R2 as our only car

[reodds]

Hi Everyone, as the time to configure an R2 (hopefully) is getting closer, I have a question, and would appreciate honest opinions. My wife and I live in Florida, NE of Jacksonville. We are living quite well with one car (a 2023 Subaru Outback).

We would really like to sell the ICE car, and have an R2 when available, but are concerned about having an EV as our only car. The nearest service center is about an hour and a half away, and although we do plan on installing a level 2 charger, there are quite a few Tesla chargers in the area.

Our primary use of our car is daily shopping, and occasional trips to Jacksonville, about 25 miles away, with several long trips per year. Do you feel that the R2 is a good choice for us as our only vehicle, or should we consider keeping the ICE Subaru as well?

Your thoughts are greatly appreciated!

Roger

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[BigSkies]

I'm in CO, so I can't comment on your local charging infrastructure. As a general rule, new EV owners are WAY more scared of charging than they need to be. It's just not a big deal in most cases. I can't comment on FL specifically though.

Run any common roadtrips through abetterrouteplanner.com and see what they look like.

My only concern for you is the service center being 1.5 hours away. Think through your plans if the car has to go in for extended service. How do you get the car there, what do you drive while it's in service, and how are you getting the car back? Whether these are solvable problems or not depends on you.

 

[Mos Eisley]

Hi Everyone, as the time to configure an R2 (hopefully) is getting closer, I have a question, and would appreciate honest opinions. My wife and I live in Florida, NE of Jacksonville. We are living quite well with one car (a 2023 Subaru Outback).

We would really like to sell the ICE car, and have an R2 when available, but are concerned about having an EV as our only car. The nearest service center is about an hour and a half away, and although we do plan on installing a level 2 charger, there are quite a few Tesla chargers in the area.

Our primary use of our car is daily shopping, and occasional trips to Jacksonville, about 25 miles away, with several long trips per year. Do you feel that the R2 is a good choice for us as our only vehicle, or should we consider keeping the ICE Subaru as well?

Your thoughts are greatly appreciated!

Roger

Are you able to charge at home?

 

[reodds]

Yes. I will need to add a level 2 charger, but that's not a problem.

 

[Mos Eisley]

Yes. I will need to add a level 2 charger, but that's not a problem.

Sorry I missed that in your OP. You should be fine, as long as you’re ok with the extra time charging will add to your long trips b

 

[evguy]

Take the plunge and say goodbye to the Subaru. Our family of five has had EVs since 2018, and only EVs since 2022. The ability to charge at home (overnight for us) is key for daily use. For road trips, the access to Tesla's network should eliminate any range anxiety, and in my experience third party fast chargers chargers (EvGo, Electify America) are much more reliable than they were a few years ago.

 

[derekmw]

yeah, the range most EV's have are more than sufficient for your daily needs. My wife has the Model 3 RWD with 272 mile range but has never had any issues with range.

She does love that every morning she wakes up with a full 'tank' and never having to go to the gas station again. Our other car is the R1T so we tend to use that for long road trips - 2x/year.

As others have stated, the whole charging thing gets so exaggerated - to some degree they were accurate back when you couldn't use Tesla Superchargers, but now with that ability, it's really not an issue in my opinion - unless your area just doesn't have a lot of them. But even then - if you only do long road trips a few times a year, you can just turo a car for those occasions and avoid the wear/tear on your own car.

 

[tkauftheil]

My R1S is my only vehicle (well, now that I sold my Ducati) and it’s perfect for any occasion. I too delivery late ‘24 and 5 days later I drove it cross country to visit my folks. I hoped the charging network was all it’s cracked up to be, and to my pleasant surprise it was. I also learned on that trip that cold is no friend of the battery. In the end it cost me one additional stop.

Take the plunge.

 

[reodds]

Thanks to all of you. This forum is absolutely the best!

 

[Jeremy3292]

Based on your use case, installing a level 2 charger at your house, and living in Florida, I would have zero concerns getting an R2 as my only vehicle. Florida is a big EV state so to its good weather. I would bet a service center will open in Jacksonville in due time also. What town or area in Jacksonville are you? More specific that NE.

 

[aho]

In CA, and the R1S is our only car for family of 4. Not an issue at all.

 

[savethemanual]

As with any one car household, be prepared if yours goes into service for multiple days. I usually rent a car or use mass transit, depending on my needs. Other than that, with an L2 charger at home you'll be fine!

 

[lefkonj]

Go for it, won't be an issue.

 

[Luvolbikes]

I have never been comfortable with only one vehicle regardless of ICE or E. My Chevy Volt Equinox ev, and R1t have all been 100% dependable but I have had at least one back up just in case.

 

[sparked]

Do you feel that the R2 is a good choice for us as our only vehicle, or should we consider keeping the ICE Subaru as well?

Just depends on your needs. Only reason we plan on keeping an ICE is so that whatever brand new EV we buy doesn't take a huge beating on the interior right away. Some of the messy and abusive errands might get dumped on our beater ICE car. Although it might not be worth the extra registration and insurance to keep that up forever.

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