I'm starting to get the impression EVs generally (not just e-tron) can be a bit of a headache on recreational road trips, esp far flung destinations on fun, scenic roads off the highways. PHEV may be a reasonable compromise, at the expense of some torque.
We have a Tesla model 3 and I just got my e tron in early December. With the Tesla, we have not had any issues because the range is higher and Tesla’s charging infrastructure is leaps and bounds better than non-Tesla infrastructure. We live in Seattle and have taken the Tesla to Orcas island multiple times. We stop at a supercharger before getting on the ferry and then there are a few destination (L2) chargers on the island. The Tesla also charges much faster with L1, so if we need to we do that and can get 40+ miles over night.
We have also taken the Tesla to the Olympic Peninsula and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to charge out there, because it’s SO remote. There’s a supercharger in the town of Forks, which really is in the middle of nowhere. We were able to drive from our Airbnb to the hiking trail, about 2 hours, and then hit the supercharger after we were done hiking.
My e tron is much more limited because the range is less, the charging infrastructure is not nearly as good as Tesla’s, and it’s ridiculously slow charging on L1 but I love the way it drives and looks and I didn’t want an iPad on wheels!
We are used to having gas stations everywhere, and eventually EV chargers will reach that level. I personally think that it’s kind of fun to figure out where all of the chargers are and plan your trip that way. Once you know, you know, and you get into a routine with which chargers you use regularly, etc. I had naysayer friends who were surprised that we would want to two EV’s because of “convenience”, so far I have not missed, not even for a second, owning a “regular” car. It was a little daunting at first, and I totally understand where people’s apprehension comes from, but like anything new, you get used to it.
