Depending on the frequency of said trips, you would probably still end up saving a tonne of money by just borrowing a diesel 4WD for those trips into the mountains (assuming it’d only be a couple of times a year).
Frequency like you already called out
2 Availability of good rentals. Most rental companies don’t put snow tires on their rentals and do not want you to use chains. Good way to get stuck.
Another option would be to borrow off friends/family, or in the event it’s frequent enough - either have one as a secondary vehicle (or go halves, if family are in a similar boat), the maths might still make it viable.
For our situation, an EV makes sense as we have solar & batteries (so ‘free’ charging, given our surplus sell-off rate has tanked to 1c/kWh), and would only find ourselves in a similar situation 1-2 times a year.
Most other trips are well within range, even driving ~250km to visit our regional relatives - and that’s before any stops for a nappy change, letting the dog go pee, stretching our legs or grabbing a coffee - where we could easily top up the battery over >80% in minutes at a fast-charging station.
But I am a strong believer that most range anxiety is overblown, and that just about everyone who switches over will not look back once they get used to it.
Depending on the frequency of said trips, you would probably still end up saving a tonne of money by just borrowing a diesel 4WD for those trips into the mountains (assuming it’d only be a couple of times a year).
I considered it, but there are two problems.
I’m a massive EV fan and love my car more than I thought it was possible, I never dreamed commuting could be enjoyable, but…
if you’re regularly driving five hours up into remote mountains in the winter with no chargers en route, then absolutely stick with your diesel.
It’s not for you.
Another option would be to borrow off friends/family, or in the event it’s frequent enough - either have one as a secondary vehicle (or go halves, if family are in a similar boat), the maths might still make it viable.
For our situation, an EV makes sense as we have solar & batteries (so ‘free’ charging, given our surplus sell-off rate has tanked to 1c/kWh), and would only find ourselves in a similar situation 1-2 times a year.
Most other trips are well within range, even driving ~250km to visit our regional relatives - and that’s before any stops for a nappy change, letting the dog go pee, stretching our legs or grabbing a coffee - where we could easily top up the battery over >80% in minutes at a fast-charging station.
But I am a strong believer that most range anxiety is overblown, and that just about everyone who switches over will not look back once they get used to it.