Diesel pickups are for chumps

[Gman]

So pretty close to the losses I mentioned which doesn't render the EV absolutely useless. Your post uses wording that makes it seem like for the average user (10-15 miles per day) the EV couldn't meet the most basic of needs due to running the heater and defrost. This is absurd if it's what was being said.

That isn't what I said. Based on my co-workers commute, he either has to be uncomfortable during his winter commute to use his EV, or he can take his ICE with no issue. Electric heaters consume a significant amount of power since they're basically a large resistor that heats up when you run electricity through it. If you've ever had a home that has electric heating, you'd understand just how much that power costs you in the winter.

There are tradeoffs that some in this thread seem to be ignoring or minimizing.

Maximizing Electric Cars' Range in Extreme Temperatures

ALL-ELECTRIC RANGE AND VERY HOT OR COLD WEATHER

Extreme weather - very hot or very cold - impacts range in EVs. The additional heating or cooling needed for passenger comfort requires more energy than more moderate temperatures would. Cold batteries also have greater resistance to charigng and do not hold a charge as well.

Based on nearly 10 million miles of data collected through the EV Project, researchers at Idaho National Laboratory found that variations in weather can affect the range of plug-in electric vehicles by more than 25%. They found all-electric Nissan Leafs driven in Chicago in the winter had 26% lower ranges (60 miles compared to 81) than those driven in Seattle in the fall. Similarly, they found that plug-in hybrid electric Chevrolet Volts driven in Chicago in the winter had 29% lower ranges (30 miles compared to 42) than those driven in Chicago in the spring.

My ICE vehicles start putting out warm cabin air within a couple of minutes of being started, in addition to heated seats, so I'm not sure where you're coming up with "15". I've also never had a vehicle that wouldn't start in the winter, because the battery is checked with maintenance. I've been living here for 22 years, so I've had plenty of opportunities.

As much as you would like to think that tech will change rapidly, there are some battery concepts that have been done in extremely tiny conceptual testing examples, yet there's no idea if they will work on any scale. I've been following tech quite closely, since I'm in the tech business, and whatever you think is just around the corner, is not even on the RADAR.

Beyond lithium — the search for a better battery

However, research in these technologies largely remains in the labs with little sign of a full commercialisation on the horizon.

Shut Up About the Batteries: The Key to a Better Electric Car Is a Lighter Motor

Last year we proved our prototype motor in extensive tests on the laboratory bench, and though it will be a while before we can put the machine in a car, we have every reason to expect that it will perform just as well in that setting.

It's not "FUD" when it's based on data. Ignoring the realities of the situation based on what you would like the situation to be doesn't help anyone. If you never leave the metro area in which you live, and your daily job doesn't require you to travel to each client's location, then your requirements are pretty low and can be met a number of ways.