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by chrisco255 1087 days ago
Yeah fair enough, before pay-at-the-pump and proliferation of 24HR gas stations and navigation systems, you definitely had to think about your range more, especially in rural areas. But most gas powered cars have at least 300 miles of range. My truck has 720 miles of range. And if you always fill up at half a tank, you'd be hard pressed to find a path to travel on in the U.S. in 2023 that doesn't hit multiple gas stations with 24 hour pump access.

It's also true that running out of gas doesn't require a tow. You just need roadside assistance to bring 5-10 gallons to get you back on the road in minutes.
2 comments
oniony 1087 days ago
To be fair, a lot of the roadside assistance companies can now charge your car.
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BluePen7 1085 days ago
Source? Even as an EV owner/enthusiast I find that a little hard to believe.

I find the idea of the portable power fascinating and have watched some YouTube videos on them, but it seems like a very expensive and niche thing so far. I've seen one company on YouTube that showed it off.

I wanted an EV since back when I lived in an apartment, wished there was some sort of big capacitor on wheels I could charge all day from a normal outlet that would then fast charge my car for a few minutes.

Most actual products seem to use batteries and cost thousands, and are for some unique scenario where you somehow can't just public charge. Still find them neat though.

I think they typically just tow you to a charging station, seems a lot easier/faster/cheaper given they already own tow trucks.

In my opinion the only cost effective battery to travel around with would be the one inside an existing EV, I just hope we get beyond household outlet speeds for V2L. Would be neat if a passing EV could rescue at 50kw or something fast.

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code_runner 1087 days ago
If you always fill up at half a tank you get pretty awful range
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kelnos 1087 days ago
GP meant that they avoid range anxiety by filling up (to 100%) when half the tank is remaining. That way if they get into a situation where they can't find a gas station nearby, they still have a half tank remaining to burn to find one.

Sure, you've effectively halved your normal-case range, but a refill of an ICE car is much less of a hit to your trip time than a recharge of an EV, and your best-case range (if you really need it) still remains the same.

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