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Luchia Brown's avatar

Good stuff, Sam! The weight of a Rivian SUV is over 7000 lbs, which is heavier than what is allowed on most residential streets, yet, no one is enforcing that rule. Do we also calculate the extra damage these heavy vehicle do to our infrastructure? How about the extra particulate matter generated from the tires and brakes? So much more could be said going down a rabbit hole, so I'll leave it at that.

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Mark A Salada's avatar

It's just like the faked Moon landing! (I always wanted to say that, and you graciously afforded me the opportunity.)

But seriously, I love your thoughts! Also, I don't trust MPGe! (Seems too easy to justify a crazy value.) One thing I might add is that range anxiety might also be an artifact of the (clear?) lack of electric infrastructure as compared to petroleum? It's not (yet) true that every EV owner can recharge at home, and so those of us in colder climates do indeed worry about getting stuck with an 1/8th charge and a looming mountain pass.

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Samuel A. Chambers's avatar

Yep, no charging at home or work + cold weather + severe elevation changes = a real challenge for going BEV. The exception is the Tesla charging network (currently available to Ford, Rivian, and of course Tesla), which *at the time my writing* is truly amazing (but with the entire supercharging team recently fired for no reason, might be something very different, very soon). The broader "public" charging infrastructure is a total mess.

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