Hi
@BNR32FAN
So, who wants to wait 35-45 min. every 400 miles or so to fill up their tank on a 1,300 mile trip? When the same can now be done in about 4 minutes with gasoline in a hybrid model. My Lincoln MKZ has a 14gal. tank and I can fill it up in about 3 minutes and get another 500 miles to the next fill up. Although, realistically I don't drive my tank to empty, so I actually fill up about every 425-450 miles, but then I only get 12 gals at such fill-ups.
I'm calculating fill-up time from the time I get out of my car at the pump and get back in the car when I'm done, without considering any restroom or food purchases. If I do have to make a restroom stop, then I'm off the road for about 10 minutes. So, I still contend that under current technology, a hybrid system is the least time consuming, as regards refueling time. Whether it's cheaper or not is going to depend a lot on what a retailer's markup is for electric service.
Yes, we can all charge our EV's at home pretty cheaply, but a guy paying to run a charging station on the road is going to want to feed his family as a part of the bargain. Some guy who's invested in the new ABB charging system that charges in about 15 minutes, is likely to charge a retail 'premium' for that service. So the per Kw hour I pay at a charging station out on the road at 3 a.m., is likely to be a bit more costly.
Of course, just the cost of electricity isn't the only variable in EV fueling costs. Unless one is going to use their basic 110A outlet in the garage and a light duty extension cord, a charging system is usually installed and these can run, for the least expensive level 2 chargers, a couple of thousand dollars. A level 3 charger can run up to $20,000 to install in a home and requires a 480amp/hr circuit.
Then you have the more expensive tires that most EV's require if you want any kind of tire life. EV's, because of the weight of the battery pack and the additional torque on take off, tend to need heavier duty tires with a greater load carrying capacity than the standard tire for a similar model aspirated engine. From Continental tire information:
Tires for electric vehicles carry a heavier load and have to withstand high instant torque, leading to higher tire wear, so we need tires with stronger constructions and more robust rubber compounds. Greater mass and increased inertia means longer braking distance, so we place a special emphasis on optimal grip.
So, while the cost of electricity is a large part of the savings in owning an EV, there have been studies that, when all variables are considered, they aren't necessarily a lot cheaper. One note: once a level 3 or level 2 charging station is installed, then that cost is going to be amortized over many years and likely many vehicles as the EV line of cars becomes greater and more widely purchased. I certainly can foresee a day when there won't be any aspirated engine cars sold, but that day is still a bit away. Just as we had when we changed over from leaded to unleaded gasoline, once reliable and readily recharged vehicles are available, it will likely take 10 years to rid the world of aspirated engines in personal vehicles.
Trucks will be the next big step. It's going to take quite a charging system to be able to charge some 18 wheeler to go across the country in the time it takes to now cross the country with diesel power. Truckers aren't going to want to sit around for hours to charge up their trucks under the current system which is strictly pay by miles driven/hour. If we add 5-6 hours to a cross country trip without making any pay allowance for the time a truck is being recharged, I doubt that many truckers will be on board.
God bless,
Ted