Yours is a question I've been waiting to see addressed. It's 200 miles to my mother's house... apparently just about the range of most EVs. If I drive down at night, how does running headlights, heat, and windshield wipers affect that range? If there's an accident on the highway and I'm stuck there for an hour; what powers the heater? (and dome light, so that I don't get run into.)
I try not to let my fuel tank get below 1/2 for those reasons, for me an EV is pushing the envelope and goes against every survival tool that I use.
Tapping away today about Winter conditions, I was thinking about roadside issues.
Used to be common practice on major Toronto expressways - highway was patrolled by trucks with gas cans on-board. Somebody ran out of gas, they'd throw a gallon or 2 in your tank for free, just to quickly clear you off the road. I'll miss that immediacy of hydrocarbons, if they do disappear in my lifetime.
Like you, I don't let my tanks run low, esp. in Winter. All that extra power has to come from somewhere, ICE or Battery.
Worst case, running low on gas or diesel in the country...... I could pull into a big farm
"hey, sorry to be a pain, but can I pay you cash (I still carry that legacy sfuff) for 20-40 L of fuel". Cash exchanged, 10 minutes later, I'm out of their hair.
Vs.
"Hey, do you mind clearing all that stuff out of your service shop, so I can park near your Welder outlet for 2 hours ? ".
As I'm loathe to ask for help in general, I couldn't see myself doing option 2.....
Fossil fuel is an addiction, but a very versatile and capable one.....
I've been banging on about Winter travel (for good reason), but obviously heat is a non-trivial issue as well. Roads get more disruptions typically in Winter, but all it takes is one major accident in the Summer to close a highway.
While I don't use mine much up here, after having been in the American SW during the Summer I get that A/C is critical.
Rgds, D.
