Counter argument to charge time naysayers

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OldManCan

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 19, 2021
Messages
300
Just occurred to me this morning. Since I got my LEAF last December I drove about 4500 miles which would equate to about 15 gas station fill ups in my old ICE vehicle. 15 x ~5 minutes per fill = 75 minutes give or take. Over the course of this year I expect I will be saving at least 4 to 5 hours of my life not spending time watching the gallon counter at the gas pump.

I charge exclusively at home on my L2 unless I'm going somewhere far where I can't come back on one charge. Yes I will spend a little more time on the DCFC chargers when I have one of those longer distance drives and many naysayers seem to focus on those experiences compared to the positive reality.

If you net it all I will actually still be spending less time charging my EV compared to my time spent filling up my ICE under comparable use case and pattern.

Probably a silly post since this is so obvious but it just occurred to me. It will be fun to take this angle next time a friend/colleague/family member starts to berate me about how EVs are not ready for prime time because of time spent at the charger... Its all about the big picture!
 
Yes it seems rationally obvious but it's one of the perks that you just don't fully appreciate until you've got an EV.
 
Excellent point. Not only the time saved at the pump, and the BTEX inhaled at the pump, but for me the 10 minutes out of the way to get to a station. And we are mostly solar, with a system that paid off years ago, so mostly free juice.
 
The damned 12 volt loss of charge issue definitely detracts from the enjoyment of just plugging in at home, but I've finally - for the first time since the days of my 2013 SV - got a maintainer battery lead relocated to the inside of the charge port compartment, and a maintainer charge lead hanging where the charging cable hangs, so I can just plug the two in together when I charge.

If you follow suit, folks, be warned that there is some seriously tough steel under the plastic (there is a double wall) between and below the charge ports, so go well above them, and verify what's there first by reaching behind the ports. What should have been a 20 minute job took me 90 minutes...
 
Funny, but off topic. The original 12 V battery my white Leaf is still working normally. No special TLC at all. 8.6 years old.
 
Awesome to hear 12V doing well after all that time. I’m not worried about mine too much. I carry a jump starter battery block and if the 12V dies I’ll get myself sorted out. On another note I only charge when I need to. I don’t connect to charge every night and disconnect in the morning when charging has occurred. I hope the 12V will be ok for a while but if it goes then I’ll just change it to something better fitting with the charge / discharge patterns.
 
Another advantage in cold climates, and maybe extremely hot/humid ones, is not standing out in the cold hot for the time spent filling up. One of the most miserable things in our winters is standing out in the cold wind getting hit by -30F windchills while holding onto a cold gas nozzle. So much nicer to plug the car in, in an above-freezing garage out of the wind, As we basically never use QC and plugging in at a free J1772 connector out and about only takes seconds, the time savings is also big for us.
 
Right!!! My simplistic math did not factor in the time it takes to get to a gas station and the occasional wait at the pump then they are backed up. Also the emissions and cold/hot weather exposure saving is big. These are all very valid positive aspects of EV ownership. Thanks for sharing. I am now much better equipped for the next round of ICE head debate... :D
 
Wow, this is an advantage to EV ownership that I've never highlighted as a selling point. Especially never having to stand a gas pump during a snow storm.
 
It's also a lifesave for anyone like me who tends to postpone a gasoline purchase at the end of a hard day, only to head to work or important meeting the next morning and realize a petrol stop is now mandatory! :evil:
 
I do like your reasoning. Here's my counter-counter reply, slightly off-topic. We have a Leaf and a Tesla 3. We bought a house in St Augustine - about 6 hours away. We drove down twice to buy the house. Or actually, the sandbox that will eventually be a house. We've never minded the Supercharging times. We're old, and enjoy the break. But it was adding 2 hours, each way. That started to annoy me. And we have 3 more trips, for build meetings. I feel like a traitor for saying this, but we may rent an ICE for those next trips. We don't have a charger where we are staying in Jax, so everything is a drive to a Supercharger.
This is the 230mi Tesla. We don't do a lot of road trips, normally, and I'm not sure if the next one, with a bigger, pricier battery, will be an improvement. It's all a trade-off. And when I drive the 150mi Leaf down there - I'll be stopping to charge at every Nissan dealer along the way. Below Atlanta, there are few. But all but one is under 85mi. And the one that is 106mi has a ChargePoint, midway.
(we've never used anything but home charging for our cars. The Leaf never leaves town, and the Tesla only Supercharges on road trips. I'll set up an account for the Leaf before I head south)
Happy Motoring, all!
 
Here's another benefit that just popped up... Given the rise in gas prices, it appears that there is a rise in gas theft as well. I saw this on a FB group related to the area I live in... Yes it may take a little longer to "fill up my tank" but you're not going to be able to drill a hole in it to steal the "juice"! :D

PS. Add that to the "no catalytic converter to steal" column...
 

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You forgot 1 thing... when you wake up and jump in the car... only to remember that you "were going to plug it in after dinner".... :)
 
Jopldangla said:
You forgot 1 thing... when you wake up and jump in the car... only to remember that you "were going to plug it in after dinner".... :)

Of course a serious challenge... I have so far avoided having this happen but it is a possibility. I recall Tesla was showing off some robotic charge arm at some point for home installations. You drive in and the robotic arm comes out and plugs into your car. That would be a nice add to future cars & EVSE contraptions. Maybe something like the terminals under the slot cars (toys)...
 
OldManCan said:
Jopldangla said:
You forgot 1 thing... when you wake up and jump in the car... only to remember that you "were going to plug it in after dinner".... :)

Of course a serious challenge... I have so far avoided having this happen but it is a possibility. I recall Tesla was showing off some robotic charge arm at some point for home installations. You drive in and the robotic arm comes out and plugs into your car. That would be a nice add to future cars & EVSE contraptions. Maybe something like the terminals under the slot cars (toys)...

I have owned a leaf for a little over a year now. I use the car daily and have only had this happen once and I took my backup car, so no real issue...but I do like driving the leaf better than my Diesel truck. (especially now)
 
Same here. Owned the LEAF since December 2021 and have not had the forgotten to charge situation yet and only had the old gas guzzler once when we were going to Home Depot to get gardening supplies... Even that could have been done with the LEAF but wanted to keep it clean and also needed a reason to run the truck a little to get its 12V charged up and oil circulated etc.
 
HI All,

I agree wholeheartedly. Granted I don't have a daily commute, much less a long daily commute. But I can't help but gloat a little every time my hubby has to take his car to the gas station and wait in line and then complain about how insanely expensive gas is right now.

I really LOVE not having to hit the gas station. I've only driven ICE cars during my first 40 years of driving and I always hated the weekly stop and wait at the pump. Now I just plug in my car at home and wake up to a charged car.

Cheers,
--jan
 
OldManCan said:
Over the course of this year I expect I will be saving at least 4 to 5 hours of my life not spending time watching the gallon counter at the gas pump.

If I use your estimate, it will take me two years to earn back the time I spent installing an electrical subpanel and NEMA 14-50 outlet for my EVSE. :lol:
 
My wife and I drive from our home in Payette ID to Boise twice a week. We have to charge up to come back home. Our favorite charger is near a stream so I’m taking fishing gear with me. The wife takes books/magazines to read. We can charge and I might catch dinner. Win, win!
 
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