Americans Insist on 300 Miles of EV Range. They’re Right
US buyers of electric cars are demanding more range than anywhere else in the world, and that’s perfectly OK.
Americans spend more time in their cars than drivers in any other country.
Photographer: Susan Gary/MomentRF/Getty ImagesAmericans love a good road trip. There’s nothing better than packing up your stuff, turning up the music, and just — driving. For more than a century, summertime dreams have been fueled by the limitless possibilities of a full tank of gas.
That same “live free or die” mentality has also made the US, until recently, slower to adopt electric cars. The open road is freedom, and the need to frequently stop and charge an intrusion. Last year, plug-in vehicles made up less than 8% of new-car sales in the US — far behind Europe’s 32% EV adoption rate and China’s 30% uptake.