Electric Vehicles

Range may not be an issue for your use case, but it absolutely is still an issue for many. Range is certainly an issue for anyone who tows any kind of trailer. Anyone who lives in cold climates and wants heat in their car while traveling. Etc. I'll absolutely jump in on EVs when those things are no longer an issue, but I absolutely do not want a vehicle that forces me to stop for 20 min every 120 miles when I'm towing my camper somewhere.

I do not own an EV, but just thinking about larger capacity batteries, it seems like they would have these benefits:

• worry less about when to recharge. For instance you could wait until a sunny day where solar would provide the electricity
• allow longer road trips with fewer charge stops. For instance you could drive from SF to San Diego without worry.
• function as a larger cheap source of energy for your home by sending electricity back during peak grid hours.
• work better in cold climates where some of that energy goes to the heater.

That being said, I do agree that having smaller batteries would be great for price and car weight. Hopefully there will be options and we won't all be forced to buy heavier more expensive EV's when a cheaper lighter one would suit our needs.

why are there (almost) no combustion engine cars with such a range?

Because it takes 3 minutes to fill a car back up, so long range isn't needed. With a battery, it would be a much better experience to recharge at your destination rather than being forced to take a break halfway.

That range gets seriously impacted in colder climates. Maximizing range would be good for people who live in colder areas and who need it.

You also have to remember that it’s just pushing the limits on the tech. These more advanced batteries can be put into larger vehicles that would have a lower MPG equivalent than a sedan, especially something like a bus or RV. One of my wishes is to sell everything and renovate an electric blue bird and go touring in my retirement. Sure, they can scale down for most use cases, since the tech is getting denser and smaller, but scaling up can help out vehicles that are less efficient.

Unfortunately no one wants to sell things for less money than before so they will keep adding unnecessary things to claim it's better rather than making it more usable and affordable.

As a lowly apartment dweller, range matters to me. I had a Volt from 2017 to 2020. The only chargers I was aware of in my area was one at the local best buy that was frequently broken, and another at the BMW dealership that was 10 blocks away and which I only felt comfortable going to after hours so I wouldn't block their customers. I love the electric driving experience but I'm waiting for a 1,000 mile range to be available so I only have to worry about the where-do-i-charge-this-thing question once a month or so.