Actually, no, it isn't as bad as you'd think. If you're really interested, I'll post the math. I'm actually very surprised someone didn't do it earlier than Nissan, so there may be (probably is) something I'm overlooking.
I would be interested in that. Also, why is the heating side of the equation not the best? Any energy conversion process is less than 100% efficient, but generally what you get from that loss of efficiency is... Heat. So wouldn't resistive heating essentially be 100% (0%) efficient, with the only inefficiency being getting that heat from the element to the cabin? And the heat pump would be subject to those same losses. What am I missing?
I'm curious if there has been a meeting of minds to come up with a standardized plug so one go on cross country trips without worrying about where to get the next shot of juice.
There have been several meetings of the minds, unfortunately.
Here in the US, there are four main plugs, and most BEVs have at least two.
The first is the
SAE J1772 plug, which is as standard as it gets - Any modern EV sold in the US has this (or, in the case of the Teslas, comes with an adapter for it). So, basically everything except the EV1 and the first-gen (turn of the century-ish) Rav4 EV can use it. This is also the standard used by the chargers that come with the cars, and the chargers that you would install in your garage. The drawback is that this standard is for "Level 1" (120V AC) and "Level 2" (208V or 240V AC). Most of these top out at 40 amps (also about 40 miles of range added per hour), though there's at least
one I'm aware of that goes up to 75 amps.
The next two are competing standards for DC Fast Charging (aka "Level 3") which is what you'd use on a road trip. Most non-Tesla L3 stations have one plug from each standard, which means at least you don't have to go searching for separate stations based on what car you drive.
CHAdeMO is used mostly by Kia, Nissan, and Mitsubishi and is a large, totally separate port.
SAE-CCS uses the J1772 plug to communicate with the car, plus a pair of large pins underneath for the DC fast charging.
Finally, there's the Tesla plug, which does L1, L2, and L3. So, whether you use the portable charger that came with the car and plug it into a standard outlet or you're using a Supercharger, it all uses the same connector. Tesla includes an adapter for J1772 stations with the car, and they sell a CHAdeMO adapter. However, they're also part of the CCS working group so they may offer a CCS adapter too.
Outside of North America, in Europe most cars use the
Mennekes connector, AKA CCS Type 1, including Tesla. In China, they use the "GB" connector, which I guess is like a Mennekes but the opposite gender of the rest of the world.
Clear as mud? It's really not much to worry about. I've already told you more than any EV driver needs to know. Essentially, anyone can use J1772, and for fast charging, Teslas use Superchargers and everyone else uses the stations that generally have one CCS plug and one CHAdeMO plug.
BTW... The Model 3 has peaked my interest. However, the ~$55k price tag makes me hesitant to pull the trigger for what will amount to being a grocery hauler.
Well, now that it's $35K, maybe you can go haul groceries in a Tesla.
But really, if it's going to only be a grocery hauler, you might as well get a Leaf, since I'm assuming you have another car for road trips if you're calling it a grocery hauler.
You could move somewhere warmer.
And have weather that's boring? Naaaah.
You shouldn't really let an ICE warm up...just start driving it gently.
I was referring to the cabin, not the engine.
