Clueless NYT reporter manages to get stranded in Model S

Toyota has the Rav4 EV out now for sale and lease in CA and NY but you can buy it and ship to anywhere. Of course maintenance would be different should an EV specific issue come up but other than the drivetrain it looks like a gas Rav4.

 

if spinnaker87 considers Tesla a fail, then you should probably mention that the Rav4 EV's drive train is from Tesla rather than Toyota.

Numerous articles have indicated that Toyota is not going to pursue an EV and are placing their bet on Fuel Cells instead. That may also be why they contracted with Tesla for their EV instead of hiring their own engineering staff.

 

Tesla owners will know how to find juice when needed and drive the car to meet there needs. Tesla will also build out there free network in due time.

Maybe it's me but a Tesla to me is a commuter car close to home. Drive it to work, out for errands, dinner, shopping and to a friends house. I would not take a Multi state trip in one but take the Hybrid for that trip.

 

NYT reporter said - "I drove, slowly, to Stonington, Conn., for dinner and spent the night in Groton..."

Question: where is this level 2 charger in Groton? At his motel or hotel? Is it at a gas station or restaurant a couple miles down the road? Should he be expected to 'hang out' for a couple hours while the darn car gets some charge?

I've been thinking about charging a bit. I wouldn't expect anyone to 'hang out' for an hour or two while the car charges.
If this is the expectation, going to the gas station will seem like a picnic compared to EV charging.

I think EV charging eventually needs to be possible at your destination, whether that is a hotel, relatives house, shopping center, work, ... anywhere one is planning to go and be doing something constructive or spending time with family, etc...

and I think it's going to be tricky to not hog charging spaces if you plug in the car at a hotel and go off to bed. It might be on charger all night when it only needed 4 hours. If plenty of plugs, fine, but if someone pulls in at 2am in EV and spots are taken, they're hosed.

 

The biggest problem I see is that batteries don't work well in cold weather - particularly freezing weather as that driver faced. This writer lost a significant amount of the battery's power despite a full charge because of freezing temperatures.

With an electric vehicle, using the batteries to warm up the car interior so that you don't have to freeze during the ride uses up a lot of electricity. It is astounding that you have to keep near freezing temperatures within the Tesla in the winter. No gas or hybrid vehicle would force you to freeze your butt - but Teslas do. Otherwise you risk running out of electricity before you get to your destination.

This article drives home the point that electric vehicles - even the Tesla - are for local driving only.

Hybrids and clean diesels - with REAL winter driving ranges of over 500 miles - are so much more convenient and practical.

 

Given how:
1. cold weather can zap half of the battery's power and
2. you need additional electricity to warm the car interior to reasonable (not freezing) temperatures and use other gadgets - such as power the GPS, radio, your cell phone, and other basics etc.,
then yes, battery technology has to significantly improve for electric vehicles to become practical in daily, year-round use.

With these requirements, you probably need an EV that has enough stored power to drive 10 hours a day while using the air-conditioner or heater and other interior gadgets. Otherwise, a Ford Focus or other high-efficiency gas engine car would do better than an EV.

 

No such think as a Clean Diesel. That is a Oxymoron.

Diesel is a Man made CO2 offender on a grand scale.

Agree Tesla is a local luxury car.

 

Bingo.

And I would like to again correct that actor Ed Begley Jrs. comment that 'not everyone can use an EV, no, only 95% of drivers can use an EV'.

I would rephrase that to - 'Of those who can plug in an EV at home to charge (assuming they can afford one), and the EV fits within their typical daily driving range, they can use the EV 95% (or 9x%) of the time.

But, there is a percentage of drivers who cannot feasibly plug in a car overnight, and I guarantee you that percentage is wayyy over 5%.

 

Ok, let's break this down and examine it. It sounds easy, but is it that easy?

1) The reporter stayed at some motel or hotel in Groton Conn.

2) Is there actually any 110V, 240V, L2 ... available at that motel or hotel?

2a) Would that outlet suffice for charging? Does it need to be dedicated, not shared circuit, rated at 20A minimum (for 110V)?

3) Would he have been able to park close enough to access the outlet?

4) Would the hotel allow him to plug in?

5) Would he have needed or had an extension cord to plug in?

6) If he was able to plug in, would it have worked and not tripped a breaker?

7) Would there be a risk involved in leaving the expensive Tesla mobile charging cord outside during the night, plugged into the car?



8) Pic'd above is the mobile charging cord laying behind Model S. I heard it is 18 ft long. Have to use it even for 110V charging. How much are those Tesla mobile charging cords? There is a risk of theft when it's sticking out of your charge port, outside, at night. I heard it locks into place, but, hate the thought, will thieves go for these with cable cutter to make a few $$?

Are the charge cords loaded with copper wire?

btw, I heard the Prius plug in cord costs $1,000.

 

Looking at plugshare.com there is a public charging station in Groton about a block away from the Flagship Inn. My son leaves the Volt parked overnight at public charging stations all the time. He leaves a sign on the dash explaining the charging light on the dash and gives permission to unplug if someone needs the station.

Most hotels will let you plug in to a 110V outlet if you ask while making the reservation. It is pretty easy to secure the cord if you are worried about it. The easiest is to just roll a tire over the cord but I would not recommend it as a regular practice. I use a bicycle lock.

 

Yes there are. It's that easy, as easy as finding an electrical outlet.

The reporter was a moron.

 

Gonna press you on this one. You're saying the reporter for sure could have parked well within 18 ft of an electrical outlet? I doubt he had an extension cord with him.

Not sure I would put my Model S mobile charge cord outside overnight, would you? Like said before the Prius Plug-in mobile cord costs ...

$1,000

for John Hatchett, what kind of bicycle lock can secure a charge cord?

 

My mom can't use an iPad either. I wonder if the laptop she uses will go the way of the dodo bird or the tablet. It's new. People will adapt.

BTW, Toyota came out out with a fully functional EVs 15 years ago. It's still available. It's called the Rav4 EV

 

Alright cycledrum, lets tackle your points.
1) reporter stayed at some motel or hotel
2) do motels have gas stations?
3) will there be gas in the motel gas station? Is there more that one 1 nozzle? Can they be shared?
4) does he have money to pay the hotel let him get gas at the motel gas station?
5) are the gas hoses long enough? If they're not, are there such things as gasoline extension cords?
6) if the hotel lets him get gas, will he spill any?
7) is there any risk getting gas at night?
8) people get robbed at night at gas stations. Will his wallet be in danger?
Is the gasoline loaded with lead?

You can see I'm being sarcastic. If the reporter drove a regular car he would know to get gas before setting off the next morning. Likewise, if I drove an EV long distance, I would charge overnight. If the hotel doesn't allow it, I would go to a charging station. I would not sit in the car with the heater on. It, obviously, uses up electricity. Heck, it uses up gas as well if it was a regular car.

 

You do realize requirements are the buyer's motivation. As entertaining as alternates might be, in reality, the one with the 'gold' calls the tunes.

That corresponds to the two longest distances I've driven in a 24 hour period. I drove to North Carolina and back to pickup a traction battery. A second trip was to South Carolina and back to pickup a failed traction battery.

Most of my long drives have been about 600-750 miles on the first day arriving around midnight to 2:00 AM with a meeting the second day. On a rapid return, I typically take a nap and attend the meeting. Then late on the meeting day, I start driving home. Usually I find an inexpensive motel room about half-way home and take nap to be on the road again at sun rise and home at noon on the third day.

Other trips have included a couple of days at the destination so I just drive straight through to return home.

Nashville is about 120 miles away and typically a "day trip". We do that run usually two or three times per year.

Car rental, not really. If I'm flying somewhere, of course. But our $18-24,000 cars are expected to be at our beck and call . . . to meet our travel requirements.

Now around town, an electric motorcycle makes sense as more than an hour is pretty rough and the limited EV range is not a problem. They run in the $1-2,000 range and that makes some sense. But paying an order of magnitude more for EV limited range and the longer recharge/refueling time doesn't.

So let's look at the operational costs:

• 750 miles by plane -> 1 hr to airport; $300 for 2 hr flight; 0.5 hr destination airport; rental car to $125/day room; $25/day rental car; 1 hr to airport; 2 hr flight; 30 min destination airport, and; $15/day parking. Out of pocket, $315 travel with $150/day destination charges with 7 hours travel time. Luggage is what a single person can carry and pass through security.
• 750 miles by Prius -> 14 hours; $50 gas, and $20 food; $125/day room. Out of pocket, $140 with $125/day destination charges and 28 hours travel time . . . window seat, big window, with leg room. Luggage is measured in the hundred weight and no security checks for the fishing tackle and tool box.

Bob Wilson

 

Nonsense. Plenty of folks use BEVs w/FAR less range than the 85 kwh Tesla Model S as their daily drivers. They just don't take them on long road trips. (Well, it's possible, but just rather time consuming. Tony Williams drove his Leaf from Mexico to Canada. See My Nissan Leaf Forum • View topic - Mexico to Canada via Electric Highway June 12-20, 2012. Some Leafers helped him drive his car back the other way, back down to San Diego.)

The 85 kwh Model S has an EPA rating of 265 miles on a charge vs. 73 miles on a '11-'12 Leaf. Electric Vehicles: Compare Side-by-Side lists the ranges of other EVs (under Miles on a Charge).

Our own DaveinOlyWA is past 26K miles on his Leaf now. He unfortunately no longer has a Prius after it was recently totaled in an accident.

11 Months, 36,000 Miles In A Nissan Leaf Electric Car? No Problem is well past 36K miles, however there is the issue of Nissan being unwilling to let him buy a new battery to replace his degraded one (a whole other story). This person is probably the most extreme example though. My Nissan Leaf Forum • View topic - 20,000 miles has some other high mileage folks.

As for whether or not Tesla the company itself will fail, that remains to me be seen. They still haven't turned a profit yet. One can only lose money for so long.

 

Who cares if there's a gas station at the motel. I can dump an easy 450 miles of driving near 70 mph in my Prius in about 2 minutes at the pump.

To see more than you or I know (much more) about long distance EV travel, link to this -

How to plan a road trip - how long will it take?

And you might want to read some posts of new Model S owner venturing out on trips like from Davis CA to Long Beach.

A "scary" trip from Davis CA to Los Angeles...

 

Look around the next time. You'll see quite a few outdoor outlets. No different than checking the gas gauge and distance to gas stations.

The reporters excuse, that the range went down faster than actual miles traveled, was completely bogus as this happens in gas vehicles.

He knew he was running on empty and he had at least 10 hours of down time to get a charge.

He seemed to go out of his way to make it not work to create a "hot" story.