Hello there! My name is Liza, I'm a junior in college and am currently in a class to design a new product. My group has chosen to focus on the electric vehicle category! Right now, we are trying to explore the needs of EV owners/prospective buyers that are not met by products currently available on the market. If you have a chance, please answer these questions below to help us figure out what we can make to better the EV experience for you! 1. What goes through your mind when purchasing an electric vehicle (and/or accessories)? What features do you consider? 2. Walk me through your experience of buying an electric vehicle 3. What does your average day look like? how does your electric vehicle fit into the day? 4. What frustrates you about your electric vehicle? 5. Have you ever run out of range on your electric vehicle? 6. What drew you to an electric vehicle over a traditional gas one? 7. When you buy a car, what is most important factors to you? 8. What is your experience like when charging your car? 9. What does your family think about your electric vehicle (especially the kids)? is there any memories in your EV, with your family, that stand out? Thank you so much for your help!
1. What goes through your mind when purchasing an electric vehicle (and/or accessories)? What features do you consider? Does the car and fast DC charging network support driving 700-750 miles per day. 2. Walk me through your experience of buying an electric vehicle Bought 2014 BMW i3-REx via eBay. Sent deposit to hold vehicle; sent payoff, and; picked up car for first drive home. Bought STD Rng Plus Model 3 via Tesla. Sent deposit to hold vehicle; included trade-in vehicle, and; drove to Nashville to exchange cars. 3. What does your average day look like? how does your electric vehicle fit into the day? I only drive either EV. The Tesla is averaging 51 mi per day since bought. 4. What frustrates you about your electric vehicle? Nothing. 5. Have you ever run out of range on your electric vehicle? No. I have taken detours for an L2 charge when a SuperCharger is unreachable. 6. What drew you to an electric vehicle over a traditional gas one? Lowest operational cost. 7. When you buy a car, what is most important factors to you? Operating cost. 8. What is your experience like when charging your car? Stop at fast food for bathroom and takeout. Eat food while charging. Continue once a 10-20 mi reserve is charged. Around town, shop/park where there is free charging. 9. What does your family think about your electric vehicle (especially the kids)? is there any memories in your EV, with your family, that standout? They like it. I had five, micro sleep events driving home and the car kept us in our lane and dynamic cruise control kept us from crashing. Bob Wilson
I'm in Canada, FWIW. Answers to 1 & 7 are almost the same: I want a car to a) match my driving needs in terms of mileage, size/cargo capacity, maintenance expectations; b) that I enjoy driving (this includes comfort and vibe); and c) that I like the aesthetics, inside and out. The only thing that I look for in an electric car additionally is the battery capacity. Capacity and mileage have to go hand and hand; the size of the gas tank in an ICE vehicle isn't as variable as the size of the battery on EVs. 2: I test drove a Nissan Leaf and Chevy Bolt in the summer of 2018, but then had to delay my purchase until the fall and then, because of very generous cash incentives, there wasn't actually a Leaf available until February 2019. Shopping for one was frustrating because I knew more about them than the sales folk did at the dealerships. All my research was done on-line, and all I needed was a test drive to make up my mind. 3: When I first bought the vehicle, my days involved no more than an average of about 15-20 miles a day. Now I have a vacation property and will need a car with a bigger battery and better temperature management, so I'll be buying a new EV in the next few months. I live in a condo apartment building and do not have the ability to charge my car at home, so I charge usually at public charging places. 4: how the charging speed and mileage drops significantly in cold weather 5: Almost - one day I rolled into work with my gauge reading 0%. It was a very nervous final 15 minutes watching that gauge drop. 6: Less ecological impact; here virtually all our electricity is from hydroelectric plants. Since then, I've discovered that I love the quiet running, and the low cost of running/maintaining. 8: What's my experience like? Boring. I don't have trouble finding L2 charging options, but they're slow so I spend an hour or so reading in my car. (In the pre-Covid lockdown days I could go shopping or for coffee.) There are some chargers near locations where I can at least take a walk when the weather is good. 9: I'm solo, but when I bought it my siblings were surprised at my choice.
