

1) range - when driving on a motorway, with regular pauses every ~2.5 hours, it must be possible to drive two periods without charging: 5 hours at regime speed, plus some slack, means 700 km.

2) comfort - range must be long enough that manufacturers do not need to focus too much on aerodymanics vs internal space; the correct outline is: horizontal, very steep, horizontal; an arc like a Prius is an abomination.

3) predictable battery life span - I'm not advocating for a huge life span, I understand there are limits, but I want to know in advance how the range evolves as my car ages. ICE vehicules are very clear on this point: range never changes.

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I think / hope / wishful think that in the near future, e.g. with solid state batteries, battery technology will take a quantum leap (like internet speeds did, as the article makes an analogy to) so that things like range and aerodynamics trade offs will no longer be a concern - to the point where they far exceed that of ICE's. That would be the real futurology / science fiction flex, a car that can go two, three, five times as far on a single charge than an ICE can.

And if on top of that self-driving capability improves, it could mean, especially with better comfort, people can do 8+ hour drives without having to stop.

It's not likely at the moment, but I'd be willing to put money on it being the case in 10-20 years.

Of course, I could be vastly underestimating the possibilities, like with e.g. smartphones that are far more advanced than the best things we see in science fiction.

The percentage of the global population that has ever driven 140km/h (87mph) as an average speed for five hours continuously is tiny. Fine if that’s your use-case but it is a vanishingly small niche.

That's not what I wrote.

I don't want to be bothered every time I stop.

I don't think for most people the idea of plugging in and stopping for 20 minutes rather than 10 minutes is a big deal. And most people only do journeys like that a few times a year, if that.

One limitation is whether the charging stations are available where they'd otherwise want to stop.

1) We did a 3000km road trip in a Tesla. We only spent 15 minutes waiting for a charge to complete. All other time spent charging was overlapped with toileting, eating or sleeping.

2) Electric cars are the leaders internal space. The most obvious example is the frunk on the F150 lightning.

3) Every electric car with a battery thermal management system (aka pretty much every car except the Leaf) has outstanding battery life. Take a look at the battery warranty and realize that has to assume the owner has abused the battery, anybody who doesn't should do much better.

1) I don't want to be bothered every time I stop. Charge should be enough for 5 hours driving.

2) that is a nice example, but definitely not the norm.

3) the most important point is not longevity: it's predictability.

1) it takes about 5 seconds to plug the car in, and another 5 to unplug it. And the charger is often in a nice reserved spot, so you get that 5 seconds back because you have less distance to walk to the washroom.

2) It is very definitely the norm. Electric cars have more interior space than equivalent ICE cars.

3) Every EV except the Leaf has very predictable battery longevity.

1) you are assuming that I always stop at gas stations. I like the freedom, from time to time, to take a break in a parking area, with just a toilet and maybe some scenery. Or quitting the motorway to have my lunch in a local restaurant. I don't want to be bothered to look for a charge every 300 km.

2) I'm not talking about trunk: I'm talking especially about internal height.

3) nice to know, thank you.

Point taken. Our road trip was along Northern Ontario following Lake Superior. Every single stop was scenic. Most people aren't so lucky.

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