Acceptable: FGHIJM
Unacceptable: That no QC exists within range at any price
Suppose we set out on the freeway in either a Leaf, a 50 MPG Prius, or an average 21 MPG mid-size car. Gas is $4.30/gallon. Home electricity is $0.10/KWh. Leaf has a usable battery capacity of 21 KWh, of which we're willing to use 19 KWh. At the destination we'll stay long enough to recharge fully at L2 for the return. We'll drive at 65 MPH, getting 3.6 mi/KWh in the Leaf. (I've seen better than this, but let's conservatively use the numbers in Tony's range chart.) En route recharging will be from 30% to 80% charge, taking 15 minutes at an NRG station at a cost of $7, or taking 30 minutes at Tony's Option J reduced power station at a cost of $12.50.
If we drive only 68 miles then we arrive with 2 KWh remaining and need no quick charge. With a single quick charge we add 10.5 KWh of energy, or 38 miles of range. So with one quick charge we can go 106 miles. With 4 quick charges we can go 220 miles.
Which car we'd take on the trip and which we'd leave in the garage depends on how far we're going, how much the quick charge costs, and how quick is the quick charge. Rounding one-way trip cost to nearest dollar and to nearest quarter hour, trips are summarized in the table below. The first column shows the trip distance. The second column shows the cost in money and time to make the trip in a Prius. The third column (AMS) is an average mid-size ICE car. The fourth is a Leaf, recharging as needed at NRG quick charge stations. The fifth is a Leaf, recharging as needed at Tony's Option J stations.
Code:
Miles Prius AMS NRG TJ
68 $5 $13 $2 $2
1hr 1hr 1hr 1hr
106 $10 $23 $9 $14
1.75hr 1.75hr 2hr 2.25hr
220 $23 $54 $30 $42
3.5hr 3.5hr 4.5hr 5.5hr
68 mi - 0 QC's
Drive the Leaf
no-brainer
106 mi - 1 QC at NRG
Drive the Leaf, leave the Prius at home
cheaper, with one short refreshment break
106 mi - 1 half-quick charge at Tony's option J
Drive the Leaf, leave the ICE at home
cheaper, with one medium refreshment break
Drive the Leaf, leave the Prius at home
Costs $4 more and you've got to take one medium break
but you get to drive the Leaf!
220 mi - 4 QC at NRG
Maybe drive the Leaf, leave the ICE at home
Leaf is $12 less expensive, but 1 hr longer trip
Drive the Prius, leave the Leaf at home
Leaf is $7 more expensive and takes 1 hour longer
220 mi - 4 half-quick charge at Tony's option J
Drive the ICE, leave the Leaf at home
ICE is $12 more expensive but saves 2 hours