GRA wrote:The answer for most of us is to get cars with big enough battery packs that we don't need any extra.
You're right, but the problem is that until they can get economies of scale and improve battery tech and manufacture, then the price stays high, and while no-one is buying the things it will stay like that. Chicken-and-egg.
GRA wrote:In California, vehicles towing trailers are limited to 55 mph, and the last thing I want to do is be forced to drive 55 on the freeway, especially on a long trip.
It's a rational comment, but at the end of the day you don't need to drive at 55
all the time, just when you know you need to do a long trip because you recognise the limitations of your vehicle. If you don't recognise the limitations, then don't bother getting a sub-100 mile EV!
If you were in an ICE that typically uses a gallon every 30 miles, and you had a gallon left and you
had to get 35 miles, would you say, 'ah! I will not bother, because I hate the idea of driving slowly to save energy, so I'll walk instead'. Or would you bemoan not having bought a 40 mpg vehicle when you had the chance?
I potter to work everyday at 52mph. I did it before I got an EV. Sometimes I drive faster. But it doesn't actually get me to work that much quicker. Driving faster
feels 'faster', but your actual door-to-door average speeds will be almost identical because you waste most of your time getting onto the fast highway in the first place, then getting off again and parking up.
If 75% of your 100 mile journey is on a typical 70 mph highway with busy traffic, and you stick to 55 mph instead of
aiming for 70 and getting stuck behind slower traffic, you will be surprised how little difference it makes to the overall drive time. 5 minutes. Maybe 10 minutes saved if you are lucky.