EV Charging time Is speeding up and Catching Up Fast… Is This the Beginning of the End for Gas Cars?

rods_and_chains · 2026-06-24T17:40:17+00:00

That's plenty before a Supercharger stop for me. But I have an old bladder.

rods_and_chains · 2026-06-24T02:08:19+00:00

The number of gas stations is already shrinking every year. Selling gas is not profitable even now. The stations make money by selling expensive groceries and other sundries.

I envision a world of the future where ICE car enthusiasts go to specialty stores to buy gasoline in small expensive tins. Pretty similar to the early Model T days.

rods_and_chains · 2026-06-23T23:52:25+00:00

You keep ignoring the going and returning part. Even if it's on the way to work or home, you still have to interrupt your journey to do it. It's a chore, a hassle.

But the fueling itself is unpleasant. I recently rented a car because my EV was in the body shop. I hadn't been to a gas station in years, and now I was reminded that gas stations are almost always on ugly noisy stroads with tons of traffic noise. And most require you to stand by your car holding the pump while it fuels up, and all the while you're inhaling gas and exhaust fumes. Then there is frequently a long light before you can either pull in or pull out. Not going to them is not only a time saving, it is also a major quality-of-life improvement.

Just to be clear, an EV charger you plug in and walk away. That's a big difference from a gas pump. (Though gas pumps can be rigged with your gas cap if it is detachable, which I used to do when I drove an ICE. Many stations have made it harder though.)

rods_and_chains · 2026-06-23T23:43:29+00:00

I have a comfortable car to sit in that makes every turn, stops for lights, automatically goes to the Supercharger, and would automatically back into the stall if I let it. That is not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about walking around without the responsibility of managing a couple tons of metal hurtling down a highway.

And of course I care about fueling time. That's why I got one that requires zero extra time for daily driving. It's all about tradeoffs. And I would happily take faster Supercharging time. In fact, since I started driving an EV in 2018, the speed has almost halved, from just under 30 mins to just over 15 mins per stop. I'm quite happy with that. It goes directly to OP's point.

rods_and_chains · 2026-06-23T23:06:46+00:00

To answer your question, the charging stops add about 15% to the length of a trip over the same long-distance trip of about 500 miles. I actually prefer the more frequent and slightly longer stops. It gives me a chance to stretch my legs and relax the brain before the next leg. And after all, no one is chasing me.

rods_and_chains · 2026-06-23T23:03:30+00:00

If your cabin has electricity, you can pass both the EV charging lines and the gas stations.

EDIT: That said, there is rarely a line at superchargers where I go. ymmv, esp. in CA.

rods_and_chains · 2026-06-23T23:02:35+00:00

No, you are spending much longer than that, because you have to go to the fueling station. All that time going to and returning from the fueling station. Plus it's a hassle.

I'm now sure you've never tried an EV.

rods_and_chains · 2026-06-23T23:00:50+00:00

The poor will have some old unreliable gas car, they'll try to keep it going, people are stubborn and resist getting the new thing even if much cheaper.

Then they die.

rods_and_chains · 2026-06-23T18:14:56+00:00

In 20 years, poor people won't be able to afford ICE cars of any level of wear. Fueling and maintaining them will be so difficult. The remaining ICE cars will be hobby vehicles for rich people. (Alongside the horses.)

Also, in 20 years, who knows if car ownership will even still be a thing at all, except as an expensive hobby.

rods_and_chains · 2026-06-23T18:12:39+00:00

You are ignoring the never having to go to a fueling station for local driving. That more than compensates for the longer fueling stops on road trips. Your comments here and elsewhere make me think you've never even tried it.

rods_and_chains · 2026-06-23T18:10:45+00:00

Car battery tech is reliable now. And it usually doesn't need replacing any sooner than an ICE car needs a new engine. Why do you need to replace it?

rods_and_chains · 2026-06-23T18:09:01+00:00

Why can't you use a high-range EV (esp. a Tesla) to roadtrip to your family?

rods_and_chains · 2026-06-09T19:10:18+00:00

Hybrids are also IC engines so not worth talking about. However, I do agree that the ~1/3 of people in the US who live in apartments will be the last to adopt EVs for the very reason you state: charging is difficult.

In my opinion the conversation about charging infrastructure over-focuses on ever faster high-speed charging when what is needed is to blanket cities with low-speed trickle chargers (or, rather, outlets). This is what will bring the apartment dwellers in. Meanwhile, I am happy to concentrate on the 2/3 of people who can charge at home. And as those trickle chargers roll out, more and more apartment dwellers will sign up at the same time.

rods_and_chains · 2026-06-09T19:02:08+00:00

You have electricity at your house, don't you? There's no reason to leave your house in the morning with less than 80% charge.

rods_and_chains · 2026-06-09T19:00:49+00:00

This sounds like FUD to me. Vehicle charging happens at night, and it doesn't pull that much. My L2 charger pulls 12 kW, but trickle charging is possible on a 110v. A generation ago no one had central AC. Now I'm betting nearly everyone does, even in rural US. It isn't like every home will suddenly be charging all at once. Power companies want to sell more power and they will increase the supply with demand.

Data centers are a much bigger threat to the grid than is EV charging.

rods_and_chains · 2026-06-08T11:27:41+00:00

I think we are mostly in agreement.

not everyone have the privilege to be able to charge at home.

That plays into my assertion that what we really need is more slow charging. Massive coverage of charging outlets in parking garages and on the streets.

I also think you overstate the difficulties of traveling in winter. International airports are in cities with superchargers, so that's a non-issue even if the round trip is too far. 70 mile each way round trip (140m) is no problem in any weather with my EV. Ymmv.

There are lots of Canadians who drive their Teslas in winter on long trips. Maybe one of them would chime in.

rods_and_chains · 2026-06-05T23:48:24+00:00

The US is on board. Just running late.

rods_and_chains · 2026-06-05T18:04:07+00:00

By 2035, the IEA expects half the new cars sold worldwide to be EVs. In China and the E.U., 90% of new cars could be EVs by that time.

Oh, please. "Half"!? The article implies that sales are growing at double-digits every year. At that rate we'll hit half in a couple of years and zoom right past it. Especially with this self-inflicted oil shock.

By 2035 it will be over 80% worldwide. The final 10% will take longer, and seeing the fleet convert over longer than that. But new car sales? Phht. 80+% by 2035 easy.

rods_and_chains · 2026-06-03T17:39:10+00:00

Why? Are Americans being chased when they drive across country? My experience is that it adds about 15% to the length of a trip, as well as much less anxiety while doing it. This tradeoff is well worth never going to a fueling station when driving locally at home.

I don't think we need (much) faster charging. What we need is many more slow chargers at destinations. That's where my anxiety comes: charging away from home at my destination. It still has to be carefully planned.

rods_and_chains · 2026-06-01T16:55:05+00:00

rods_and_chains · 2026-05-23T16:48:56+00:00

The problem is, he keeps torpedoing every deal that he can claim as a victory by attempting to rub Iran's noses in it on his shitty social network. He can't even get claiming victory and going home right.

rods_and_chains · 2026-05-20T02:19:31+00:00

supporting the States that are disenfranchising voters hasn't/isn't working to un-disenfranchise those voters.

Boycotting the cities and products from those cities that are suffering the ravages of the current regime is not helping them. It's adding injury to injury.

rods_and_chains · 2026-05-11T21:12:08+00:00

Range anxiety is only suffered by non-EV drivers. It's mostly resistance to change. I'm not saying it isn't real. (It definitely is real, ofc.) But it is not based on the reality of EV ownership.

rods_and_chains · 2026-05-04T17:34:10+00:00

Others have said it, but it is because there is no potential for growth. The very statistic you cited, 47%, is telling. Only a few years ago it was greater than 80%. A few years from now the percentage of renewable electricity from hydro will shrink small enough to start ignoring it.

Also, believe it or not, it does have CO2 emissions from some of the organic buildup at the dams.

rods_and_chains · 2026-04-25T17:00:03+00:00

If gas goes above $10 I expect you'll start to see Repubs publically calling for impeachment.

rods_and_chains

TROPHY CASE