Thinking about buying one but not sure they will work for me. tell me where I am wrong.

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Gomezaddams51

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I presently own a 1999 Ford Explorer that is fully loaded. It has 300K miles on it and I am afraid it will be going wheels up one of these days just when we need it most. I have looked at EV's but they just do not seem to fit what I need.

We drive from Las Vegas to Sacramento four times a year, that is about 600+ miles there and another 600 back not to mention, driving another 200 or more miles in Sacramento. Looking at the mileage of Ev's they just will not cut it. I need something that I can drive 300 miles, stop and "fill up" or "recharge" in about 15 minutes (average time to go to the bathroom and buy snacks) and drive on down the road. Plus most of the EV's I have seen do not have the cargo space that my Explorer does. I need to carry a dog cage, walker, suitcases, and coolers among other things. As I said my Explorer is fully loaded and came with every bell and whistle back when it was new and I have grown accustomed to the comfort. My 70 year old body doesn't like to rough it any more. How does the A/C do on the EV's? A lot of the road between Vegas and Sac is hot desert. And there are mountains that have to be climbed, will an EV have the power to handle those? My Explorer has the 302 v-8 and still has lots of power. Anyway tell me why a EV would be a good choice for me and my wife.
 
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The recharging is very unlikely to be that fast, so if you're not willing to allow for 50 or 60 minutes of charging, even a Tesla (with some of the best range available) is not going to work. I just ran Las Vegas-Sacremento through a trip planning app for a Tesla Model X, and it recommends 4 stops to charge, totalling 54 minutes of charging time. Air conditioning and power are not a problem, and the X offers essentially the same amount of cargo space behind the front seats as the Explorer (88 ft3), but I don't know if the dimensions are comparable.

And the Tesla Model X has gull wings!
 
Gomezaddams51 said:
I need something that I can drive 300 miles, stop and "fill up" or "recharge" in about 15 minutes (
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The 400 V DC charging system will not do this. 3 electric vehicles capable of that kind of recharge time (at present) is the Hyundai Ionic 5 - 300 mile range (which will have more space to accommodate your cargo requirements, Kia EV 6 similar platform, and Porsche Taycan EV ~ 240 miles range (which will not have sufficient cargo storage).
All three can operate on a 800 V DC charging system and offer a 0 to 80% charge time of 18 to 22 minutes.
Tesla V1 and V2 superchargers can get you 80% in 40 minutes, and V3 up to 1000 miles range per hour (180 miles in 15 minutes - Model 3)
Best thing I can suggest is to try and test drive an EV first, and see if it has the same affect it had on me in 2012 to present.
If it does, you will never go back to fossil propulsion;)
 
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Power isn't an issue with any decent EV. Hi for a test drive and you'll fall in love with the instant acceleration from any speed.
 
If nothing on the market today works for you, your best option might be to preorder the 500 mile Tesla Cybertruck if the looks does it for you.
 
If you like the explorer you can look at the hybrid explorer. It's not an EV but it will reduce your environmental footprint a little. It also only comes in the limited which would have the bells and whistles you're used to.

Another route is to look at PHEV which can be used in electric only mode for the majority of your use and you have the gas engine for the longer trips. There would be more selection for you in this category.
 
I'm quite sure that the long range versions of the Tesla Model X and Y will work fine as Explorer replacements. The only other brand that might work would be the Porsche Taycan but it probably doesn't have the same cargo space. The other brands probably won't suit your road-trip needs. They are good for local use but aren't really suitable for serious road trips because they charge too slowly and, until they improve, you'll waste 5 minutes just fussing with the non-Tesla chargers to start a charging session.
The X is larger but the Y, of course, is in the Explorer price range.
There may be a couple of deviations to your described requirement though.
1) Most Tesla charging stops are about 20 minutes, however, remember that when charging an EV, you don't have to stand there pumping gas. You plug in and leave your car charging while you use the bathroom and grab your snacks.
2) Depending on how fast you drive, you'll probably only go about 250 miles between stops, not 300. Charging speed slows down as the battery becomes full. Generally as the charging speed slows to about 200 mph, you're better off just getting on the road, even if you'll only go about 250 miles before needing to charge again.
I've driven as many as 1,170 miles in a day and driven from Virginia to Los Angeles in 3 days in a Long Range Tesla Model 3. The Tesla Model Y will do the same but will give you more cargo and passenger room.
Granted, Tesla EVs may appear to fall short of your expectations above on these few long trips, however, also keep in mind that the convenience of home charging for your daily life is greater than you've ever experience with an ICE (gasoline) vehicle.
The power, comfort, and performance of a Tesla will make your Explorer feel like a car with square wheels :-)
 
Awesome, thanks for the information. I will check out your suggestions... Oh two more questions, what is the price of charging the car in non-home charging stations? And the next would be; are there even any charging stations between Las Vegas and Sacramento? I have only seen a few here in Vegas so I know they are pretty scarce.
 
Gomezaddams51 said:
are there even any charging stations between Las Vegas and Sacramento?
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Tons! Look at PlugShare.com (or their app) and you can get an idea (adjust it for your charging needs i.e. Tesla vs. CCS) This is a rough idea of the number of Tesla (green) and Tesla Superchargers (yellow) in that area -- "rough idea" because as you zoom the map on the website, more may appear.
upload_2021-5-6_19-15-17.webp
 
Public charging station prices vary from free (some places use them as bait to get you their mall or store) to $0.49/kWhr which is extremely high.
There are thousands of charging stations between Las Vegas and Sacramento. However, keep in mind that, on the road, speed matters. You only want the fast charging stations and there are basically 3 flavors of them :
upload_2021-5-6_16-32-22.webp

Tesla fast chargers Sac to LV

upload_2021-5-6_16-32-51.webp

CCS fast chargers Sac to LV

Tesla has deployed thousands of fast charging stations they call "Superchargers" that only work with Tesla cars. The other 2 flavors are a Japanese standard called "CHAdeMO" which only Teslas and some early Japanese and Korean EVs can use, and CCS which only work with non-Tesla EVs. Charging speed, however, is critical for road-tripping so you'll want to plan accordingly. Tesla Superchargers charge from between 300 and 1100 miles per hour. CHAdeMO only charges at about 200 miles per hour. With CCS, there can be a big difference between what the charge can handle and what your car can handle. Some CCS stations can theoretically charge at 1400 miles per hour, however, as far as I know, only the Porsche Taycan can charge at that speed, hence the reason I listed it as the only road-trip viable non-Tesla EV. The rest of the CCS EVs charge at between 200 and 400 miles per hour. Disclosure: charging speed slows down as the battery fills up. A battery can be though of like a compressing a spring: easy initially, but gets harder as it gets nearly fully compressed. I quoted peak charging rates above but tapers to around half those rates at half full. The 'taper rate' varies with the car model and, sometimes the temperature outside.
Your best source for public charging stations is www.plugshare.com (where I grabbed the charger maps above). They also have a smartphone app. With it, you can search for chargers where you care and get info about them such as details as to where they are (some are hard to find).
Las Vegas has many stations. One can also use RV parks that have "50 amp" electrical outlets. Shown below (green are slow, overnight chargers while orange are fast chargers of all types) or on plugshare.com
upload_2021-5-6_16-37-12.webp
 
Gomezaddams51 said:
what is the price of charging the car in non-home charging stations?
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Sorry, my post above got mangled but covers a lot of the road-trip Sac-LV charging options.
Public charging prices vary from free (to lure you into stores) to as much as $0.49/kWhr.
I highly recommend installing a home charger if you own a house or can work a deal out with your landlord. It may cost between ~$100 to ~$3,000 depending on how long a wire run is needed and whether you have the breaker capacity to handle it. The convenience of arriving home, plug-in in, and knowing you'll have a full tank the next day is incredible.
 
Next step: Go to https://www.tesla.com/drive and schedule a test drive of a Tesla Model Y for you and Morticia so you can see for yourself whether there's enough power in a Tesla Model Y (or X) for you. You've got to be careful listening to unknown clowns on the internet :-)
 
Earl said:
Next step: Go to https://www.tesla.com/drive and schedule a test drive of a Tesla Model Y for you and Morticia so you can see for yourself whether there's enough power in a Tesla Model Y (or X) for you. You've got to be careful listening to unknown clowns on the internet :)
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LOL Yeah I always take what I read online with a shovel full of salt... But it gives me a starting point since I have no clue about Ev's...
 
Yep, I forgot to mention that the Ford MachE may be worth checking out too. I don't have much experience with it but Ford is trying to compete with Tesla and have apparently done well. Most Ford dealers should have a demonstrator. Like all EVs, the performance is mind blowing if you haven't driven an EV before.
There are more charging sites that work with the MachE, however, there are fewer chargers at each site and they are owned by 3rd parties. They tend to be a bit more fickle but you probably shouldn't discount it in your search for an EV so you aren't dependent on gasoline.
 
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