The Reality of Range Anxiety: Understanding EV Range Requirements

Driving an Electric Vehicle (EV) can evoke a sense of range anxiety, particularly if you're considering purchasing one for personal use. The concern is not unfounded, as owning an EV with low driving range can lead to uncertainty about whether your car will run out of juice before reaching your destination, stranding you in the middle of nowhere. However, the notion that EVs require a minimum of 700 miles of range is often exaggerated.

In reality, gas-powered cars have a similar problem – they also rely on fueling up frequently. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the number of EVs offering at least 300 miles of range has seen a massive spike since 2016. From 2021 to 2022, this number tripled. This upward trend is largely driven by consumer behavior and changing perceptions about electric vehicles.

One key factor influencing EV range requirements is usage behavior. When asked about their daily commute, consumers are often surprised to discover that their driving habits don't necessarily require an extensive range. For instance, the original Nissan Leaf, which debuted in 2011 with an EPA-estimated range of 73 miles, was designed for users who drove less than 35 miles per day. While this may seem laughable compared to modern EVs, it highlights the importance of considering individual driving habits when evaluating range requirements.

Another crucial factor is how much a user needs to drive in a single trip. The average American drives approximately 14,263 miles per year, which translates to 1,188 miles per month or around 40 miles per day. This relatively modest driving distance means that many users can get by with less than the assumed range of an EV.

The relationship between parking and range is also significant. Users who park their cars overnight for extended periods may not require as much range in their EVs. On the other hand, individuals living in densely populated cities or those without dedicated garage space may face challenges recharging their batteries, especially if public charging infrastructure is scarce or expensive.

The current state of public charging infrastructure further complicates matters. While there are an increasing number of charging stations across the nation, many remain inaccessible to consumers due to high costs or limited availability. This situation can be particularly challenging for users who rely on overnight charging to replenish their batteries.

Furthermore, the cost of battery replacement is a critical consideration when evaluating range requirements. Historically, battery costs made up approximately half of the total cost of an EV; however, this ratio has shifted over time. Today, battery costs are closer to 30% of the overall expense. This shift underscores the importance of considering individual driving habits and needs rather than assuming an excessive range is necessary.

For users who plan to take extended road trips or engage in infrequent long-distance driving, the implications of an EV's range can be significant. A study found that EV commuters who drove more than average ended up saving around $600 per year by using electric vehicles compared to their gas-powered counterparts. However, when gas prices rose significantly four years after the initial survey, this savings margin decreased substantially.

In light of these factors, it is essential for consumers to reassess their expectations regarding EV range requirements. Rather than assuming a minimum range is necessary, users should consider their individual driving habits, parking arrangements, and access to charging infrastructure. By doing so, they can make informed decisions about the most suitable EV model for their needs, ultimately reducing range anxiety and minimizing unnecessary expenses.

Many consumers may find it practical to own one EV and one gas-powered car, catering to different purposes and scenarios. This approach acknowledges that not every user will require an extensive range in their electric vehicle while also ensuring they have a reliable backup option for longer trips or special occasions. By adopting a more nuanced understanding of EV range requirements, consumers can better navigate the complex landscape of electric vehicle ownership, reducing anxiety and maximizing the benefits of this increasingly popular mode of transportation.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enI'm an old school mechanic and many people don't understand why I don't like electric vehicles they think that just because EVS are cars that I should automatically love them too but here's the thing EV technology just isn't ready at this very moment today we're looking at EV driving range that's one of the top things on consumers Minds when they're considered an electric vehicle so here's a question you need to ask yourself how much driving range do you really need in your everyday life today I'll help you see how much range you personally need foreign let's kick this off by looking into the top five EVS with the best driving range we'll start with the good then work up to the best at number five we got the 2022 Mercedes eqs sedan the EQ s has an official EPA ready range of up to 350 miles at number four is the 2022 Tesla Model X a 2022 dual motor all-wheel drive Tesla Model X would cost you more than 126 thousand dollars what that price gets you is the most powerful and quickest acceleration from any SUV in fact bit claim makes Tesla Model X plaid Edition the highest performing SUV ever built how much driving range you suppose the EV will give you well the 2022 Tesla Model X has an official EPA rated driving range of up to 351 miles the third best EV when it comes to driving range is another Tesla but this time it's the 2022 Tesla Model 3 long range we're talking a driving range of up to 358 miles in just 15 minutes the model 3 can recharge up to 175 miles of rain and it can reach a top speed of 162 miles an hour not that anyone ever needs to drive that fast it's like usually not a Tesla fan due to lack of craftsmanship and quality but General design wise I do have to say the model 3s all glass roof that extends from the front to the rear of the car it's a nice feature zooming up to number two spot is another Tesla that spot goes to the 2022 Tesla Model S the driving range of up to 405 miles Tesla says that they specifically designed the model S for efficiency Tesla also claims that the model S is the most aerodynamic production car on Earth due to specific design details like the exterior surface of the car so what's the price of the most aerodynamic production car on Earth you'll have to decide whether it's driving range and aerodynamics are really worth the 105 000 that a 2022 dual motor all-wheel drive Tesla Model S will cost you and flying to the number one spot for driving range is a 20 22 Lucid Air Dream Edition at this moment it's the longest range faster charging EV in the entire world we're talking of a range 520 miles and you can get up to 300 miles of charge in as little as 22 minutes now this car is luxury and the price point isn't surprising for its class the base price for the air pure is 87 400 and if you decide to go to the Lucid Air Dream Edition you'll be looking at a jaw-dropping price tag of 169 000 some Lucid air terms are already being delivered While others like to lose their Sapphire are only expected to hit the market next year but look right now electric cars are the rage but all EVS no matter how cool or popular share one common problem and that problem lies in their batteries it all traces back to just the lithium ion batteries in most EVS today Lithium-ion batteries are everywhere laptops smartphones and even game controllers are just some of the everyday things that are powered by lithium ion batteries but here's where the problems start so you want to add more energy to your EVS well Lithium-ion batteries have been around for so many years that to make any new advancements with them researchers have to put in twice the amount of work with every year that passes the amount of time and effort it'll take to invest in lithium-ion battery efficiency only increases so the only solution to giving more energy to your EV is to add more battery cells but that comes with a whole host of problems on its own batteries are heavy that's why EVS by default weigh more than conventional gas powered cars so imagine adding more batteries to your ready heavy EV well obviously your EV will only get heavier well now you created another problem because the more weight you add to a vehicle the more energy it takes to balance it up and that affects the battery capacity and here's another problem the heavier an object the harder it is to stop once it starts moving so anymore lithium ion batteries means your EV brakes will also need an upgrade and even then there's also the possibility of other potential safety issues that may need to be addressed due to the added weight all of this is to say just adding more batteries isn't a simple solution it's like having a health issue when a doctor gives you a pill the pill alleviates some symptoms but its side effects create a host of other problems of their own that's why researchers have been trying to create new and alternative batteries to power EVS now there's some new batteries on the Block there are basically two main advancements that many expect will increase the efficiency of the next generation of batteries the first advancement has to do with better integration of batteries with EV structures and second has to do with replacing inert structural parts of the battery with materials that can hold and then distribute a charge this in effect eliminates the dead space in those batteries right now assembling the battery involves placing cells and modules then connecting those modules together into packs but here's the problem doing that can leave a lot of empty space inside the battery to use this empty space more efficiently researchers are trying to build battery packs that consist of a hundred percent active material so that every single part of the battery pack can store and release energy and there's no dead useless space inside this Chinese automaker called byd they're pioneering a cell to pack system with their blade cells if the cell the pack system proves to be all that byd claims it to be it could eliminate dead battery pack space completely right now EV band batteries usually line the floor of an EV and in areas like underneath the center console and behind the rear seats these EV batteries are also double stacked spacing like this is what gives some of the top EVS an impressive range but such EVS are usually the extremely high-end cars like the Lucid Air Dream for example yet despite suppressive range the Lucid Air Dream can only manage up to 520 miles which isn't bad for EVS but if more companies were to adopt byd's new battery principles we'd see EVS break through the 600 mile range barrier PV makers are also working towards developing battery cells that are lighter yet more energy dense and that's supposed to improve driving range as well while EVS with 600 mile ranges would be a major step forward to the EV industry it really gets me wondering how much range do you really need in an EV anyway well the answer to that question really depends on the type of driver you are you see many Americans are used to driving on a full tank of gas for about a week or so before filling back up at the nearest station in five minutes general consumers like me can easily get range anxiety if you would own an Eevee with low driving range you're regularly going to wonder if your car will run out of juice before you reach your destination and strand you and of course the worst nightmare is to get stranded in the middle of nowhere you'd think anything below 700 miles of range just doesn't make sense but realistically doesn't Eevee really need 700 miles of range well the short answer is no it's true gas powered cars are convenient you can drive for miles and miles in a gas-powered car fill your tank right back up in a few minutes but when's the last time you drove 700 miles without stopping for 500 miles or even 300 miles straight according to the U.S department of energy the number of EVS that offer at least 300 miles of range has a massive Spike since 2016 and from 2021 to 2022 the number of EVS that offer at least 300 miles of range a triple it all comes down to the belief that the more range an EV has the better it's more convenient for sure but in reality it's not really necessary when you compare it to usage Behavior did you know that back in 2011 well the Nissan Leaf first hit the roads get out of measly EPA range of 73 miles now that's laughable compared to what we see today Nissan's rationale was not the average daily commute was less than 35 miles so all you need is one overnight charge you'll be good for the next day when it comes to how much rain you realistically need you got to ask yourself this question how much do you personally Drive in a day here's the thing the average American drives 14 263 miles a year that comes out to 1188 miles per month which equates to 40 miles a day looking at those stats it looks like the Nissan wasn't too far off you just have to charge overnight every night much like how many Americans charge their smartphones every night another deciding factor is how much range you really need has to do with how long you park your car if your car is usually parked overnight which is the most consumers by the way then you probably won't need high range in your EV another deciding factor is that you even have a garage if you live in an apartment in a dense City you most likely park on the street and you don't have a dedicated garage and this means charging an EV just got a whole lot more difficult on top of that there's a critical lack of public TV charging infrastructure right now Across the Nation public charging stations cost more than at home charging which can be a real the average test lives plugged in overnight takes eight to ten hours to recharge so that a few of time to spare you can also spare a few less driving range miles now the question about range you personally need is actually really important to know it can end up saving you big bucks here's what I mean if you just automatically assume that you need as much range as possible it's going to cost you big time around five or six years ago battery costs made up half of the total cost of an EV today it's closer to around a third of the cost but it's still a huge chunk of the cost so I spend all your hard earned cash on hundreds of miles of range if you personally don't need it based on your driving habits and circumstances there's also another disadvantage to buying an EV with the capacity you don't even need a bigger battery needs longer charging time obviously no one is a fan of that and here's the next question to consider how many Long Highway trips do you take and just how long are they if you're the type to pack up and take a long family road trip a few times a year you'll need a lot more range than the average commuter one study found that the average EV commuter ends up saving around 600 a year by driving Electric in the study driving electric ended up costing 485 bucks while driving a gas-powered car cost 1117. and four years after that survey gas price jumped up which means the cost was even higher but if you're driving your EV more than normal because of big trips that electricity cost is going to go up big time in that case it makes more sense cost wise to Simply rent a gas-powered car on your trip and leave your EV at home today more than 50 percent of American households own two or more cars so if you're among that group of Americans you best bet honestly is to own one EV and one gas powered car but now you tell me what's the minimum range you're comfortable with in the Navy please share by commenting below if you like this video please like share and subscribe thanks for your supportI'm an old school mechanic and many people don't understand why I don't like electric vehicles they think that just because EVS are cars that I should automatically love them too but here's the thing EV technology just isn't ready at this very moment today we're looking at EV driving range that's one of the top things on consumers Minds when they're considered an electric vehicle so here's a question you need to ask yourself how much driving range do you really need in your everyday life today I'll help you see how much range you personally need foreign let's kick this off by looking into the top five EVS with the best driving range we'll start with the good then work up to the best at number five we got the 2022 Mercedes eqs sedan the EQ s has an official EPA ready range of up to 350 miles at number four is the 2022 Tesla Model X a 2022 dual motor all-wheel drive Tesla Model X would cost you more than 126 thousand dollars what that price gets you is the most powerful and quickest acceleration from any SUV in fact bit claim makes Tesla Model X plaid Edition the highest performing SUV ever built how much driving range you suppose the EV will give you well the 2022 Tesla Model X has an official EPA rated driving range of up to 351 miles the third best EV when it comes to driving range is another Tesla but this time it's the 2022 Tesla Model 3 long range we're talking a driving range of up to 358 miles in just 15 minutes the model 3 can recharge up to 175 miles of rain and it can reach a top speed of 162 miles an hour not that anyone ever needs to drive that fast it's like usually not a Tesla fan due to lack of craftsmanship and quality but General design wise I do have to say the model 3s all glass roof that extends from the front to the rear of the car it's a nice feature zooming up to number two spot is another Tesla that spot goes to the 2022 Tesla Model S the driving range of up to 405 miles Tesla says that they specifically designed the model S for efficiency Tesla also claims that the model S is the most aerodynamic production car on Earth due to specific design details like the exterior surface of the car so what's the price of the most aerodynamic production car on Earth you'll have to decide whether it's driving range and aerodynamics are really worth the 105 000 that a 2022 dual motor all-wheel drive Tesla Model S will cost you and flying to the number one spot for driving range is a 20 22 Lucid Air Dream Edition at this moment it's the longest range faster charging EV in the entire world we're talking of a range 520 miles and you can get up to 300 miles of charge in as little as 22 minutes now this car is luxury and the price point isn't surprising for its class the base price for the air pure is 87 400 and if you decide to go to the Lucid Air Dream Edition you'll be looking at a jaw-dropping price tag of 169 000 some Lucid air terms are already being delivered While others like to lose their Sapphire are only expected to hit the market next year but look right now electric cars are the rage but all EVS no matter how cool or popular share one common problem and that problem lies in their batteries it all traces back to just the lithium ion batteries in most EVS today Lithium-ion batteries are everywhere laptops smartphones and even game controllers are just some of the everyday things that are powered by lithium ion batteries but here's where the problems start so you want to add more energy to your EVS well Lithium-ion batteries have been around for so many years that to make any new advancements with them researchers have to put in twice the amount of work with every year that passes the amount of time and effort it'll take to invest in lithium-ion battery efficiency only increases so the only solution to giving more energy to your EV is to add more battery cells but that comes with a whole host of problems on its own batteries are heavy that's why EVS by default weigh more than conventional gas powered cars so imagine adding more batteries to your ready heavy EV well obviously your EV will only get heavier well now you created another problem because the more weight you add to a vehicle the more energy it takes to balance it up and that affects the battery capacity and here's another problem the heavier an object the harder it is to stop once it starts moving so anymore lithium ion batteries means your EV brakes will also need an upgrade and even then there's also the possibility of other potential safety issues that may need to be addressed due to the added weight all of this is to say just adding more batteries isn't a simple solution it's like having a health issue when a doctor gives you a pill the pill alleviates some symptoms but its side effects create a host of other problems of their own that's why researchers have been trying to create new and alternative batteries to power EVS now there's some new batteries on the Block there are basically two main advancements that many expect will increase the efficiency of the next generation of batteries the first advancement has to do with better integration of batteries with EV structures and second has to do with replacing inert structural parts of the battery with materials that can hold and then distribute a charge this in effect eliminates the dead space in those batteries right now assembling the battery involves placing cells and modules then connecting those modules together into packs but here's the problem doing that can leave a lot of empty space inside the battery to use this empty space more efficiently researchers are trying to build battery packs that consist of a hundred percent active material so that every single part of the battery pack can store and release energy and there's no dead useless space inside this Chinese automaker called byd they're pioneering a cell to pack system with their blade cells if the cell the pack system proves to be all that byd claims it to be it could eliminate dead battery pack space completely right now EV band batteries usually line the floor of an EV and in areas like underneath the center console and behind the rear seats these EV batteries are also double stacked spacing like this is what gives some of the top EVS an impressive range but such EVS are usually the extremely high-end cars like the Lucid Air Dream for example yet despite suppressive range the Lucid Air Dream can only manage up to 520 miles which isn't bad for EVS but if more companies were to adopt byd's new battery principles we'd see EVS break through the 600 mile range barrier PV makers are also working towards developing battery cells that are lighter yet more energy dense and that's supposed to improve driving range as well while EVS with 600 mile ranges would be a major step forward to the EV industry it really gets me wondering how much range do you really need in an EV anyway well the answer to that question really depends on the type of driver you are you see many Americans are used to driving on a full tank of gas for about a week or so before filling back up at the nearest station in five minutes general consumers like me can easily get range anxiety if you would own an Eevee with low driving range you're regularly going to wonder if your car will run out of juice before you reach your destination and strand you and of course the worst nightmare is to get stranded in the middle of nowhere you'd think anything below 700 miles of range just doesn't make sense but realistically doesn't Eevee really need 700 miles of range well the short answer is no it's true gas powered cars are convenient you can drive for miles and miles in a gas-powered car fill your tank right back up in a few minutes but when's the last time you drove 700 miles without stopping for 500 miles or even 300 miles straight according to the U.S department of energy the number of EVS that offer at least 300 miles of range has a massive Spike since 2016 and from 2021 to 2022 the number of EVS that offer at least 300 miles of range a triple it all comes down to the belief that the more range an EV has the better it's more convenient for sure but in reality it's not really necessary when you compare it to usage Behavior did you know that back in 2011 well the Nissan Leaf first hit the roads get out of measly EPA range of 73 miles now that's laughable compared to what we see today Nissan's rationale was not the average daily commute was less than 35 miles so all you need is one overnight charge you'll be good for the next day when it comes to how much rain you realistically need you got to ask yourself this question how much do you personally Drive in a day here's the thing the average American drives 14 263 miles a year that comes out to 1188 miles per month which equates to 40 miles a day looking at those stats it looks like the Nissan wasn't too far off you just have to charge overnight every night much like how many Americans charge their smartphones every night another deciding factor is how much range you really need has to do with how long you park your car if your car is usually parked overnight which is the most consumers by the way then you probably won't need high range in your EV another deciding factor is that you even have a garage if you live in an apartment in a dense City you most likely park on the street and you don't have a dedicated garage and this means charging an EV just got a whole lot more difficult on top of that there's a critical lack of public TV charging infrastructure right now Across the Nation public charging stations cost more than at home charging which can be a real the average test lives plugged in overnight takes eight to ten hours to recharge so that a few of time to spare you can also spare a few less driving range miles now the question about range you personally need is actually really important to know it can end up saving you big bucks here's what I mean if you just automatically assume that you need as much range as possible it's going to cost you big time around five or six years ago battery costs made up half of the total cost of an EV today it's closer to around a third of the cost but it's still a huge chunk of the cost so I spend all your hard earned cash on hundreds of miles of range if you personally don't need it based on your driving habits and circumstances there's also another disadvantage to buying an EV with the capacity you don't even need a bigger battery needs longer charging time obviously no one is a fan of that and here's the next question to consider how many Long Highway trips do you take and just how long are they if you're the type to pack up and take a long family road trip a few times a year you'll need a lot more range than the average commuter one study found that the average EV commuter ends up saving around 600 a year by driving Electric in the study driving electric ended up costing 485 bucks while driving a gas-powered car cost 1117. and four years after that survey gas price jumped up which means the cost was even higher but if you're driving your EV more than normal because of big trips that electricity cost is going to go up big time in that case it makes more sense cost wise to Simply rent a gas-powered car on your trip and leave your EV at home today more than 50 percent of American households own two or more cars so if you're among that group of Americans you best bet honestly is to own one EV and one gas powered car but now you tell me what's the minimum range you're comfortable with in the Navy please share by commenting below if you like this video please like share and subscribe thanks for your support\n"