{"id":49108,"date":"2023-05-08T00:03:32","date_gmt":"2023-05-08T04:03:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=49108"},"modified":"2023-05-08T00:03:32","modified_gmt":"2023-05-08T04:03:32","slug":"americans-insist-on-300-miles-of-ev-range-theyre-right","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=49108","title":{"rendered":"Americans insist on 300 miles of EV range. They\u2019re right &#8211; Autoblog"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Americans love a good <a class=\"injectedLinkmain\" href=\"https:\/\/www.autoblog.com\/tag\/road+trips\/\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:0;\">road trip<\/a>. There\u2019s nothing better than packing up your stuff, turning up the music, and just \u2014 driving. For more than a century, summertime dreams have been fueled by\u00a0the limitless possibilities of a full tank of gas.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That same \u201clive free or die\u201d mentality has also made the U.S., until recently, slower to adopt <a class=\"injectedLinkmain\" href=\"https:\/\/www.autoblog.com\/electric\/\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:1;\">electric cars<\/a>. The open road is freedom, and the need to frequently stop and charge an intrusion. Last year, plug-in vehicles made up less than 8% of new-car sales in the US \u2014 far behind <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bnef.com\/insights\/30909\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:2;\">Europe\u2019s 32% EV adoption rate<\/a>\u00a0and <a class=\"injectedLinkmain\" href=\"https:\/\/www.autoblog.com\/tag\/china\/\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:3;\">China<\/a>\u2019s 30% uptake.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>These places got a head start in part by embracing tiny EVs with small <a class=\"injectedLinkmain\" href=\"https:\/\/www.autoblog.com\/tag\/battery\/\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:4;\">batteries<\/a> and limited range. By contrast, a survey conducted last year by\u00a0<em>Bloomberg Green<\/em> found that fewer than 10% of U.S. respondents would settle for anything less than 200 miles of range. More <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2023-03-09\/average-range-for-us-electric-cars-reached-a-record-291-miles#xj4y7vzkg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:5;\">recent number-crunching<\/a> on ranges for EVs sold in the U.S. found that:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p>Americans are demanding the longest ranges in the world, roughly a third more than the global average.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>The average EV range is on the cusp of exceeding 300 miles, a key psychological barrier.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Many have been quick to wag their fingers at this quintessential American excess. The average U.S. commute is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.census.gov\/newsroom\/press-releases\/2021\/one-way-travel-time-to-work-rises.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:6;\">55 miles a day<\/a>, the thinking goes, so why the need for so many more miles? But America\u2019s EV exceptionalism reflects a more nuanced understanding of range limitations than consumers are typically given credit for.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\">What affects EV range? A lot\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Americans spend more time in their cars than drivers in any other country. U.S. road travel totals about 4 trillion miles a year, or roughly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bts.gov\/statistical-products\/surveys\/national-household-travel-survey-daily-travel-quick-facts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:7;\">14,500 miles per person<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 a third more than any other country. That makes range anxiety particularly acute for Americans, whose access to charging networks is still limited. For new EV buyers, figuring out how much range is really needed can be complicated.<\/p>\n<p>The problem is that a car rated for 250 miles of range doesn\u2019t actually provide 250 miles of reliable range. The number drops when you turn on the heater or air conditioning, or drive in the rain or against a strong wind. Sudden stops and frequent <a class=\"injectedLinkmain\" href=\"https:\/\/www.autoblog.com\/tag\/brakes\/\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:8;\">braking<\/a> also eat up mileage. So does driving over 60 miles per hour, loading the car with passengers and luggage, or using a ski or <a class=\"injectedLinkmain\" href=\"https:\/\/www.autoblog.com\/article\/best-bike-racks\/\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:9;\">bike rack<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"grp-half\" src=\"https:\/\/o.aolcdn.com\/images\/dims3\/GLOB\/legacy_thumbnail\/800x600\/format\/jpg\/quality\/85\/https:\/\/s.aolcdn.com\/os\/ab\/_cms\/2023\/05\/04152133\/Screenshot-2023-05-04-at-3.13.20-PM.png\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Even under perfect conditions, drivers can\u2019t count on all of those rated miles. Just like with a gasoline tank, running a battery down to empty risks leaving you stranded, so it\u2019s important to hold some miles in reserve. Most batteries also aren\u2019t meant to be charged to the max \u2014 <a class=\"injectedLinkmain\" href=\"https:\/\/www.autoblog.com\/tesla\/\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:10;\">Tesla<\/a>, for example, recommends topping off at no more than 90% for daily charging. Finally, car buyers who plan to hold onto their vehicle for many years will have to anticipate battery degradation over time, which is accelerated for smaller batteries.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>All of these factors together can easily reduce the usable range on a 250-mile battery down to 90 miles.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>On its face, 90 miles seems like it should be plenty to cover the average day for most drivers. But plenty of days aren\u2019t average: the times you forget to plug your car in at night, or lose power, or unexpectedly need to run extra errands or check in with a friend on the other side of town.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Well, one might ask, isn\u2019t that what public <a class=\"injectedLinkmain\" href=\"https:\/\/www.autoblog.com\/dodge\/charger\/\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:11;\">chargers<\/a> are for?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A little quirk of EV charging is that it\u2019s typically much<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/graphics\/electric-vehicles\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:12;\">\u00a0faster to add a few miles of charge to a big battery<\/a>\u00a0than to a smaller one. That\u2019s because longer-range batteries are made with materials better suited to fast charging. Also, once a battery is half full, the charging rate begins to slow, so smaller batteries spend less time adding miles at their maximum charge rate.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>What this all means is that 10 minutes at a highway charger might add 160 miles of driving to a long-range\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/graphics\/electric-vehicles\/rating\/kia-ev6-wind-rwd\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:13;\">Kia EV6<\/a>, but just 32 miles to a base <a class=\"injectedLinkmain\" href=\"https:\/\/www.autoblog.com\/nissan\/leaf\/\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:14;\">Nissan Leaf<\/a>. Drivers have to plan their pit stops accordingly.<\/p>\n<p>Experienced EV owners learn how to extend the range on long drives \u2014 by keeping their coats zipped and their heaters on low while driving in cold weather, for example, or slowing to 60 miles per hour on the highway instead of 75 when stretching to make it to the next charge. But mass adoption of long-range EVs requires fewer of these compromises.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\">The technological case for range<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Some argue that, given the world&#8217;s stretched battery supply, carmakers should prioritize smaller EVs or plug-in hybrids. The rationale is that we should dole out what we\u2019ve got to the largest number of vehicles possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But this battery-maximizing strategy rests on the myth that supplies can\u2019t grow any faster, a notion debunked by a century of mass manufacturing. Sure, it usually takes 2 to 3 years for a new battery plant to hit its stride \u2014 and up to a decade to plan and develop new mines for essential minerals like lithium and nickel. But when demand is high enough, capitalism finds a way, and profits from batteries in 2023 are just too massive to keep progressing at a 2013 pace.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"grp-half\" src=\"https:\/\/o.aolcdn.com\/images\/dims3\/GLOB\/legacy_thumbnail\/800x475\/format\/jpg\/quality\/85\/https:\/\/s.aolcdn.com\/os\/ab\/_cms\/2023\/05\/04152256\/Screenshot-2023-05-04-at-3.15.10-PM.png\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Right now, miners and refiners of key battery minerals are boosting capacity at their existing plants and opening new operations worldwide at the fastest rate in history. In the U.S. alone, more than $58 billion was invested in the battery supply chain in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bnef.com\/insights\/31171\/view\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:15;\">eight months through March<\/a>. The battery supply chain is expanding like a tidal wave, triggered by an earthquake of demand.<\/p>\n<p>Another way battery supplies are growing is with range-expanding battery chemistries that increase output using the same amount of key materials. For instance, a new <a class=\"injectedLinkmain\" href=\"https:\/\/www.autoblog.com\/article\/best-power-generators\/\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:16;\">generation<\/a> of battery suppliers are adding increasing amounts of silicon to the anode, which is the part of the battery responsible for storing lithium electrons after a charge. This simple tweak can instantly boost range by 20%.<\/p>\n<p>That means the same Panasonic or LG Chem factory that was designed to build enough battery cells for 100,000 cars might suddenly accommodate 120,000 \u2014 with no major changes to the factory itself or the critical minerals it uses. These high-silicon anodes will make their debut in luxury long-range vehicles,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2023-04-04\/a-new-class-of-long-range-ev-batteries-heads-to-production\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:17;\">like the 2025 Mercedes G-Wagon<\/a>, but they should eventually increase vehicle range and reduce costs across the entire industry.<\/p>\n<p>This pattern is typical of successful technologies, from cell phones to solar panels. Innovation starts in high-end markets, and over time economies of scale bring it to the masses. In this way, U.S. range enthusiasts can be a driving force in reducing battery costs globally.<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\">The environmental case for range<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Another argument against big batteries is that they add to the significant environmental cost of EV manufacturing. Giant EVs like the 400-mile-range Chevy Silverado pickup coming later this year have roughly the same lifetime environmental footprint as a gasoline-powered <a class=\"injectedLinkmain\" href=\"https:\/\/www.autoblog.com\/honda\/civic\/\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:18;\">Honda Civic<\/a>, according to<a href=\"https:\/\/www.carboncounter.com\/#!\/explore\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:19;\">\u00a0EV researchers<\/a>\u00a0at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In other words: If everyone <a class=\"injectedLinkmain\" href=\"https:\/\/www.autoblog.com\/car-values\/\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:20;\">trades in<\/a> their small internal combustion engines for giant EVs, we won\u2019t be making much environmental progress.<\/p>\n<p\/>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"grp-half\" src=\"https:\/\/o.aolcdn.com\/images\/dims3\/GLOB\/legacy_thumbnail\/800x450\/format\/jpg\/quality\/85\/https:\/\/s.aolcdn.com\/os\/ab\/_cms\/2023\/05\/04152527\/Screenshot-2023-05-04-at-3.16.41-PM.png\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>But few consumers are trading in <a class=\"injectedLinkmain\" href=\"https:\/\/www.autoblog.com\/honda\/civic\/\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:21;\">Civics<\/a> for Silverados, or <a class=\"injectedLinkmain\" href=\"https:\/\/www.autoblog.com\/volkswagen\/jetta\/\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:22;\">Volkswagen Jettas<\/a> for <a class=\"injectedLinkmain\" href=\"https:\/\/www.autoblog.com\/ford\/f_150\/\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:23;\">Ford F-150<\/a> Lightnings. If America\u2019s suburban cowboys can\u2019t be convinced to give up their pickups, they might as well take the combustion engines out of them. Look across any Walmart parking lot in America and imagine if every giant SUV and <a class=\"injectedLinkmain\" href=\"https:\/\/www.autoblog.com\/truck\/\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:24;\">truck<\/a> were replaced with a fuel-efficient <a class=\"injectedLinkmain\" href=\"https:\/\/www.autoblog.com\/toyota\/corolla\/\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:25;\">Toyota Corolla<\/a>. That\u2019s the scale of environmental achievement inherent to long-range EVs. And the environmental savings will only increase as batteries get more efficient and more of the grid runs on renewable energy sources.<\/p>\n<p>Another thing to consider is the wonder of <a class=\"injectedLinkmain\" href=\"https:\/\/www.autoblog.com\/tag\/battery+recycling\/\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:26;\">battery recycling<\/a>. Although recycling efforts for lithium-ion batteries are still in their infancy, that\u2019s only because few electric cars have reached the end of their usable life. Recycling EV batteries is profitable business, and roughly 95% of the critical minerals can be recovered. Anyone who buys an EV today can expect that most of their battery will be made from newly mined materials at a not-insignificant environmental cost. But anyone who buys an EV today can also expect those materials to be eventually recycled into someone else\u2019s EV.<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>Better off walking<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>To be clear: There are plenty of Americans for whom smaller cars, and smaller batteries, are sublime. Those vehicles can be perfect for short city commutes in temperate California, for example. Also, more people should absolutely be riding bikes, walking and using public transportation. If American cities did more to accommodate these things, we\u2019d all be healthier and happier for it.<\/p>\n<p>But walkable cities are not what the average freedom-loving American is thinking about when in the market for a new electric car. The top concern for most consumers is how much range is needed to accommodate their lifestyle \u2014 and how much they can afford.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>To that end, the big-battery boom is working: As the U.S. approaches its 300-mile range standard, EV adoption is starting to climb faster than in other large markets (boosted in part by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2023-04-17\/gm-tesla-and-ford-evs-will-be-the-only-cars-eligible-for-7-500-us-tax-credit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-ylk=\"elm:context_link;itc:0;pos:1;sec:donut-hole;cpos:27;\">subsidies in the Inflation Reduction Act<\/a>). This year, sales are set to increase by 73%, according to the latest estimate by BloombergNEF. That growth rate is more than twice as fast as China and more than four times faster than Europe.<\/p>\n<p>Consumers aren\u2019t dumb. It isn\u2019t ignorance about how much we drive that\u2019s preventing Americans from choosing lower-range cars. In fact, it\u2019s knowledge about how deeply reliant we\u2019ve become on our vehicles that pushes Americans to demand so much range.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related video:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><style><![CDATA[.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }]]><\/style>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"embed-container\">\n <lite-youtube videoid=\"UCxptwu21w8\" data-thumbnail=\"\"\/>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Americans love a good road trip. There\u2019s nothing better than packing up your stuff, turning up the music, and just \u2014 driving. For more than a century, summertime dreams have been fueled by\u00a0the limitless possibilities of a full tank of gas.\u00a0 That same \u201clive free or die\u201d mentality has also made the U.S., until recently, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":49109,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=49108"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49108\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/49109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=49108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=49108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=49108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}