Q: I’ve been driving a wide range of electric vehicles since the 1990s. They include an electric scooter, various EV conversions, a high-performance single-seater Corbin Sparrow, which my wife and I used for about five years, and more.
In 2012, we purchased a Mitsubishi i-MiEV and have subsequently purchased three of these wonderful short range cars. Finally, we purchased a used 2013 Tesla MS85 for our serious long-distance driving. We crisscrossed the US and Canada and put in 60,000 miles in the first two years we had it. Our family has driven more than 200,000 miles in electric cars over the last 10 years. I am puzzled as to why not everyone now drives electric cars.
Joe Siudzinski, Los Altos Hills
A: I hereby call Joe The EV King. Today, he takes over Roadshow to share his extensive experience in electric vehicles.
Q: Invariably, the first question asked about an electric vehicle is, “How far can I drive the car to a stop before I can recharge it?”
I now realize that most people have not taken the time to assess their own driving habits and see how easily a “limited range” electric vehicle can meet most of their daily driving needs.
Why don’t people who love their electric vehicles have range anxiety? THEY PLAN AHEAD.
Before starting a trip, if the one-way distance exceeds half of your remaining round-trip range, DO NOT START THE TRIP until you have found out where you will stop to recharge the car.
There are a number of apps and websites that identify public charging stations and provide status as to their availability and reliability. My favorite is PlugShare (www.plugshare.com), which can be easily customized to show available charging stations for your car. You will be surprised by the number of public access charging stations in the Bay Area.
joe siudzinski
A: That’s good to hear.
Q: Some EV owners have dubbed their remaining range display GOM (Guess-O-Meter) due to its apparent inconsistency in range prediction. But if driving practices are consistent, terrain and temperature don’t change much, and there’s little wind, then most predictions are reasonably accurate.
joe siudzinski
A: Your experience is valuable.
Q: Really, think about it. What situations do you face where an electric car would not serve you as well, if not better, than your Hellfire Engine (ICE) polluting vehicle? I haven’t even touched on the whole concept that operating an electric car is much cheaper, quieter, smoother, more exciting, much less hassle and more satisfying than an ICE car.
joe siudzinski
A: You and so many other readers have made a very compelling case.
Find Gary Richards on Facebook.com/mr.roadshow or contact him at mrroadshow@bayareanewsgroup.com.
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