this post was submitted on 23 Oct 2023
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I have an EV and so does my wife, we road trip all the time, the biggest issue is recharging times. Sitting 30 mins for a charge is fine every couple hours, but those level 2 chargers and slow DC chargers just kill all momentum on a road trip. Electrify America has decent chargers, and the most up to date ones work better than the last generation, but neither car can take their top speed charging, if they did it would be a much better experience.
Well, a lot of the chargers also can't charge the ioniq5 and the like at their full rates. So that is indeed a mess. But it is also the kind of mess that gets resolved over time as there is a bigger emphasis on "plug in while you go shopping" rather than dedicated locations.
Which gets back to the fundamental disconnect. People think of it in terms of going to a gas station and staring at the display while you debate if it is worth getting back in your car. When it really should be about 5-20 minutes here and 5-20 minutes there.
Its still going to be a disruption relative to stopping for gas and then flooring it for another 8 hours. But... my ass is old and that is a good recipe to have massive blood clots in my legs. Similarly, friends who can put up with children will always be on the lookout for a playground or a sit down restaurant. And, in terms of range, stuff like the ioniq5 and subaru soltera are more or less in that sweet spot of "stop at lunch, charge up, stop at a hotel and then get dinner at your destination" model. Combine that with 5 minutes here or there to increase margins and take a piss and it really isn't that different than a road trip for people who don't still think they are in their early 20s and trying to go 800 miles on a weekend trip.
Just based on build quality and reputation, I'd take a Subaru Solterra over even the highest-end Tesla any day. I live in Minnesota, and my bigger concern about Teslas is the lack of ground clearance. If I can get out of the snow bank in the ditch, I don't need my car's heating system to last 12 hours.
Would strongly suggest NOT buying a '23 Solterra. For some unfathomable reason, Subaru decided that you don't need a rear windshield wiper. Which means you are completely blind if you are driving on a mountain row in the snow/slush and so forth. ioniq5 has the same problem.
But yeah. You have solid build quality and a frame that is heavily based on tried and true designs. Versus something where the build quality is so bad that you need to be careful if it rains...
I won't be buying one for quite a while. I'm driving my 2021 Crosstrek with a manual transmission until it dies and I can't reasonably repair it anymore. It's the first new car I've ever had, it's my first manual transmission car, and I'm not giving it up for anything besides another of the same in a newer model. (and unfortunately, it looks like manuals are getting phased out throughout the market)
(Edit to add: I would be sorely tempted by a BRZ though.)
What's wrong with your side mirrors? They probably removed it to increase the range... wipers are notorious for creating significant drag even if they're on the rear.
Most vehicles don't have a rear wiper... some don't even have a rear window at all.
Many (most?) vehicles at least have those defrosting wires in the rear windshield to help improve visibility.
And for most driving, that is fine. People barely use their rear view mirror, let alone their sides. But when you are driving on a mountain road with slush and snow flying everywhere and frost on every surface of your car? You have a massive blind spot behind you (moreso if your side mirrors are frosted or sludged over) and now have to assume there is someone riding your bumper every time you decide how much you have to slow down into a curve and so forth.
I totally was not surprised to see the ioniq5 get rid of them because "Aerodynamics mean your rear window never gets dirty!". Subaru actually make SUVs for people who do sports (whether you are a lesbian soccer mom or a climber spending a weekend at the crag) and should know better.
You will not have that problem with Tesla though. All chargers are 150kW+.
Yeah right, and they are a big problem. I haven’t encountered a single V1 super charger in Europe after 4 years.
I have only ever seen one in the US and it was surrounded by V2 and V3.
That's not true, there are level 1 and level 2 chargers for Tesla on top of the DC chargers.