What everyone should know before they buy an EV

[Hirschaj]

Hi all, I just published a new article and I'd love some feedback from the community here. I tried to create an educational article based on what I've been reading here and in other places. I have no doubt I got some things wrong and I'm sure I left some important things out. If you're so inclined, I would welcome feedback on how to improve the article. I can't guarantee I will take all suggestions but I'm very open to making changes. Thanks... https://medium.com/@the.ev.newbie/what-everyone-should-know-before-they-buy-an-ev-1ba9095c15ba

 

[TXAG]

Very nice write up - clear, simple, and very plainly spoken (happy batteries, really important, let's dig in ...)! Glad you professionally provided feedback about the WSJ article, too. And I like how you started the write-up with an alert to readers that this is mainly for the USA.

I typed out some musings for your consideration or for tossing. Pardon my ramblings ...

AC charging: most EVs are able to charge overnight on an L2. (You're focusing on your Taycan whereas your readers will have other EVs and need reassurance.)

DC charging for road trips: could you add some text discussing how charging time is affected by the maximum charge rate accepted by a vehicle, the vehicle's battery size, and the charge point delivery rate. If you choose to add more details, include specific model year 2022 examples in a table (and correct my numbers below), and deliberately construct the table to discuss your talking points in a subsequent paragraph.

Typos in EVSE: change techincally to technically and CD to DC.

Typo: wear out your EV battery much fast change to faster

You said "Tesla specific AC slow chargers." Consider saying Tesla Destination Chargers.

In your adapters warning, say any adapters at this time.

EV range with temperature: cobble in some text about cool temperatures at high altitudes affecting the range during a charge.

It seems counterintuitive but if you have a slower-charging vehicle you may go faster overall if you slow down and spend more time driving and less time charging.

Change the comma to a period at the end of the City vs. highway section.

If you have no idea how much the heater impacts range for folks in cold climates, ask the folks here in the Forum or do some research. Best to not leave your readers hanging.

These might be too detailed, but consider:
-- If you have a lot of readers in hurricane country or wildfire country, how will they evacuate and then return home?
-- What can your readers learn from, or what can they ask, the EV Salesperson that they will buy the EV from that they won't learn in your write-up? (Apologies for the open-ended question, but it may give you a spark.)

Hope others have good suggestions beyond mine, and good luck balancing the volume of detailed suggestions you're about to get versus the goal of making the article easy to read without indulging in too many details (of which I'm guilty).

Now, let's get the word out there!

 

[thecoloradokid]

Good article for newbies.

I would add that altering the aerodynamics of the car will reduce range. Putting a bike on top of the car, or a cargo box, will knock off 30% or 40% of range.

I would also add that a person should always try to have a back up plan in case the charger you need is down, and to be prepared to alter plans in case charging challenges arise.

 

[Hirschaj]

Very nice write up - clear, simple, and very plainly spoken (happy batteries, really important, let's dig in ...)! Glad you professionally provided feedback about the WSJ article, too. And I like how you started the write-up with an alert to readers that this is mainly for the USA.

I typed out some musings for your consideration or for tossing. Pardon my ramblings ...

AC charging: most EVs are able to charge overnight on an L2. (You're focusing on your Taycan whereas your readers will have other EVs and need reassurance.)

DC charging for road trips: could you add some text discussing how charging time is affected by the maximum charge rate accepted by a vehicle, the vehicle's battery size, and the charge point delivery rate. If you choose to add more details, include specific model year 2022 examples in a table (and correct my numbers below), and deliberately construct the table to discuss your talking points in a subsequent paragraph.

Typos in EVSE: change techincally to technically and CD to DC.

Typo: wear out your EV battery much fast change to faster

You said "Tesla specific AC slow chargers." Consider saying Tesla Destination Chargers.

In your adapters warning, say any adapters at this time.

EV range with temperature: cobble in some text about cool temperatures at high altitudes affecting the range during a charge.

It seems counterintuitive but if you have a slower-charging vehicle you may go faster overall if you slow down and spend more time driving and less time charging.

Change the comma to a period at the end of the City vs. highway section.

If you have no idea how much the heater impacts range for folks in cold climates, ask the folks here in the Forum or do some research. Best to not leave your readers hanging.

These might be too detailed, but consider:
-- If you have a lot of readers in hurricane country or wildfire country, how will they evacuate and then return home?
-- What can your readers learn from, or what can they ask, the EV Salesperson that they will buy the EV from that they won't learn in your write-up? (Apologies for the open-ended question, but it may give you a spark.)

Hope others have good suggestions beyond mine, and good luck balancing the volume of detailed suggestions you're about to get versus the goal of making the article easy to read without indulging in too many details (of which I'm guilty).

Now, let's get the word out there!

So many great suggestions. Thank you for taking the time to provide such detailed feedback. I really appreciate it. I updated the article with many of your suggestions. I'm still considering some of them.

 

[Hirschaj]

Good article for newbies.

I would add that altering the aerodynamics of the car will reduce range. Putting a bike on top of the car, or a cargo box, will knock off 30% or 40% of range.

I would also add that a person should always try to have a back plan in case the charger you need is down, and to be prepared to alter plans in case charging challenges arise.

Great suggestions. I can't believe I forgot to talk about cargo boxes and bike carriers! I added a new section as a result of your suggestion. Thank you!!!

 

[fgwinn]

In the City vs Highway: paragraph you state "EVs add energy back to your battery when you hit the brakes." This is certainly true in the Taycan where regenerative and friction braking are blended. But in other EVs I don't believe that "hitting the brakes" actually charges the battery the way lifting your foot off the accelerator does.

Also, the rate of regenerative braking charge varies substantially from one EV to the next. I understand that a Taycan can accept a regenerative charge of up to 265 kW, but a Tesla is limited to a much lower charge rate. I have never seen any specs on the regen rate, but I would be surprised if this rate could ever exceed the max DC charging rate.

 

[TYKHAAAN]

I would add a little more to the fast DC charging section. If you read that WSJ article, you can see how people who just dont know about charging can get confused. All fast charging is not equal, as apps like PlugShare will show fast charging stations that give 25kw all the way up to the 350kw rates. So some people new to EVs might think it’s all the same and route to a 25kw station and think they’ll top off in 30 minutes or so, when that could take hours. A good reference that seems to work for me when I explain it to people is to think about Internet speeds. Most people are familiar enough with that reference. I explain that 25mbps is the government definition of high speed Internet, but then you have Google Fiber running at 1GB or 2GB and compare them download speeds and Internet surfing quality with those two very different speeds. That seems to get folks attention and understanding of how very different fast charging can be.

You also might want to note that many things can interefere with your vehicle reaching it’s top supposed charging rate, including weather, battery temperature and what charge is remaining on the battery when they start. To get the top speeds, most EVs like their batteries under 20% state of charge when they start charging and the battery temperature pretty high to get them high scores when charging. Temperature outside can affect it as well. Some EVs can pre-condition the battery too. Also to note that sometimes it’s just an error in the connection to the charging station. You might plug in and get a terribly slow 30kw connection on a 350kw station. Stopping the charging and reconnecting can often clear that up. Maybe tell people that if they get a connection speed less than half what it should be, try re-initiating the charging session.

Hope this helps! You have a really good article going here!

 

[WaltB]

Very good article. Since you are talking about basics and starting at the ground level you might what to add that AC power is not actually charging the battery. AC power is being converted to DC power in the vehicle via an onboard charger and it's DC power that is charging the battery. (Since batteries are DC power) The DC fast chargers you mention also do that AC/DC conversion but have much bigger convertors and thus offer a much faster charge.

 

[Scandinavian]

Great suggestions. I can't believe I forgot to talk about cargo boxes and bike carriers! I added a new section as a result of your suggestion. Thank you!!!

Great summary!

well balanced and informative.

 

[Deleted member 4581]

The Taycan is my first EV. Here are a couple "learnings/tips" that I pass on to people - who don't have EVs - who look at my car:
--Many EVs are highly computerized. "You don't drive the car, you operate computers that control the car". Not only the drive train, media, and nav unit, but also braking, suspension, steering 'assist', even unlocking the doors.
Implications:
(1) expect computer-generated warning/error messages that may be difficult to interpret, software/hardware related "glitches" that may or may not recur but are difficult to reproduce, potential need to "reboot" your car, periodic software upgrades and their aftermath.
(2) diagnosing and repairing problems can be complex and time-consuming, for the owner and for most service technicians and dealers who are new to EV technology.
(Someone in this forum reported that a service tech told him fixing a Taycan was like throwing wads of gum at the car and hoping some would stick.)

--Before you agree to buy an EV, don't just look at EV reviews. Most reviewers are temporary EV users. Spend time browsing online owner forums for the brand/model of EV you are interested in. Learn what actual owners have to say about their EV experiences, options they like, problems they see, and service quality.

--In addition to the well-known, often discussed, big high-voltage lithium battery that powers the drive train, an EV has an often never-mentioned 12-volt battery that operates most of the instrumentation and control systems. If that 12-volt battery stops functioning, the EV is dead. Learn how to keep the 12-volt battery working, and what to do when it fails.

--EV's are leading/bleeding edge technology for drivers, manufacturers, dealers, and service departments. Don't become an EV owner unaware of this fact. (See example below: )

Bleeding edge technology example: --If your EV fails on the side of the road or your driveway and will not move (and wheels will not roll), does the tow truck driver you call know how to move the car?

 

[ciaranob]

@Hirschaj

I think the section introduction I copied in below from your article is really misleading and/or incorrect - using a mobile EVSE overnight is FAR from an 'absolute worse case' scenario and no different from using many 'destination' charger options out there nor for that mater from charging overnight at home or a hotel.

I'm guessing you may not have had a chance to travel via B&B's that offer Nema 14-50 sockets to guests so that they can use their car's own mobile EVSE. I have a thread on here where I used a dedicated guest only Nema 14-50 socket in an AirBnB in Fredericksburg, TX, for example, on a trip to the hill country with great success where there were literally no other options in the cars range to avail of - link here :https://www.taycanforum.com/forum/t...rk-and-mini-trip-report-to-hill-country.9783/).

Such outlet offerings I suspect are likely to become more common in BnB's as a relatively inexpensive add to the business and a good marketing trick to attract more folk to your business, Most importantly it offers a hugely useful network to expand on travel possibilities with your EV

Also there is always the possibility to simply take your home charger (if portable) with you on trips vs purchasing an extra charger) - many people use the mobile EVSE that came with their cars as their home charger.

My 2c

Mobile EVSEs: In the absolute worst cases you might be able to find a suitable power outlet to plug a mobile EVSE into so that you can charge your EV (slowly). There are many Mobile EVSEs available for purchase that are small enough to fit in your EV without taking up much space. You can use the PlugShare app to find these outlets (NEMA 14–50 and NEMA 6–50 are common outlet types that work well with EVSEs).

 

[Hirschaj]

In the City vs Highway: paragraph you state "EVs add energy back to your battery when you hit the brakes." This is certainly true in the Taycan where regenerative and friction braking are blended. But in other EVs I don't believe that "hitting the brakes" actually charges the battery the way lifting your foot off the accelerator does.

Also, the rate of regenerative braking charge varies substantially from one EV to the next. I understand that a Taycan can accept a regenerative charge of up to 265 kW, but a Tesla is limited to a much lower charge rate. I have never seen any specs on the regen rate, but I would be surprised if this rate could ever exceed the max DC charging rate.

Great points, article updated.

 

[Hirschaj]

I would add a little more to the fast DC charging section. If you read that WSJ article, you can see how people who just dont know about charging can get confused. All fast charging is not equal, as apps like PlugShare will show fast charging stations that give 25kw all the way up to the 350kw rates. So some people new to EVs might think it’s all the same and route to a 25kw station and think they’ll top off in 30 minutes or so, when that could take hours. A good reference that seems to work for me when I explain it to people is to think about Internet speeds. Most people are familiar enough with that reference. I explain that 25mbps is the government definition of high speed Internet, but then you have Google Fiber running at 1GB or 2GB and compare them download speeds and Internet surfing quality with those two very different speeds. That seems to get folks attention and understanding of how very different fast charging can be.

You also might want to note that many things can interefere with your vehicle reaching it’s top supposed charging rate, including weather, battery temperature and what charge is remaining on the battery when they start. To get the top speeds, most EVs like their batteries under 20% state of charge when they start charging and the battery temperature pretty high to get them high scores when charging. Temperature outside can affect it as well. Some EVs can pre-condition the battery too. Also to note that sometimes it’s just an error in the connection to the charging station. You might plug in and get a terribly slow 30kw connection on a 350kw station. Stopping the charging and reconnecting can often clear that up. Maybe tell people that if they get a connection speed less than half what it should be, try re-initiating the charging session.

Hope this helps! You have a really good article going here!

Lots of good points in here. I updated a few sections of the article based on your feedback. I also tried to keep it simple. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Hirschaj]

Very good article. Since you are talking about basics and starting at the ground level you might what to add that AC power is not actually charging the battery. AC power is being converted to DC power in the vehicle via an onboard charger and it's DC power that is charging the battery. (Since batteries are DC power) The DC fast chargers you mention also do that AC/DC conversion but have much bigger convertors and thus offer a much faster charge.

I appreciate the extra info here but I'm going to choose to leave this out of the article for now as I think it's a little too much information for the intent of the article. This could be a good topic for a future article though.

 

[Hirschaj]

@Hirschaj

I think the section introduction I copied in below from your article is really misleading and/or incorrect - using a mobile EVSE overnight is FAR from an 'absolute worse case' scenario and no different from using many 'destination' charger options out there nor for that mater from charging overnight at home or a hotel.

I'm guessing you may not have had a chance to travel via B&B's that offer Nema 14-50 sockets to guests so that they can use their car's own mobile EVSE. I have a thread on here where I used a dedicated guest only Nema 14-50 socket in an AirBnB in Fredericksburg, TX, for example, on a trip to the hill country with great success where there were literally no other options in the cars range to avail of - link here :https://www.taycanforum.com/forum/t...rk-and-mini-trip-report-to-hill-country.9783/).

Such outlet offerings I suspect are likely to become more common in BnB's as a relatively inexpensive add to the business and a good marketing trick to attract more folk to your business, Most importantly it offers a hugely useful network to expand on travel possibilities with your EV

Also there is always the possibility to simply take your home charger (if portable) with you on trips vs purchasing an extra charger) - many people use the mobile EVSE that came with their cars as their home charger.

My 2c

Mobile EVSEs: In the absolute worst cases you might be able to find a suitable power outlet to plug a mobile EVSE into so that you can charge your EV (slowly). There are many Mobile EVSEs available for purchase that are small enough to fit in your EV without taking up much space. You can use the PlugShare app to find these outlets (NEMA 14–50 and NEMA 6–50 are common outlet types that work well with EVSEs).

You're absolutely right. I phrased that completely wrong and have rewritten that portion to reflect reality. Thanks for calling me out on it.