A 9-hour drive in Toyota's new electric SUV showed me how brutal EV road trips can be with the wrong

[mystery-ak]

A 9-hour drive in Toyota's new electric SUV showed me how brutal EV road trips can be with the wrong car
Story by tlevin@insider.com (Tim Levin)


    I drove the new Toyota bZ4X electric SUV from New York to Washington DC, and back.
    The nine-hour drive involved three hours of charging.
    I learned the hard way that sometimes you need to choose between staying warm and maximizing range.

Electric cars are quick, quiet, and kind to the planet, but limited range and lengthy charging times mean road trips aren't exactly their strong suit.

That's what I learned when I took Toyota's new bZ4X SUV from New York to Washington D.C. one weekend in early April. The 500-mile journey wasn't some epic coast-to-coast adventure, but rather the kind of long-haul drive someone might casually take a few times per year and not think twice about — if they're behind the wheel of a regular gas car.

In a battery-powered vehicle, though, things aren't always that simple.

Charging can take a frustratingly long time

more
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/a-9-hour-drive-in-toyota-s-new-electric-suv-showed-me-how-brutal-ev-road-trips-can-be-with-the-wrong-car/ar-AA19TChB?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=97c984c6017c4867a0999b7fa78bf6a9&ei=41

[Kamaji]

This is what a beta cuck sounds like:

But the electric future seems inevitable at this point, so we might as well learn to live with it.

[roamer_1]

This is what a beta cuck sounds like:

Heh... That's right... Try living with it on a 6% grade at -30

 

[Fishrrman]

Kinda surprised that msn put this piece up...

[GtHawk]

I quit reading at Electric cars are quick, quiet, and kind to the planet, anyone that thinks EV's are kind to the planet is an ignorant Gaia worshiper in my book.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

If you could quickly switch out EV batteries, it wouldn't be an issue, frankly it might be easier than a gasoline car (just throw more batteries at it if you're planning a trip). But as that's not the case, i would say pass on EV for now.

[roamer_1]

If you could quickly switch out EV batteries, it wouldn't be an issue, frankly it might be easier than a gasoline car (just throw more batteries at it if you're planning a trip). But as that's not the case, i would say pass on EV for now.

Right. A universal cartridge style battery that is easily switched out for a charged one... Then instead of charging stations, gas stations could expand into battery stations, swapping them out in 10 minutes and charging the low cell at their leisure.

That might could be a thing... And carry an extra when on the road to be sure you can get between stations.

[Kamaji]

Right. A universal cartridge style battery that is easily switched out for a charged one... Then instead of charging stations, gas stations could expand into battery stations, swapping them out in 10 minutes and charging the low cell at their leisure.

That might could be a thing... And carry an extra when on the road to be sure you can get between stations.

It would also solve the replacement problem when the batteries wear out.

[mystery-ak]

Right. A universal cartridge style battery that is easily switched out for a charged one... Then instead of charging stations, gas stations could expand into battery stations, swapping them out in 10 minutes and charging the low cell at their leisure.

That might could be a thing... And carry an extra when on the road to be sure you can get between stations.

You ought to send your idea to Musk...

[roamer_1]

You ought to send your idea to Musk...

It ain't much of an idea... Just common sense. 

[Smokin Joe]

It ain't much of an idea... Just common sense. 

If we can do it with flashlights and just about any other gadget (even backup power cells for phones), why not cars?  Kinda like having a service tank in your pickup.

[roamer_1]

If we can do it with flashlights and just about any other gadget (even backup power cells for phones), why not cars?  Kinda like having a service tank in your pickup.

Yeah, but getting all the car makers to go along and give up the battery design would be like pulling teeth. Just like cordless tools, they all have their own way. How nice would it be to have universal batts in them?

[Smokin Joe]

Yeah, but getting all the car makers to go along and give up the battery design would be like pulling teeth. Just like cordless tools, they all have their own way. How nice would it be to have universal batts in them?

Yeah, the tool batts are expensive. Makes me glad I bought extras when I bought the tools. But Now I'm a De Walt 20 Volt guy...

[roamer_1]

Yeah, the tool batts are expensive. Makes me glad I bought extras when I bought the tools. But Now I'm a De Walt 20 Volt guy...

I am fully Ryobi now, and happy with it. For a while I was mostly Makita, with Craftsman, and Dewalt too... Battery hell.

Now it's all Ryobi... Though I am courting Milwaukee for out in the shop. Not quite... But leaning there.

[Smokin Joe]

I am fully Ryobi now, and happy with it. For a while I was mostly Makita, with Craftsman, and Dewalt too... Battery hell.

Now it's all Ryobi... Though I am courting Milwaukee for out in the shop. Not quite... But leaning there.

Milwaulke makes good tools, so do Ryobi, Makita, Dewalt, and I have been happy with most of the Craftsman stuff I have bought. I 'get you' on the battery thing, though, and I'm already half a dozen tools (and batteries) into De Walt. I've been happy with them this far, and don't see a change coming unless I win the lottery...
When i bought them, I could write them off, but now not so. (One thing Trump did that cost me was doing away with Form 2106 expenses.)

[roamer_1]

Milwaulke makes good tools, so do Ryobi, Makita, Dewalt, and I have been happy with most of the Craftsman stuff I have bought. I 'get you' on the battery thing, though, and I'm already half a dozen tools (and batteries) into De Walt. I've been happy with them this far, and don't see a change coming unless I win the lottery...
When i bought them, I could write them off, but now not so. (One thing Trump did that cost me was doing away with Form 2106 expenses.)

All you need is a semi-legit side hustle as a sole prop that declares a wee profit every few years and you can Schedule C...