The biggest positive of public charging is offsetting home charging for longer trips. There's no way I'd ever consider an EV if I wasn't home charging. That charge cost seems nuts to me, but then again I've never stopped for more than 15 minutes to charger hop. I've never fully charged on a public charger.
I drove my first electric - 2025 BMW i4 M50
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The Silverado and Sierra EV can tow a boat. They're also available with different pack sizes so you can pick the one with enough range. The WT trim is widely available used as well. Generally you loose half your range when towing, so figure going from 400 miles to 200 miles on an extended range trim. There's a max range trim with closer to 500 miles of range as well. I have two EVs, but I kept my Expedition because we still have a camper, although it rarely moves these days. I'll probably get a Suburban EV when GM finally gets around to releasing them, as I do need both the extra seats and towing on occasion.
Regarding charging, I have solar and a free nights plan, so I don't pay to charge. Something like 90% of my mileage is in my general area, so the few times I have to charge publicly are more than offset by the savings from charging at home.
2.5 years will put it at 30k or less. EV doesn't hold value, but most of us don't care and knew that going in. Just like we knew our spicy gaming PC wouldn't be worth much jn a few years either.
I have a trip like that. I typically just stop at a gas station (they have chargers) at thr mid way point, charge for 15min while I eat a slice pizza and use the restroom, and then leave. It gets me to 90%. I then charge to 90% at my destination while doing other stuff, and repeat the process on the way back. Travel time is identical to my gas cars.
Spot on. ICE fueling is so ingrained in our culture; these cars are different. While EVs are not for everyone, no car is. But if it is a fit for your use case, once you learn, you just might get spoiled. That's my experience. The last time I was on a Supercharger was on a 350 mile trip. I charged for too long because the gal ahead of us at Starbucks couldn't make up her mind. What's a poor boy to do?
Even numbers used to be limited to coupés. BMW toyed with the idea of rebadging the 3er coupe as a 4-series as far back as the E36.
The i4 and 430/440 are fastback sedans, and kind of swoopy, so they call them Gran Coupés, at least in 430/440 ICE form. M50 because M = sporty for anything now, and 50 is kind of an arbitrary appellation vaguely evoking the time when x50 meant a V8, or TOL.
There used to be a logic to German marque model names, with a few exceptions here and there, but now it's pretty much a free-for-all, and sub-labels for everything. Marketing has run amok, and things don't really have to make sense or adhere to a stricter nomenclature.
That thing known as the 2-series sedan and also horrid X4 are better left unmentioned.
It's basically the trim level, but higher numbers denote higher performance. For example, the i4 M50 has been replaced by a i4 M60 for 2026. It has also received a power bump. But 60 > 50 > 40, so that much is apparent to the consumer. Displacement lost its meaning when manufacturers began downsizing but added turbos. People still complain about the top trim of the Taycan being called the turbo because it's electric.
I strongly prefer EV, but the one challenge is that sometimes chargers are vandalized or broken or simply "not working" for whatever reason, and in the rural parts of this country, that means 1) Big detours, or 2) Failure. I have my P7B for trips where I do not know the boots on the ground route yet. Locally? Nothing beats an EV.
People complain about the Mach E Mustang because it's not a real mustang. Meanwhile, plenty of ranchers would like to have a word with Ford because the Mustang has tires and not hooves. You should have seen the protests in the 60's!
All Good AG.
I used two free tools to compute the trip time and cost. One for ICE, one for an EV.
For ICE trips I use(d) Fuel Buddy/ trip buddy (just as you did in your reply) - It does a really good job of figuring out the cheapest fuel on a given route. When you use this tool you can choose to just put in a mileage number for city highway and fuel tank size, and what kind of gas you want to buy, or you can select the actual car from a pull down menu and that will autofill the data as well as automatically select the recommended grade of fuel. You cannot set the speed in this tool.
For EV I use a tool called "a better route planner" also known as "ABRP".
This is a great tool that also lets you select the car from a pull down menu and figure out what your charging stops will be. You can adjust speed, and a host of other parameters one of the more important ones being arrival state of charge.
In the computation I did earlier I put a daily generous 20% buffer in whereas 10% is more common.
The mileage discrepancy is that Im just using the cities as a start end point as I dont have actual addresses.
These tools give everyone an idea of how much time and money it could take anyone of us vs a given time someone chose to take it in.
The hour lunch stop wasn't necessary, that time could be cut by 3/4 and two 19 minutes stops (one each way) for about 32 bones.
No skin off anyone nose for deciding to take an hour, lots of peeps stop for an hour to eat anyway, but the car did not "need" that time in either direction.
That car is not plugged into a "super charger". Mercedes-Benz has a typically Mercedes-Benz awful name for their fast chargers, MB.CHARGE (in capitals with the decimal point). If it is a Supercharger then it is a Tesla charging station.
175 miles in under 60 minutes is not impressive. I would expect a Model Y on Supercharger to add 175 miles in 20-30 minutes (depends a lot on how low the SOC at the start, the lower the faster the charge).
Yes, charging at public DCFCs is terribly expensive but bearable for occasional use. It allowed your son to come visit. If you want him to come more often install a 240V 50A NEMA 14-50 at your home, or better yet a proper L2 EVSE (is not a charger but an extension cord). But 10¢/kWh at home is delightfully easy and cheap.
Is likely he could spend less time charging by stopping more often. Charge so that the next charge occurs at about 20% SOC and only charge enough to make the next charge site at 20%.
It is a BMW. Regular is too plebeian for a BMW which requires nothing but the most expensive gasoline.
Is totally fair to compare DCFC electric rates to premium gasoline when a BMW is involved.
My 2008 F-250 Powerstroke would get 15 MPG empty, 7.5 MPG with a modest 20' toy hauler in tow. Is simply awful and Totally New Concept for an EV to get poorer range with a trailer in tow!
Seriously, ask a vehicle to do more work, use more energy. State of education these days is simply awful.
The pathetic EV charging stations built with VW Dieselgate fines are just as you describe. Often out of order due to software bugs or substandard hardware. Slow to repair. These stations were so bad Ford eventually gave up and joined Tesla, GM followed moments later, and nearly everyone in North America was suddenly on board with Tesla's NACS abandoning the government's blessed CCS.
Everyone it seems but Mercedes-Benz. When I looked at their websites this morning they seem determined to stick with CCS and NACS to CCS adapters for their vehicles.
Im still not understanding any of your post.
It takes the EV 5 hours to make the trip and the gasoline 4 hours.
The EV did need that 1 hour stop. Your original map shows the extra hour getting off the interstate and charging at two charge stations. So I think we are in agreement and maybe I am missing something here in this conversation.
(if someone else can explain something that I am missing let me know)
Here is the gas version - simple map, forget programs. This is why I am not understanding your post at all.
Ok, now add one hour for the EV trip. At the 173 mile mark he stopped at a super charger to make it the last 85 miles or he would have arrived completely out of charge or not arrive at all.
Last year my son had a gas version of the M50 the gas version is only 400 hp I think. (only*LOL*) Maybe I was not expecting it that time, last year it blew my mind and actually gave me a momentary headache taking off from a standstill with launch control turned on. I was plastered into the seat.
When I took the EV out, yeah, it was amazing on a rural road, standstill I was focusing on the road during take off, a matter of seconds I looked at the speedo and was at 85 mph/ ---
The map Dave posted shows the same one hour time to charge stopping at two places. You west coast guys think there are good convenient charge points all over the place.
You're not used to areas that dont even have a gas station for 20 miles never mind an available working charge station. In the land of the free and home of the brave. (just writing this tongue in cheek)Maybe you dont know what Buc-ee's is? Its an amazing place to make a stop and it you need to rely on a charger there is no better place in the USA> more so rural. Not only that, but it's the EXACT exit he needs to get off to get to our house. Dont even have to go 500 feet out of the way to charge for the last 85 miles. Yet it shows almost he same amount of time spent rather then stopping at two rinky dink places (one on them a car dealer) in a backwoods place.
It's all good. the car was great, I never sat in a BMW where I didnt marvel at the interior. The only thing if I had to chose something that I wasnt crazy about is the front grill.
Anyway, I wish he would have left it here for a week. I think moving into the future someone will invent a faster charge for those who cant charge at home. In the current situation it is still more specialized. Also as for me, I want something big and affordable, not a sports sedan. An intermediate SUV is a must for now anyway. EV's DEFINITELY have a place for some people.
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Yeah, I think this is what I am trying to convey. He made a 253 mile trip and no place nor time to charge when he got here. Plus the car cant go that distance on one charge, I doubt he would have made it here or darn close, never mind arriving and then spending the evening around town and going out to dinner in it and leaving first thing the next morning. So when he did leave, he stopped at the same Buc-ee's after a 85 mile drive and charged up for the rest of the 258 mile trip. Once home, he still used the car the rest of the day, shopping, going to Lowes, Home Depot etc. It's not like he was going to do a quick partial charge to get home and then stay home the rest of the day.
All good, I feel like I am getting pushback from some trying to explain not everyone uses a vehicle the same exact way and there are instances like I have posted that make perfect sense. For him stopping an hour to full charge was no big deal at Buc-ee's but it does take an extra hour for someone who did not want to stop. AN example would be me, many times we visit him and his family drive there and back the same day. 4 gasoline hours both ways and 4 hours at his house. I wouldnt want to add an extra hour to that trip until I got home. Though since he has the set up at his house I would maybe be able to get enough charge to cut down the charge time once on the road. Maybe.
EVs make perfect sense for some people, many people but it's not one size fits all. Im not sure if some know that the entire country is not some congested crowded city area with nothing but concrete and blacktop.
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Im still not understanding any of your post.
It takes the EV 5 hours to make the trip and the gasoline 4 hours.
The EV did need that 1 hour stop. Your original map shows the extra hour getting off the interstate and charging at two charge stations. So I think we are in agreement and maybe I am missing something here in this conversation.
(if someone else can explain something that I am missing let me know)
Here is the gas version - simple map, forget programs. This is why I am not understanding your post at all.
View attachment 285407
Ok, now add one hour for the EV trip. At the 173 mile mark he stopped at a super charger to make it the last 85 miles or he would have arrived completely out of charge or not arrive at all.
Not quite. Let me walk through this again in a slightly diff way and change the destination to Little River vs Ocean Isle so the maps get closer.
At 80 MPH your son's EV can make it to your house in one shot, Arriving at your house (or little river) with about 8% of his fuel/energy remaining. If he could have charged at home he could have driven right back without ever visiting a single charging station.
He could have done this in 4 hours and 9 minutes at 80 MPH from Little River using the route ABRP picked for a one shot.
However as you point out he will need to charge because you do not have home charger and they arent super plentiful at your destination but they are on the route.
When we tell the planner to compute a round trip we get a TOTAL charge time of 33 minutes and one stop in each direction at a cost of 28 dollars to make that trip. The system adds 5 minutes at each stop to compensate for anything like a credit card fumbling, waiting on red lights etcetera.
Now if we put your son in a a gas 3 or 4 series he would have to fill the car prior to departure, (stop 1) and make at least one stop on the round trip (stop 2) netting him the same two fuel stops to make that trip that are shorter lets say 10 minutes to fill, wash the windshield run to the bathroom, and the same 5 minutes per stop to get to the pump and get it started This adds 30 minutes to his round trip.
If he does not stop to fill before departure he would fill after arriving home so he has gas for the next week, so either way he has two fuel stops to make.
So we have a pretty close comparison of 9 and 11 minutes vs 8 hours and 30 minutes, the EV is a bit cheaper the ICE a bit faster but not the 2 hours difference your son chose to do it in.
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1. Not correct. I guess you are not aware the car has an EPA range of 227 miles.
The road test in the link I provided managed to get a little more. My son would not have some close to getting to my house. I am sure you are not suggesting otherwise
"M50 tester had 20-inch wheels, which yielded as much as 245 miles of range on a full charge; a bit better than the 227-mile EPA estimate."
2. My son could not charge at my house and continued to use the car well into the evening as we went out to dinner and around town.
3. My son would not have made the return trip of 258 miles without charging to full again. Also once home he would not be able to drive the car again until charging.
Im a little surprised sometimes at these posts. An $80,000 car, being suggested not to use it and have fun, drive from point A to point B and let it sit on a charger? Or stop two times and not once.
It sounds silly to me, Im not sure of the point of these posts. I can only assume you did not know the range of the car. You buy a car like this to have fun, not calculated to the last mile when you might run out of juice and get stranded. I dont think it bears repeating but reading your words that he could have have charged at my house and made it home was not going to happen.
We are bending use of an electric vehicle to fit what you would be ok with, Discounting speed, air-conditioning and not knowing the range of the vehicle we are talking about.
From my OP
For others, I want to stress I LOVED this car! For some reason I am getting caught up in being told my son did not need to re-charge the car. Bottom line, it adds an hour to the trip if you want to have the same convenience of driving an $80,000 gasoline car without stretching out every last mile, watching the speedo to maximize the charge and the driving habits. Not to worry about just making it from point A to B but also driving around "town" once you get to your destination and continue experiencing driving a 536 HP $80,000 car
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