What will it take to make you seriously consider an EV?

One thing about EVs that is hardly ever thrown into the calculation is the time you save. If you can charge at home, that means no trips to the gas station, which is a huge time tax that people with ICE rigs never realize they are paying. With EVs, you just plug in when you're home for the day and unplug when you need it the next day. It is a difference and a savings that is noticeable immediately. When you experience that for the first time, you wonder why people are still buying ICE. It's like I have indoor plumbing and they are still using wooden outhouses.

(Note: There are issues with EVs regarding towing and you need to take a bit more time to plan long trips. It's also more difficult to realize the benefits if, say, you live in an apartment and must use commercial charging stations. Still, for a majority of folks, EVs just make sense for daily driving. Now, about those data centers sucking up all the electricity and driving up rates...)

 

I had at least 1 EV in the household for the past few years and now that I don't have one I miss it.
I am on the lookout for another deal..

 

Is it, though?

 

EV sales in the EU up 50% in March. I wonder why?

 

Yes, it is. You must work it into your day, drive there, get gas, drive back. If you go to places like Costco, there is almost always a line that demands some minutes. Then there's the fact that in most states, you pump your own, which means you stand a chance of spilling gas or getting some on you. Plus, you get to breathe the fumes.

I'm telling you, the difference is dramatic and you will feel it. However, you don't realize it until you have that EV charging at home. Literally 10 seconds to plug in and walk away.

 

pumping gas is for peasants.
Standing in oil slicks and petro spills and all the other gross stuff people spit out or throw on the ground is like standing in horse sjit. And thats before dealing with the homeless hoards and the lower rung of society.

 

If we had BYDs in America people will see the benefit of EVs

 

Unless you only drive in weird places without gas stations, theres's a high likelihood you drive by gas stations on a regular basis, meaning you don't have to drive to one or drive back or work it into your day. Pumping gas shouldn't take more than 3 minutes or so. If you are a reasonably active driver and fill up gas weekly, that comes out to ~25 seconds a day. For an EV, you're probably spending 10-20 seconds a day to dis/connect the charger if you're keeping your EV charged daily. So in total, you're talking about a difference of 10-ish seconds per day in your life.

And unless you're really uncoordinated or haven't mastered life, most people have figured out how to not spill gas on themselves.

Probably for the same reason EV sales drop when gas prices drop. People make decisions based on what is economically most efficient. Car sales are a little quirky because people make long-term decisions based on short-term gas prices, but it all works out in the end. EVs will do well when they are cost-competitive accounting for initial costs, gas, electricity, maintenance. They won't do as well when they aren't.

It also doesn't hurt that the current year-over-year comparison point to last year was in the heart of the anti-Elon sentiment when he was doing all his DOGE nonsense and opining on European elections when Tesla sales were plunging in Europe. And cheaper options becoming more available in the European market probably has helped too. Sales started jumping dramatically late in 2025.

 

About 80% of drivers go to a specific gas station for their regular fill up.

The time it takes to actually pump the gas is four to six minutes on average. That does not include waiting or paying times. Then there is the added time of getting into and out of the gas station, which can take a bit in high traffic areas.

On average, about 400 gallons of gasoline is spilled per year at each gas station.

One trade group estimates the average daily commuter spends 35 hours a year in front of gasoline pumps (does not include getting a coffee or coke or little chocolate donuts). Then there's the fact that you need to plan for it and make it happen. With EVs, most of the time, you can just roll into the garage and plug in. Easy-peasy.

Of course, gas time is dependent on tank size, fuel economy, and gas station variables.

I know nothing I say will convince some of you, but EVs are winning and when you get your first one, you'll realize what a relief it is to not have a regular appointment at a gas station. Just don't be the last guy at the gas station.

 

Pretty sure you just AI'd the hell out of that stat, because I just looked up the same one.

But whatever, carry on and do what you do.

 

There's a peace of mind aspect to charging vs. filling up gas. It depends on which camp you are in.

For some people, they have peace of mind knowing there's a gas station everywhere. Low on gas? fill it up and move on.

For others, it's knowing the car is charged up every night to 80% to cover all their in town commute for a couple of days. No need to carve out time to make a pit stop.

I got used to being in camp 2 and now I am kinda annoyed when I have to go fill up. Is it a big time suck? na.. but it's def an inconvenience.

 

I'm totally with you guys on never going to a gas station but yall are bigly overstating the time required. Even a big SUV with a 24 gallon tank is minutes to fill. You also have to consider the penalty for failure if you get distracted or are carrying crap in the house and then the plug in is an extra trip. Can't resolve that in 3 minutes.


I'm in the camp of for a regular commute week, fueling/charging inconvenience is a wash. For hurricane, towing or road trips, gas cars wins hands down.

 

worthless chart. kWh per mile varies wildly.

 

I wouldn't lol. It's a turd. Ford royally messed up with that one.

 

Or if we had better governance. Instead the "free market" gave us Snap Chat and Predictive Better Markets....

 

i think we should keep driving ICE cars cuz it lines the pockets of russia, iran, saudi arabia et. al.
it's the right thing to do.

 

Eso si que es

 

Thanks for the weird AI copy and paste, but this all misses the point.

If people want to go to a specific gas station, it's a choice they are making. That means they don't value the extra time they are spending highly. If they wanted to save time, they have the option of filling up on route somewhere.

Not sure what weird gas stations you might have last visited, but paying at the pump takes a few seconds. Time to "get in and out of the gas station". What??

So even if someone fills up once a week, it takes them 40 minutes at a pump at a gas station each time? Even a minimal amount of thought into that should make you question that stat. It's like people need to so desperately be on one side of this argument or the other that they don't even stop to think about reality.

Why is it so hard for people to accept the idea that gas cars are better for some people and EVs are better for others? Not everything has to have a single right answer.

 

One thing people forget is that many people live in apartments so do not get any of the benefit of charging EVs at home. If you are forced to rely on public charging, it becomes way less convenient and costs more than gas. Therefore gas becomes the only real option