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by unit91 3187 days ago
I don't see how this can work in anything but a commuter-centric car. Want to drive from LA to SF or from Austin to Tulsa? Too bad. Want to drive an electric, loaded pickup from Austin to Dallas? Also not going to happen.

Unless they make some significant technological strides, nations larger than Norway are going to take a serious economic hit.

4 comments

According to the article, GM is also investing in fuel cells.

They also aren't converting to all electric right now, they're rolling out some new electric models and are planning to eventually stop building gas-burning cars. If that doesn't happen for another ten or twenty years, we can probably expect some significant improvements in battery capacity per unit of mass and cost in that time.

According to Google maps, Austin to Dallas is 195 miles, LA to SF is 382 miles, and Austin to Tulsa is 454 miles.

~200 mile road trips are possible now with current technology. There aren't any electric pickups on the market as far as I know, but it should be possible (though expensive) with current technology for an electric truck to make the trip if it had a battery that's sized appropriately for that kind of use.

~400 mile road trips are a bit too far for a single battery charge at highway speeds without some kind of new technology or a vehicle that's optimized for range over other concerns, but I wouldn't want be driving that long without a break anyways. I expect if there's a market for that kind of vehicle, someone will build it eventually.

Have you seen Tesla's Superchargers [1]? Or a Model X hauling cross country?

[1] https://www.tesla.com/supercharger

[2] http://www.teslarati.com/tesla-model-x-hauling-freight-ca-hi...

I plotted this out (PlugShare app) and with DC fast chargers or Superchargers it's totally doable (would hate to do it with just 6.6W L2s).

And that's the great part. Things are improving, and the rate of improvement is quickening too.

Though I don't own a Tesla, they're to be commended for bringing long-range EV travel to reality.

You've heard of Tesla right?