When the subject of range comes up in an online EV discussion, at some point one or more pro-ICE poeple will say something along the lines of:
"Ah, but I need to drive 400 miles. In my ICE I only need to stop for 5 minutes to refuel, in an EV I'd need to stop for an hour. That's why I won't buy an EV."
I got tired of typing out the same replies, so I thought in this blog post I'd summarise the counter-arguments.
How long does a 400 mile journey take?
I'll stick with 400 miles because it's (currently) comfortably beyond the range of any EV on a single charge (although it probably won't be for long) and because it's not too extreme, even in a small island like the UK. How long you'll be on the road depends ultimately upon your average speed; it's easy to suggest that where your journey includes a lot of motorway (freeway) miles you'll be barrelling along at 70mph, so 400 miles should take only 6 hours or so, right? Well, having driven countless such long journeys (and further) and blessed with a car that tells me my average speed for every journey, I know that even with a lot of motorway miles, my average speed rarely passes 45mph. Why? Because no journey begins and ends precisely on a motorway so you'll always have part of the journey on much slower roads, including periods where you're totally stationary (junctions, traffic controls, etc.), and no journey on a motorway (at least in the UK) doesn't involve at least some periods of slow or even stationary traffic, even outside of busy periods, So, let's be generous and assume you average 50mph on your 400 mile journey, that's eight hours on the road.
I don't know about you, but if I'm behind the wheel for 8 hours, I'm going to want to stop more than once, and for a lot longer than 5 minutes. I'm probably going to want to eat, I'm definitely going to want to use the bathroom but most importantly I'm simply going to need to take a break from driving. How long for? Well, let's say 4 times in those 8 hours (that's 2 hour driving spells, which falls in line with advice from the AA and note on this page that around 2% of all injury accidents are influenced by fatigue), twice for just 15 minutes and twice for say half an hour. Oh, hang on, there's that hour I need to recharge my EV and more...
But I'm a superhuman, I don't get tired and I don't need a break...
Well, congratulations, but even if that's true, is having to stop for an hour in an 8 hour journey that much of a big deal? We all make choices when we choose our cars; some people need an estate to hold dogs, carry packages, etc., some people like 2 seater sports cars, others luxury saloons. What car you choose will be determined by how important such factors are to you so let's say you really like a saloon with an ordinary boot (trunk) but three or four times a year, you need to move something that won't fit in the boot of that car, do you buy the estate version instead? No, of course you don't, if 99% of your driving doesn't need an estate, you buy the saloon and find another solution when you need more room. Choosing an ICE over an EV because of the recharge "problem" over long distances is much the same decision; unless you're driving these sorts of distances very regularly, you're making that decision based upon the minority of your driving, not the majority and that makes no sense.
But what if it's an emergency? I feel happier having the option...
OK, firstly, how many emergencies, that need your absolute best speed to get 400 miles or more and where adding an hour to the journey is a life or death issue are you going to face in your life? I'm guessing probably never, but if it does happen, you've got other options. You could take a train, you could fly, or you could rent a car half-way there, or drive to a rail station closer, or...
Seriously, this argument is like saying I need a car that can turn into a boat in case I'm caught in a flood and you're far, far more likely to find yourself in deep water than you are to be in a situation where recharge time can't be accommodated.
There's an easy option
Remember, we're talking about an 8 hour plus journey that needs to become closer to 9, and only if you're superhuman and can drive for 8 hours without endangering yourself or others and without needing any food or bathroom breaks. The simple easy solution is, leave an hour earlier.
At the end of the day, this argument is really saying:
"I feel strongly that a minor inconvenience, easily solved and rarely occurring, is worth continuing to support fossil fuel burning vehicles and ongoing pollution."
but I bet that's not how you'll phrase it at parties.
Final note
I can't have an honest post without acknowledging that there are drivers out there who drive long distances daily and for whom that extra hour would make a substantial difference to their routines and, right at this moment, for them an ICE probably makes more sense. But if you're not one of these drivers, please don't use the long-distance argument, it really doesn't hold together.
