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Comment by Yhippa | Hacker News Reader

I was very close to buying an EV this summer but ended up not getting it. It felt like I could get an equivalent ICE car for about $20K cheaper.

I did a lot of research about EV charging and the more I read the more I felt I didn't understand how it would practically work. I make a long trip every month or so and it sounds like the EV charging network isn't quite to where the point where it's as easy, quick, and cost efficient as filling up gas in an ICE car.

I think I'm going to wait for another 8-10 years for the kinks and range to be worked out. PHEV or Hybrid for me until then.

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If you get a Tesla it is solved now. The charging is seamless and reliable pretty much everywhere except the very most out of the way places. All the rest though that can't yet use Tesla's charging network I would agree total trash if you want to do a long trip and need charging. This should change in ~2 years when manufactures start making more EVs that are compatible with NACS (aka Tesla's super charger network)

This is going to sound like a real dumb reason to avoid a Tesla but it disappoints me that they don't have Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. I tried them in rental cars over the past year and now that's a must-have in my next car.

Agree - I will not buy a car without CarPlay no matter what other benefits it may offer.

I have the same feeling.

Also, a number of domestic mfrs are switching over the the Tesla charging plug, some as soon as the '24 year models. Don't know what the arrangements for using the network will look like though.

> If you get a Tesla it is solved now. The charging is seamless and reliable pretty much everywhere except the very most out of the way places

There are still places that aren't out of the way but lack Tesla network chargers.

I'm on the other side of Puget Sound from Seattle, and Tesla's charger map shows nothing over here [1]. The nearest Tesla network chargers are in Seattle. Getting there and back is almost $30 in ferry fares, plus 1 to 2 hours on the ferry (depending on which ferry route you take). There is also one in Tacoma, which is about 90 minutes round trip plus a Tacoma Narrows bridge toll.

[1] https://www.tesla.com/findus?v=2&bounds=47.94252518054602%2C...

If you have a house, or apartment with access to a L1 or L2 charger, charging at home should cover 100% of your local trips and any longer trips, you'll inevitably pass by a Tesla supercharger in Sequim, Forks, Seattle, Tacoma, Burlington, Cle Elum, etc.

The fuel savings are dramatic in Washington with our low-cost electricity and relatively high gasoline prices. For example, I pay $0.11/kWh and EVs get 3-4mi/kWh. so thats about 3 cents per mile travelled.

Assuming 30mpg and $4/gallon, that's 13 cents per mile travelled or more than 4 times the cost per mile. And there are plenty of ICE vehicles that get less than 30mpg and gasoline is often more expensive than $4/gallon

Indeed. Washington is the state where EVs have the most advantage. A while back I did a comparison between a Chevy Bolt EV and similar non-hybrid ICE cars. EV wins on energy costs per unit distance whenever G/E > 9.4, where G is the cost of gas in $/gal and E is the cost of electricity in $/kWh.

G/E is around 36 right now in Western Washington.

Even in the state with the lowest G/E, Hawaii, G/E > 11 so EV wins.

If you qualify for the tax credit in the U.S., a standard Model 3 is just under $30k. You simply cannot buy a comparable new ICE car for $10k.

> I did a lot of research about EV charging and the more I read the more I felt I didn't understand how it would practically work

You carry the gas station with you. From time to time you need to charge at a bigger gas station.

I'm fine with the capabilities and the charging side of things, it's the complete lack of (available) competitive PHEVs or full EVs.

They seem to be using it to tack $10-20k more, even before credits. $20k is quite a bit of gas.

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