Optimal Range for a US Electric Vehicle (EV)

Journalist Edward Niedermeyer Aug 27^th 2022 New York Times Guest Essay “You Want an Electric Car With a 300-Mile Range?…” raised questions about the state and direction of electric vehicle configurations and market dynamics. Mr. Niedemeyer did not seem to appreciate the time scales required for developing supply chains for new technologies or manufacturing cost curves with volume.

As Mr. Niedermeyer points out, in the United States, drivers go on average 40 miles a day. ^[1,2] While he focuses his critique on driving range for battery sizing, charging period and charging performance are equally important to EV owners.

At the current time in development, electric vehicle 320 mile range batteries are an optimal choice for a number of reasons.

For general daily use, the optimal maximum charge level is 80%. Most drivers would want a 15% reserve (~48 miles) which leaves an effective range of 240 miles and would provide for charging the vehicle for general use once a week.

When on trips, DC Fast Charging operates at high rates to 80% state of charge. In general, a 320 mile range battery will provide 240 mile distance between charging stops. For US highway driving that would be every 3-4 hours.

Similarly for Bloomberg News Ira Bourdway: Americans Have Always Bought Too Much Car. Now They’re Doing It With EVs, Bloomberg from Hyperdrive, 2022