So, driving a small electric car with a tiny (16KWh) battery almost forces you to think about and plan every mile you intend to drive the next day. If you’re not able to complete your trip within 55 miles (round trip), choose a car with more range (e.g., a gasoline powered car). Those were my choices while I drove my 2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV. For the most part, my commute and errand runs all fit within that range, so my daily range anxiety was limited, although ever present.
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| My 2012 Mitsubishsi i-MiEV |
That all changed when a couple of unexpected things happened. First, BMW released a larger battery pack for the 2017 i3 (32KWh instead of 22KWh), which increased its driving range to over 120 miles. While I wasn’t a fan of the car’s looks, the larger battery would mean I could take the i3 to many more of the places I visit more or less each month, and fast charging would nearly double how far I could easily drive in the car. The i3 was also one of the few rear-wheel drive electric cars available when I was ready to buy. As for the second unexpected thing, a robotics startup that I had worked for ten years ago had been acquired by a larger tech company, and all the shares of stock I had been granted were now going to be worth something… enough to pay for 20% of the car. BMW was also offering a big financing incentive, so I got a loan too. I picked out a 2017 BMW i3 electric in Protonic Blue.
My 2017 BMW i3 when it was delivered
After
about a month driving the i3, I noticed that my daily range-anxiety had
dramatically diminished. I could commute
four days without recharging and have plenty of range remaining when I finally
did plug in (15-35 miles). I could drive
to work, visit my mom after work, drive home again, and still have enough
charge for the next day. What really
shocked me (ha ha) is that the BMW i3 was averaging 5.3 miles per kilowatt
hour, while I only measured 4 to 4.5 miles per KWh in the Mitsubishi
i-MiEV. On top of that, the BMW was
bigger, heavier, and more powerful, all while using less energy to propel
itself. Now the range anxiety shifted to
my monthly longer drives. I could now
drive roundtrip between San Jose and San Francisco on a single charge (75% to
80%). But the best part was finding the
DC-Fast chargers in Napa Valley, which meant I could visit all of my favorite
wineries and recharge for my trip home. The
biggest concern on my Napa trip was driving into the wind on the way home,
which really used up the charge. Even
so, I was able to make it home with more than 12 miles to spare.
By 2023,
200 to 300 miles of range had become the norm for electric cars. With that much range, many more places would
be accessible (round-trip) on a single charge, and a drive from San Jose to Los
Angeles would involve a single charging stop along the way. That kind of range nearly eliminates range anxiety
for almost all except for the few long-distance road-warriors and long-distance trailer-luggers that are probably still better served by a gasoline-powered
car.
