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Thursday, October 20, 2022

Measures of central tendency aren't enough...

 

Here's another example of why "averages" are not enough.

This article claims that U.S. car shoppers want "too much car" because they want a 300-mile range for EVs.

"Yet there is a glaring disconnect between what American drivers want and what they actually need: Some 95% of U.S. car trips are 30 miles or less."

That statement doesn't address the issue at all because it doesn't address the length of the other 5% of trips. It's focused on averages instead of variability.

I might fit this pattern. Most of my trips, probably close to 95%, are less than 40 or 50 miles. However, about every two months, I head out of town to visit relatives who are between 450 and 700 miles away.

If EVs are only short-range, then my options are:

  1. Stop frequently to recharge on my long trips.
  2. Rent a gas vehicle every time I leave town.
  3. Own two vehicles: an EV for around town and a gas vehicle for out of town.
  4. Don't buy an EV
So far, I've selected option #4. For most one-car households, that's a reasonable choice that has nothing to do with wanting "too much car". 

However, my wife and I have considered #3 because we already are a two-car family. If we could find an EV that wasn't too expensive and had sufficient legroom (I'm over 6' tall), then we might buy one. 

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