we have a car that's fun to drive up and down the mountain because we live on the other side of the mountain from civilization. when we want to do a long drive on straight roads, we rent a land yacht that's much more enjoyable. this isn't a hardship at all. why do people who only need to take one or two long trips a year get the least bit worried? buy the cheap EV with enough range for your day to day and rent something fun for vacations with the money you save by not buying the extended range ev. this isn't a marriage. it's a transportation purchase. be flexible, get where you need to go, and have fun doing it. electric plus vacation rental is the way to go.

“Rent something fun for vacations” is a hassle, isn’t it? It’s a step backwards from a gas car which can do everything an EV does, but with (essentially) infinite range.

Not for many, I suspect. I mean, in my lifetime I've moved half a dozen times, but I don't own a moving van. I've hauled tons of sod and sand and concrete across the years but I don't own a super duty truck. For occasional use vehicles, I rent and that way I can use the top of the line and task appropriate vehicles. It's an optimization problem. If the value of a jack of all trades outweighs the value of few specialty tools for you, cool. Others will make different trade offs .