Electric cars are becoming more and more popular. It seems as though just about every major car manufacturer is making one these days. Are electric RVs far behind? Maybe not…
The Tesla Model S Long Range Plus currently has the longest range of all electric vehicles, boasting a range of 405 miles per charge. The average amount an electric car can go on one charge, however, is about 194 miles.
As RVers, 194 miles wouldn’t get us too far…
How much of a range (driving distance) would electric RVs need to have before considering owning one? 300 miles? 500? 700? More than that? Or, would you never consider purchasing an electric RV? Please leave a comment and explain your answer. Thanks!
I have 3 different browsers on my laptop. None of them are showing me the poll so I can vote. I have all ad blockers turned off for this site. Started about a week go.
Sorry you’re having problems with the poll, Dale. I’ve just sent an email to our IT folks to see if they can figure out what’s going on. Take care. 🙂 –Diane
My DW and I have discussed this lately and we could see having an EV toad. The longest drive we have done with the toad has been 350 miles (175 each way) and if it was an EV we probably would be able to charge in the middle. (4 hr stop over)
I answered 700 as well but that is in a perfect world with charging stations galore. People are being trained to think battery when the far better solution is a fuel cell. Fuel cells do not recharge they are re-loaded, usually in 1/100th of the time and with 3 times the range. All without needing to build an expensive, centralized, polluting? power generating infrastructure. I’m not talking explosive hydrogen but aluminum-oxygen. Why they refer to AU/O fuel cells as batteries only serves to support the mindset of the population who only think in terms of batteries. No cord or charger or charging station needed, just a gas station to store them next to the tires. No fire hazard and you are re-loaded in about the same time it takes to fill up with gas.
All we have to do is look at “sunny” CA for the rolling brownouts everyday, or look at TX last winter for systems that rely on the weather for their energy supply. The weather is not predictable for long term energy. One of the best weather guessers I’ve ever known of was fired because he refused a 7 day forecast like the competing TV stations were doing. His theory was that anything beyond 5 days was no more than WAG(WildAssGuess). Later most of the stations went back to a 5 day format because their 7 day forecast was creating more discontent than the station manager wanted. Weather is to unpredictable for energy production, those 2 states have proved it. Solar companies are really pushing their product, here in Central FL it’s currently overcast with the prediction of thunderstorms later, an uneducated guess I would say solar output today may be in the 40-50% range. When it’s hot and humid I want my air conditioner at 100%.
For daily travel 500 would probably work for me but I would want a little extra headroom so I answered 700.
Where is my Electric RV that has foldable lightweight Solar Panels to help Charge as you go..?
Big Roof up there!..C’mon!…
There’s also enough room for a Small separate gas or diesel engine to Charge the Batteries in an emergency.
The numbers just don’t work. Even a small EV with 100 kWh of battery storage and 1,000 watts of solar panels would take 30 days to completely recharge it. A 7kW watt generator would do better, completely recharging a 100kWh EV battery in around 15 hours.
Great answer, too many people are listening to the advertising people and believe their EV will recharge overnight from a standard wall outlet. It takes high dollar high output charging stations to recharge a car to 80% in a short time of an hour. An RV might take more than a day, plus you can’t get an RV into a charging station. It’s still a pipe dream away.
I think a reasonable solution for home charging would be a Level-2 Charger with a 10kW output. That would be able to completely recharge a 100kWh EV battery in 10 hours or so (overnight).
For everyone concerned about the sourcing of raw materials to build Lithium batteries, here is a good study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8390110/
Maybe we should return to using horses 🙂
Where do all the used car parts, oil filters, spark plugs, belts, hoses, and the stink and illness from fossil fuel pollution go?
We’ve got many years to think about that, what you really need to worry about is what do you do with all the dead batteries 10 years from now.
Or as with the Chevrolet Spark EV, the manufacturer decides to no longer produce batteries for it, because it’s “old”
My answer depends on how fast the charging is. If I can go 200 miles, but put another 200 miles back into the battery in five minutes, I’d be ok with that.
If the theoretical range is 300 miles, but it takes 6-8 hours to charge, then that wouldn’t work for us,
Fast charging batteries are coming, read about some that recharge 80% in 15 minutes recently. Still not as quick as liquid refueling but probably workable, the chargers are more like parking spots so you can plug in then go use the facilities etc.
Where are these recharging stations that will accommodate large RVs?
I could not in good conscience buy an electric RV until the process of how to recycle the lithium batteries has been definitely worked out, not just assurance or promises.
Also, until our system of generating electricity is
1) Not dependent on oil & gas
2) Reliable in extreme weather
3) Not requiring rolling blackouts
4) Actually capable of generating enough power to run all these electric vehicles
You said it, it’s still a pipe dream for many years to come. It’s the same for over the road semi’s, electric trucks may be feasible for local pick up and deliveries, but until a load of produce can be picked up in the southwest and delivered on the east coast in 3 days only stopping for fuel and the mandatory rest breaks, it’ll never be able to be done. Trucking companies are not going to set up a series of relay points involving several drivers and trucks to deliver one load.
Here’s a few questions: For those of you that have electric cars, how much more electricity do you pay now with the addition of charging your car vs before?
And how often do you drive to a charging station just to charge it for “free”? How often do you charge it at home?
How much did it cost you to add a home car charger?
I remember reading that charging stations won’t always be free, how much more will people have to pay at businesses? Anyone know?
When we stay a month at an RV park, we pay on average about 12 cents per kWh. Last February, in TX it cost us about $165 for electricity, plus about $100 of propane (for 1 cold month), how much more would it have cost to charge the car and/or rv?
EV efficiency varies but let’s assume it takes about 80 KWH for some EVs to go about 300 miles. 12 cents times 80 is $9.60. My utility at home in Colorado charges about 9 cents per KWH. There are also other parts of the country where electricity costs much more than 9 or 12 cents.
Exactly. Volkswagen loaned me an ID.4 last summer which had a 75kWh battery and I tested to have a real 275 mile range. My home electricity cost is 14 cents per kWh, so that’s $10.50 to recharge it and drive 275 miles.
With an ICE car that gets 30 mpg it would use 9 gallons of gas at maybe $4.00 per gallon which is $36 to drive 275 miles.
But if you charge your EV at a Level-3 high-speed charger it can cost you 40 cents per kWh which is $30 for a full charge in 45 minutes. So charging for 10 hours overnight on a Level-2 charger at your house costs you $10.50 to recharge your EV vs $30 to recharge it in 45 minutes at a Level-3 charger.
See why I say that Level-2 charging is much more affordable….
If you were making a 600 mile trip as we are this week and had to use the recharging stations along I 75 from FL to TN and after arriving in TN had to use the nearest recharging station a mile and a half away for a week and a half of local driving, plus a return trip through AL through the panhandle of FL returning home using the recharging stations along the way. Include the taxicab fares to get from and to the recharging stations each time, how much would it be? The cost goes up appreciably over ICE. These are great commuters but as of yet not mainstream. Oh I forgot, there’s not a recharging station within 6 miles of where we live, but there are 5 gas stations within 2 miles. Just say’n.
We generally drive no more than 500 miles a day. With that said, on our last two trips we have had to change plans and book-it for home. The first time was Grand Canyon to San Francisco. The second time from Yellowstone to San Francisco. In both cases, an EV RV would not have been able to get us home in time.
I still can’t understand why the government is pushing electric vehicles when Fuel cell technology is a better alternative to the environment in production and refueling. While the range limits right now are about the same as the EVs, you can refuel in 5 minutes as opposed to 20 minutes to reach 80% charge. The range isn’t the issue to me as much as the time it takes to recharge.
It’s very easy to understand, our president has told us everyone knows electricity comes out of the wall.
That magic outlet that gives you electricity…but how is that electricity generated and how do we support all of these new vehicles on an antiquated power grid? Solar and wind options do not support the majority of our power needs currently, “evil coal and natural gas” fired plants carry the burden.These are things that our policy makers either can not comprehend or just don’t care to address. The EV choice is not practical on a large scale until these items and longer mileage potential is solved, just a feel good dream for the non thinking masses who want everyone to be carbon neutral.
Hi, Bob. Can you tell me when/where he said that? I can’t find it anywhere. Thanks. Take care. 🙂 –Diane
… the GM Zevo 600 apparently can go about 260 miles…
Do any of the tree huggers have a clue what goes on in the Congo, to extract (mine) Cobalt. Please look it up, before you sign on for an electric vehicle. They are destroying an entire generation of children. Stop it.
The Lithium battery manufacturers are trying to reduce the amount of Cobalt used in batteries. https://www.cnbc.com/video/2021/11/17/how-cobalt-free-batteries-will-bring-down-the-cost-of-evs.html
Yes they are. And now there is another problem. Nickel, the largest component, for the most part comes from Russia. The cost of which has skyrocketed.
Currently, all is not looking good for the current recipe in lithium, nickel, cobalt batteries. Which just happen to be the best chemistry for todays EV storage.
We keep addressing ‘range anxiety’ instead of ways to work around it. While people are eager for an ‘all up round’ (a car with an integrated battery pack), the idea of a swappable battery system is much more feasible. I drive my Georgetown Class A between 500 and 660 miles in a day (average speed of advance over a 12 hour driving day is 55 MPH, with the cruise set at 65 MPH). We generally have to stop for fuel every four hours, and that takes about 20 minutes per cycle. Ample has a similar system, that swaps out the battery pack, and it is done in an automated garage (think the “Suit Up” scene in Iron Man). You put a battery system like this in an RV (which would allow fully enclosed underbelly like a diesel pusher) and you get the same range of a current RV with the benefit of stopping every few hours to ‘stretch your legs’. A swappable system also allows local charging of batteries with local renewables (wind in Texas, solar in Nevada, tidal in Oregon).
Did you crack open your whiskey stick?
Why do you always ridicule things that could make the world a better place? Are you such a ‘stick in the mud’ that new ideas and innovation frighten you?
What a sad life you must have.
Have you ever looked into the pollution caused in creating your pollution free vehicle? Do you think electricity is going to stay anywhere near reasonable after they get a large number (GREATER THAN 50*) of vehicles on road converted to electric? An example, diesel (a byproduct of gasoline) was dirt cheap until diesel engine autos started to become noticeable. Now diesel is higher than gas. Happy Trails
Now you’re not supposed to bring up history, that’s a no no in school today. Don’t teach anything about the past, only the future. Lol
Boy oh boy. In order to move forward, you need to look at whats behind you, yes behind you. The answer is almost never infront of you, but rather behind you. Its why our society moves forward now as a much faster pace.
You also need to recognize sarcasm, for if you do, you will “live long and prosper” Leonard Nimoy, Startrek
Spoken like a true liberal!
Use Wind in Texas, not if they have anything to say about it, look up how they are fighting climate change companies..
Wind in Texas worked very well this last winter as well as solar!
I do NOT see an electric RV or even an ALL electric vehicle in my future. As far as I’m concerned, EVs are, for MOST people, “Pie in the Sky”. Sort of like the promises that ethanol gasoline promised but never delivered (except as a give-a-way benefit program to corn farmers and a few other corporate fat cats). PARTIAL / Hybrid EVs are another story. I’ve owned two Toyota Prius vehicles over the last decade. They’ve proven in general to be VERY good vehicles and, I have ZERO worries about being stranded on the side of the road with empty batteries. In VERY LIMITED situations (mostly urban) they might work well. As far as I’m concerned, ALL Electric Vehicles are NOT “ready for prime time” and, are just another give away of taxpayer dollars that will primarily benefit a limited number of corporate fat cats looking to get rich off said taxpayer’s dollars.
Well said John.
Very well said, it would be interesting to find out how many politicians are in line to reap the profits off EVs.
I would be more likely to consider a hybrid. But, why couldn’t an RV recharge from an onboard generator?
I have asked that question before, apparently too easy. Why not alternator(s) capable of producing an amount of electricity comparable to what is being used? It seems that is already in use now on our cars and trucks, just improve it. Happy Trails
The physics doesn’t work. What you’re proposing would essentially require a perpetual motion machine that creates more energy than it uses. Doesn’t work since I actually tried to build one when I was 8 years old. It didn’t work 60 years ago, and it won’t work today.
Everybody dreams of a perpetual machine, but all the engineering know how in the world can’t come up with a workable plan, it’s a shame. Lol
Even if every current gas station had charging stations, my problem would be charging time. My older brain and body would probably not allow it today, but for many years we would drive 1200 miles straight on thru from FL to IL, in our class B. Most gas stops only took us just 20 min. off the road. Should there be an emergency, we would probably attempt it again – one sleep and one drive. Have done that for years – one reason to have bed and toilet along with you. Also, even tho we are now older, there is only one way out of FL if there is a disaster – take the bug-out machine and head NORTH. Electric would be great with proper charging infrastructure, but it is charge time that would keep me in my gasser. At one time one of our vans had 40 gallons on board so technically we could make it with one gas stop.
The whole “Clean Energy” scheme is a scam. Ask the “Working” people within the elect. power industry, not the politicians, it’s a joke given current and expected technology.
They said the same thing about flying, space travel and Dick Tracy style watches. Yet, we have them all… Solar and wind are the fastest growing energy sector, and are only being held back in areas where for-profit energy companies lobby (there’s those pesky politicians….) state legislatures to protect their ‘investments’ (which were paid off years ago, and now just go to stockholders and Executive Compensation). You should learn more about the subject, and I’d recommend you start with “Undecided with Matt Ferrell“, who has an excellent YouTube series on emerging technology, and covers the Cost/Benefits arguments in depth.
I’m with you Jeff. Some people are just slow or fear to grasp the future because of some of the bs you touched on.
The difinition of solar and wind by the US Gov’t is labeled “unreliable energy”. Guess why, well by the govts own data, avgs… solar is generated 7 hours a day, and wind 6 hours a day. Last time i looked at my Dick Tracey watch, there was 24 hours in a day.
Please stop passing along this nonsense. Fact, electricity in the EU, where those clowns sold them that bill of goods is….wait for it……3 1/2 times the cost of electric than in the US. It doesn’t work. Stop this nonsense.
Look, if you want to talk facts, we can, but to just go off and say we’re being held back, thats poppycock nonsense. See EU…. the whole continent is a mess now, because they decided to buy nat gas from a dictator, because the idiots thought wind and solar was the answer, and shut down (see Germany) their nuclear generation.
Okay, Billy Bob – if this is true, please do like I do and CITE YOUR SOURCES.
If you can’t prove what you said, with a link to the study or ‘government study’, then you are just spouting more negativity. The free-market is moving towards renewables, not because of ‘mandates’, but because they are cheaper, they are socially responsible and they have the lowest pollution risk in the long-term.
Also, the EU buys Russian CNG because OIL COMPANIES and POLITICIANS have pushed it as a ‘bridge’ to renewables. Basically, allowing oil companies to keep sucking at the teet of their reserves, and keeping our society on their hooks.
Source?
Ok, lets review; “Free Market”… tax credits granted by US taxpayers to purchase an EV, solar on your roof, etc…is not FREE MARKET by definition (see US tax code). You see Jeff, free market would be more like, spend your own money, not be subsidized by other taxpayers, if you want to freely purchase an EV, or plaster your roof with panels.
Now, onto the EU. See Germany for starters, they shut down almost entirely their nuclear generation capability under the ruler Merkel. This is readily available information (see nuclear plants closed in Germany). Also, it was told to Germany, it not be wise to become dependent on nat gas supplied by the Ruskies, they didnt listen. France is the exception.
Lets take solar, as the low hanging fruit first. On avg. Its DARK, 12 hours a day. Generation, when studied, disclosed 7 productive hours, you know clouds, things like that occur, which causes low or no appreciable output. Wind, well is just that wind, sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesnt.
Now to the 3.5 multiple. See avg. Costs of electric by country. Hope that helps. I could suggest you provide imperical data to counter, but i won’t.