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NYC is a recognized charging problem. It looks like tesla will have it much improved by the launch of the model 3.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/13/business/tesla-drivers-will-soon-find-more-charging-stations-in-manhattan.html

 

i was being somewhat facetious, but it would be a challenge. hopefully, the day will come when it won't be inconvenient no matter where you're driving. that's when real market penetration will begin.

i suppose it will coincide with lower cost vehicles and a more efficient grid, which is probably the best way.

 

I feel it necessary to respond to obvious falsehoods

I haven't been to Manhattan actually. Is there a rule that you can't use any of the half dozen Tesla HPWCs or public chargers in Manhattan?
Or, some reason it would be "impossible" to use any of the superchargers along your route?

 

it's a 4-5 hour drive, depending on traffic. like most people, i just want to get there. there's no reason to stop along the way. same for the city. i'm there for 2 days with my daughter, you hand the valet your fob when you arrive, and get it back when you leave.

 

I feel that the Tesla's driving characteristics may be lost on their user base

"Tesla, the number one choice of enlarged prostate sufferers everywhere"

The Germans could sell it easier. "YOU WILLLLLLLLLL LIKE IT!!!"

 

i see a tesla in my near future.

 

What? You travel with a woman?

Nevertheless, no way I would do that length of time non-stop unless it was an emergency. 3 hours is our typical MAX time for a stop.

 

even so, stopping for a 5 minute p, vs charging your car is a big diff.

 

I'm sure you can find a charging station around the Lex.

PlugShare - EV Charging Station Map - Find a place to charge your car!

 

Elon Musk response to CR was... it has been fixed.

Oh? How come their S and Rav4EV still going in for new redesigned motors after a "new redesigned motor" was swapped in?

 

You guys realize tesla buyers skew younger than prius buyers don't you.

For the retiree, that owns a prius now, why not just add a 30kwh leaf (or gen II or etc) and keep the prius for trips to nyc, where you throw the keys to the vallet.

Lots of working people need to take breaks too, not just old folks. Millenials may get their work done in the tesls lounge if it has google fiber ;-) That may be the new way to travel. That autopilot will come in handy on those long trips.

 

Such a fun discussion to follow. Here are some to the hot EV and PHEV topic controversies in PC over the years.
1) EVs are never going to be viable as evidenced by the EV1 being crushed and the market vanishing.
2) GM will never build the Volt given GMs history.
3) EVs can never be taken on long trips.
4) FCEVs will be superior to EVs due to the short refill time.
5) Not finding EV superchargers as easily as gas stations will be the big EV hurdle.

(All of the above points are valid...till they are not any longer.)

What is our next EV controversy? EVs are bad for the economy since they put so many auto mechanics out of work?

 

I've found that being the in the car for 4 or 5 hours straight is a bit much. The longest stretch at a time of driving that I, or my wife, like to do is about 3 hours. We'll usually stop and change drivers at that point. Takes about 15 minutes to hit the bathroom, get a snack, and get back on our way. There just happens to be a Tesla SuperCharger station where we typically change drivers. Adding an extra 15 minutes to make it a total of 30 minutes to more or less fully charge up wouldn't upset us too greatly.

That said, we're not likely to get a Tesla anytime soon mostly because of current cost and availability, not due to perceived lack of charging infrastructure. I imagine that we'll get one in the next 3 to 5 years. And I'm pretty sure we'll do a road-trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles in it. Probably multiple times, knowing us.

 

you sound like the perfect candidate. who knows, in 3-5 years, it could be a different world.

 

I posted above details of a 2 week trip I recently took. I didn't stay at cheap motels, on the water or in the historic district. Of the 5 places I stayed, I didn't see a single charging station or outlet I could hook up to without running a cord over a sidewalk to an outlet of unknown amperage fusing which creates unacceptable risk/liability for both me and the motel operator. I saw one charger near a visitor's center with a frustrated EV owner frantically calling on his cell phone trying to get hooked up. After, I looked at a map from Tesla of available chargers and found no chargers that would have been convenient to my route. So your assertion that "every hotel has a charger" is at best doubtful in the SE area.

I do own a Prius. I would have preferred to use it. My wife instead choose her $40k Avalon. Sometimes you get outvoted. No matter, with either car you can pull off at darn near every exit other on a major highway and load 300-400 miles of fuel in the time it takes you both to visit the facilities. You aren't dependent on a charger being the only charger in 200 miles, it being vacant, or the rate of fueling. If one gas station is busy, another is bound to be only 100 yards away.

I don't know where that $30k savings in fuel figure comes from. My first 26k Prius miles cost $1,850 in gas. It would take me around 400k miles to be at $30k in fuel costs at that rate. Maybe 175k miles on the Avalon. By the time I had charged enough to travel those miles (Assuming all the charging was done at free chargers and we know that is unrealistic. Home electricity costs as do chargers. And the nearest supercharger is at least 60 miles away from my house.) the difference in savings between the $40k car and a Tesla would have earned probably another $10k even at 2% by the time you got to those miles.

I'll agree that an EV could be quiet and fun. But the economics and convenience just aren't there for me yet.

 

funny how less than 1/2 year later it is not on their recommended list. Gives a lot of credibility to their scoring system.