>Is range seriously a problem for someone in Europe? US I kinda get it, superchargers help but they’re not perfect, but in europe?
For a lot of people yeah. The cars isn't just for trips to work and the supermarket (which sometimes can be done by foot, public transport or bicycle), but that same car is used for vacation trips in summer and winter with the whole family.
You can call it an edge case, but edge cases matter to car owners if they can only afford one car per household. Also, a lot of people in the EU work in one country but have family in another and commute by care quite often. Charging speed and infra density isn't there to suport these cases.
> but that same car is used for vacation trips in summer and winter with the whole family.
Right, and the charging network isn't _that_ bad, is it? Like, I've now done 4 cross country trips in the US (PA <-> FL <-> WA) in both summer, and winter. With the pre-heat-pump-for-heating Tesla Model 3. I basically had to charge one to two times a day, for about 20-30 minutes each time. This was genuinely a good way to force me to stop and take a break too.
I don't really consider these cars a limitation for long distance trips either?
Good for you. But I'm talking about Europe, not the US.
And most don't have (and can't afford) Teslas here. Maybe in Norway and Switzerland, but not all Europe is like that.
A lot of non-supercharger infra here is non-existent or slow charging meaning long distance trips are gonna be much longer and less predictable, hence why those who rent cars for long distance trips never rent EVs.
>and the charging network isn't _that_ bad, is it?
You've never interacted with non-supercharger chargers have you? Like broken ones with issues, or crap payment systems that don't work. It's the kind of things giving people major anxiety.
The other problem with the charging networks is that each country has its own charing companies doing their own thing with their own apps and payment solutions. Even though I've never driven in Poland or Lithuania, I'm very confident I can work out how to pay for petrol at any petrol station I stop at there. I have no idea if I could actually charge my car at any charging station I roll up to. The last thing I need when on a road trip is to pull up to a charging station somewhere in Lithuania with 8% left and find out I need an app that cannot be installed on a UK phone.
For a lot of people yeah. The cars isn't just for trips to work and the supermarket (which sometimes can be done by foot, public transport or bicycle), but that same car is used for vacation trips in summer and winter with the whole family.
You can call it an edge case, but edge cases matter to car owners if they can only afford one car per household. Also, a lot of people in the EU work in one country but have family in another and commute by care quite often. Charging speed and infra density isn't there to suport these cases.