Range anxiety still exists today and can deter many potential EV buyers from making a purchase, but the fear is becoming less justified as time goes on. All-electric vehicles first arrived years ago and the market has changed a lot since then. In February 2008, Tesla sold its first EV model, a two-door Roadster. At which point, range anxiety started to become more common.

The first EVs found acceptance in a niche of green customers who appreciated the innovation. Driving an all-electric back then was more than challenging. The first-generation Roadster could travel around 220 miles on a single charge. While impressive at the time, domestic chargers took about 30 hours to charge it. The availability of fast chargers were very limited back then.

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EVs are more popular than ever, but potential buyers are still concerned about range and charging stations, according to Cars.com. Range anxiety is often described as the fear of running low on battery and not being able to find a charging station. While this could have been a valid fear a few years ago, there are thousands of charging stations in the U.S. today, with more than 128 thousand connectors available. Europe, China, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea also have a solid EV charging network, according to Statista.

Long Range Vehicles, Superchargers, And 24-7 Updates

Tesla Supercharger U.S. Network
Tesla U.S. Supercharger Network

The average American driver reportedly spends about one hour behind the wheel and drives around 37 miles a day. EVs tend to offer an average range of 250 miles fully charged and many new models will drive 300 miles. That is more than enough to cover an average driver for one week. Long-distance travel and time-to-charge are also fundamental aspects of range anxiety. When it comes to charging on the go, fast charging public EV stations are spread throughout the states and worldwide. Tesla, for example, says it has more than 30,000 Superchargers globally, and that one of its fast chargers can provide a Tesla with up to 200 miles of range in as little as 15 minutes. Overnight home charging is still the most used method, however, and domestic chargers are also getting better and faster.

Then there's the fear of running out of power without notice. Not only will an EV warn a driver when the power is low, but it will even suggest nearby charging stations. Today, all EVs can be linked to smartphones which can further help to keep drivers informed on their energy status, even when not in the car. These features are also improving as well. For example, the Ford F-150 Lighting can estimate range depending on route, weight, weather, and traffic conditions. To sum up, today's EVs can cover hundreds of miles, have thousands of stations and domestic charging options, and always keep drivers informed, which collectively should help to ease buyer concerns and range anxiety.

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Source: Cars.com, Tesla, Statista