Yes and no. Since we have a Leaf, I can honestly say we can "get by" with the range it has now. So obviously more range would work. But given the choice of having a range extender, or more battery capacity, I'm always going to go with the range extender.

I might change my mind some day if there are DC fast charge stations all over the place.

 

With present charging infrastructure, 200 miles isn't enough, not when I want to take a spontaneous trip into the country once in a while without planning ahead and renting a car. If you have more than one car, then almost anything is enough, because you can always take the other car.

I think I said a while ago that 700 miles would be enough for me, and I still don't think that was a bad answer.

 

Consider this scenario: I have a regular gas-banging 7-seat people moving SUV. I also have a Volt. On a certain weekend, my spouse had to chauffeur and chaperone our daughter and her friends for a party, and she took the SUV because there were 5 kids. My son was to ride in his friend's car on a trip from NoVA to Baltomire to Elicott City - with several smaller internal trips - and back -- about 300 miles in all. In the last minute, the other party bailed out and I had to make that trip. No problem - I made the trip in my Volt. If it was a BEV (even the mighty Tesla), I would have had to rent or borrow a gasoline car from someone. And this is not atypical. I have had several situations where I had to go well beyond my usual range for some activity or the other, often without much advance notice. So, EREV is very critical to me. Now, if the extended range engine was some kind of fuel cell or compressed air engine, that would be better than a gasoline based EREV but as of today, and for the short-term future, an EREV like the Volt is indispensable in my situation.

 

Related to your post, I believe in the “Chevy Volt: Charging into the Future” book that came in ’11/’12 owners welcome kits, the “distant Aunt/family member” dilemma was brought up. Basically, if you received a call in the middle of the night saying your Aunt (or some close family member) had been in an accident 500 miles away, and they needed you to come ASAP, you could take the Volt and drive to your aunt without any planning necessary. A 100/200/300…even 400 mile BEV? Nope, you’re outta luck. That’s the beauty of the EREV concept. Until you can find high speed charging stations in the same frequency as a gas station, there will always be a time you will be range limited, even in a 200-300 mile BEV.

 

Yes, if the DDFC expands in my region.

Should that read "DCFC"?

Anyway... I voted this one. I think a built-out public fast-charging network, similar to where Tesla's Supercharger network will be in a few years, would be sufficient to make the occasional 200-600 mile round-trip (from the Chicago area) without too much inconvenience.

Weighing this rare and relatively-minor inconvenience against the potential benefits of eliminating everything gasoline and engine-related from a car (much more flexibility design-wise for packaging passengers and storage space, simplifying maintenance, lower center-of-gravity, etc.), and I think a 200+ mile BEV very possibly comes out on top over an EREV.

 

Should that read "DCFC"?

Couldn't edit the poll.

 

That's the thing about a 100mi or 200mi BEV. Even 200mi aren't enough.

EREV ist good because you can cover most of your drives in pure EV mode and you can drive on infinitelly.

So, if you wanted a pure BEV you'd want 350mi or more with superfastcharging network.

 

Yep - you kind of nailed it for me. There is no practical difference between a BEV with 100 miles and one with 200 miles of range. Even our Leaf with 85 miles will handle all in-town trips just fine in the DF/W area since we have 30-ish DC fast chargers. But when I want to go out of town, I'm going to need more than 100, and more than 200 miles of range. That's why I say that I'd prefer to have the range extender over 100 miles of additional battery range.

 

W/O a "SC" like charging network to include DESTINATION charging I'm not sure I want to pay for or carry around a BIG battery. I'm just at 93% all electric between my two Volt's going back to March 2012. The Gen 2 Volt will probably bump that up to 94 or 95%. Not bad for a car that cost me $24K.

The freedom to come and go as I desire is a major factor in my buying decision.

 

Assuming the 200 miles doesn't drop precipitously for 70mph highway driving, then 200 miles with DCFC.

Tesla's planned Superchargers would cover everything we do. The only significant diversion would be trips to Trenton/Bar Harbor that would likely require a diversion to Bangor for a top-up (not a full charge) on the way back.

Our most frequent "long" trip is 105 miles round trip, and then we're within 180 miles, aside from one longer trip per year.

Of course, with a "free" DCFC network and a smooth, comfortable ride, maybe we'd drive a bit more.

There are 121,446 gas stations in the USA. There are at least 6 gas stations in my city of about 15k people. We'd need 3 DCFC sites to do our expected trips. Let's give these DCFC networks some time to grow.

 

I could make substantial use of a 200-mile BEV as long as I have the Volt too. This would not be the case with a 100-mile BEV. We very often travel 50 miles south to where our daughters are in college, or 50 miles north where much of my wife's family lives. 200-miles makes these destinations possible even in colder months. Without being able to put it to use in these circumstances, the BEV wouldn't be worth it. And it could certainly never replace our EREV because we go further than that quite often too.

 

a 200 mile EV is still a city car, but at least it is a city car with less range anxiety...

 

We always end up back at the "there is no car that is perfect for everyone" situation.

What you "might" need, and what your "actual" driving habits are can be quite different.

What IF I need to drive to California right now???? Has never happened to me.

If you regularly drive over 200 miles, then the Bolt is not the right car. So buy a Volt.

If you are driving a Volt, and the only time the engine runs is to burn fuel before it goes stale, then you could most likely get by with a Bolt.

That is the real beauty of having choices!!!

Personally, a Bolt would work just fine for my home in FL. I could drive it to Key Largo, go scuba diving and drive home on a single charge, assuming that the 200 mile AER range is real and not some joke number. But until the car is on the streets and we get some real world reports, we won't really know.

My Volt is very accurate on the range estimates. When it is cold, it shows 27-28 miles and it usually makes that unless I really crank up the heat. In the summer, it shows 40-41 miles, and again, it makes that with no problems. So when we see what the Bolt can do, is when people will make their decisions.

JMHO

Jim - C-5277

 

I said yes, because that would adequately cover the Chicago metro area, and I'd like something closer to a wagon.

The poll was badly formed in my opinion as it did not include a choice for "Fine as a second, city car" I'd be adding it as a stablemate to my Volt. I don't need it for cross-country drives. Heck, in three years I have driven my Volt on 150+ mile drives exactly 3 times so my need for along distance car is small anyway. I usually fly, not drive.

 

The poll was badly formed in my opinion as it did not include a choice for "Fine as a second, city car" I'd be adding it as a stablemate to my Volt.

My thoughts exactly... how about "Yes, 200 mile EV range is fine for a second car"?

 

I still don't understand how people can call an EV with a 200 mile range a city car??? My commute is 33 miles one way. I have not used gas in my Volt since April. I don't live in a city and my commute is further than most people. I know I am not your typical person but give me 200 miles, 6.6kwh charging and option for fast charging and I will not have any range anxiety ever. Probably less anxiety than driving my Volt because of my gas anxiety.

 

In a perfect world: EREV with 200mi battery range with range extender. With overnight charging (yes, would require use of a decent charging network), one could drive 400mi/day across the countryand still exceed 100 mpg. That will be the day!

 

In a perfect world you'd also be willing to pay for such tech.

 

Right now I would consider a 200 mile BEV as a second vehicle in our household. But not as our primary.

If DCFC charging stations existed such that there was 1 DCFC station (with multiple plugs) for every 5 gas stations. Then I would consider it for a primary vehicle.

 

I have posted many times that a 200-mile BEV is perfect for me because it covers 99% of my travels per year. My average trip is less than 12 miles a day. Once a month I travel 34 miles round trip to my mother-in-law, and maybe four times a year I take a long trip or carry cargo or need to move four passengers. For these trips I already have a 2009 Equinox. So with a Bolt or other GM EV, that Equinox will be unused 360 days a year and used only four days (the fifth day is for the annual inspection trip). Where I live, any point in Puerto Rico is less than 70 miles away, so my longest round trip is 140 miles, and that same BEV can cover it.

As I also posted before, if you have to travel over 50 miles a day, you live too far! Move closer and save money in gas or electricity.

 

EREV is the way to go.

I read in an article - I can't quote precisely - that EREVs will make it, BEVs are a transitionary phase.

That comment might not be entire correct but the essential statement is that EREVs are the way to go.

 

I voted yes with fast charging infrastructure, but the real answer is that it needs to have a real-world (winter, bad-weather) 200-mile range and the fast-charging needs to be at least 30-minutes to 80% (>100kW). Basically, it needs to have range and charging capability similar to a Model S85 with adequate fast-charging infrastructure to get me practically anywhere in the continental US as well as some parts of Canada (Toronto, Montreal) without big detours to charge. So far, Tesla is the only company that has announced plans to deliver this. I hope that the Model 3 will be available for $40K and satisfy my criteria. I will be in the market for a car in 4 years or so, hopefully Tesla will get the charging infrastructure right and deliver the Model 3 that satisfies my criteria. I really hope another company does this as well, but it seems like it isn't going to happen. We shall see!

 

Longest trip I regularly make non-stop is 170 miles. During the winter, I make a lot of 120 mile round trips to the mountains. A 200 mile EV would meet those needs.

In the rare event (a few times per year) I make a 300 mile plus long trip, then I start taking rest breaks about every 2 hours during the trip. I could DCFC a 200 mile EV car during that time.

So, with a sufficient DCFC network, I could make a 200 mile EV work for me. I can travel anywhere in the continental USA with that. However, range anxiety goes down quickly with a 250 mile EV.

 

I assume the pollster is asking about BEVs, but let's start with the Volt.

GM must have had me in mind when they put the battery they did into the Volt. Except for the coldest days I rarely exhaust it. On the other hand, when I go over my EV limit I go way over it. A larger battery is not going to help me much.

A typical longer drive, the kind I've put half my miles into, is about 400 miles one way. There is never going to be a fast charge network along that route. (Ontario Highway 11, 'Watch for Moose next 800 Km.') I do 40 of that on the battery, then for 360 miles I'm essentially hauling 400 lbs of dead weight. (round figures, I'm not used to this 'leagues and hogsheads' system that you advanced countries use)

So double that battery capacity and I'm hauling 800 lbs 320 miles.

There's a similar situation with a pure BEV. If all I need is 40 miles range, double that to 80 for heat and anxiety, I'm still carrying 2 1/2 as much battery as I need if I have 200 miles range. That's close to half a ton I have to accelerate every time I move the car.

I think there is a good case for marketing a car with various sizes of battery, as Tesla does now, but perhaps for more practical reasons.

 

I'm going to stick with a REX, simply there are not many places to charge in Wyoming. I can find lots of 120V sockets. 14-50's at KOA's but really if you want to explore you need a REX. I wish they would bring out the CrossVolt already, really it's what many of us want. and it it got 40ish mile per charge it's the bomb. I think the Outlander will be a dud it drops out of EV mode at the sign of any hill. I want a CrossVolt or give em a Volt any day, it just doesn't work to just be on battery unless it's just around town, where the J1772's are.

 

I would prefer to see the small CrossVolt concept with a range extender to compete with the soul. Love the Soul but the range is not enough for my family. A similar range extender would be a no brainer for me. Here is why...

- My wife drives the larger family vehicle (she has the kids most of the time) She only makes quick trips into town during the week. So for this part a fully electric small SUV would be ideal (like the Soul), however we use her car to make the longer trips to visit family which is beyond the range of the Soul. This is why an extended range would be awesome!
- I drive daily beyond the range of most electric cars on the market so thats why the Volt is ideal for me.

Note I would use the Volt to make the longers trips to visit family but the size holds us back... Kids and bags too much for it to handle.

 

The additional poll options proffered in the responses simply do NOT address the poll question. "Is a 200 mile EV ALL you need?"

If you need a 2nd car, then it is NOT all you need.

Thanks for the suggestions though.

 

In that case:
"If you had just one car, would a 200 mile BEV be all you need?"

 

The question of -can I live with a 200mile BEV?- is pointless.
99% of us drive less then 200 mile in one run, unless it is a family road trip.
Some people never leave the boundaries of their city or county.
So the 200 mile BEV would be fine.
But for most of us a longer range (200mile+), OR easily refillable fuel-powered vehicle is a must.

200mile BEV - as primary car.
fossil fuel powered car as secondary/backup vehicle.

 

Obviously, the poll question has a point. You may not agree with it, but it still has one.

Furthermore, I don't see a problem with asking the poll question to feel out the desirability of a 200 mile EV as someone's only car.

 

I COULD get by with a 200 mile BEV as my third car. Most days I commute all electric, BUT at least once every other week I have a 160 mile day. But I also live in cold climates, is it 200 miles with the heater on? At full highway speeds? I don't have opportunity charging and I can't charge at work. So a 200 mile BEV would be really pushing it for my daily use. I could get comfortable with a 300 mile range since I wouldn't have to worry about heater use, and I could actually make it to a few destinations where I can plug in (but would have to plug in for a few days to charge back up).

I use the heck out of my Volt, and fill it with gas every 1000-1200 miles or so. I took it on a very last minute 4,000 mile trip this past summer without a second thought. I might have set a "most miles driven in 24 hours in a Volt" record if anyone was keeping track of that stat... we did about 1500 miles around the clock, stopping only for gas and switching drivers. But not once did I think "I'll have to switch cars with so and so" or "I'll have to rent a car for this trip". Taking the Volt saved my brother and I a few thousand in last minute airfare and renting a car when we got there.

 

I took it on a very last minute 4,000 mile trip this past summer without a second thought.
But not once did I think "I'll have to switch cars with so and so" or "I'll have to rent a car for this trip". Taking the Volt saved my brother and I a few thousand in last minute airfare and renting a car when we got there.

Whether 4000 or 400 miles, this is why I want a Volt EREV as my main car. But as a second car, a 200 mile Bolt would be fine (even in winter) as alocal metro area commuter. As you point out, most days and for most trips that's plenty. But a 200 mile BEV would never be my primary car.

 

200 miles would not be enough for me to purchase as an only car. Would have to be at least 700 miles for me to consider an EV as an only car. However, a 200 mile EV would make an excellent 2nd car.