That gave me pause too. My tank takes me 550-600 km on the highway, so at first that seemed sort of a dumb goalpost.
With a little reflection I don't think it's entirely dumb, but I think it really needs to explain itself.
I don't go nearly 500km in a single trip normally, so I'd have a chance to recharge my car regularly... usually. But I'm driving out of town in two weeks, and it's more than 500km away - I have to refuel, and I really don't want to camp for two-to-four hours at a highway service station.
For that long trip, what I need isn't a 1000-mile tank (or battery) - what I need is relatively quick "refueling" (recharging), which is possibly the biggest strength of liquid and gas fuels. A 1000-mile tank (or battery) is a "rocket equation" type problem - the bigger the capacity, the heavier it is, regardless of how efficient it is. And the heavier it is, the less efficient your vehicle is.
That's one of the other big strengths of liquid and gas fuels - as you burn them up, your vehicle gets lighter and more efficient; electric cars are unfortunately just as heavy whether you're fully charged or on your last gasp.
That said, it doesn't need to be as fast as pumping gas. I'd happily settle for a 30m "fast charge" on the highway; it's an excuse to get lunch and go for a quick walk, or grab a short nap.
(no subject)
Date: 2014-07-03 09:03 pm (UTC)With a little reflection I don't think it's entirely dumb, but I think it really needs to explain itself.
I don't go nearly 500km in a single trip normally, so I'd have a chance to recharge my car regularly... usually. But I'm driving out of town in two weeks, and it's more than 500km away - I have to refuel, and I really don't want to camp for two-to-four hours at a highway service station.
For that long trip, what I need isn't a 1000-mile tank (or battery) - what I need is relatively quick "refueling" (recharging), which is possibly the biggest strength of liquid and gas fuels. A 1000-mile tank (or battery) is a "rocket equation" type problem - the bigger the capacity, the heavier it is, regardless of how efficient it is. And the heavier it is, the less efficient your vehicle is.
That's one of the other big strengths of liquid and gas fuels - as you burn them up, your vehicle gets lighter and more efficient; electric cars are unfortunately just as heavy whether you're fully charged or on your last gasp.
That said, it doesn't need to be as fast as pumping gas. I'd happily settle for a 30m "fast charge" on the highway; it's an excuse to get lunch and go for a quick walk, or grab a short nap.