Why 300 miles are the "gold standard" for an electric car battery?

Not so long ago, Elon Musk expressed his opinion that 300 miles batteries are the new "gold standard" for electric cars. The cars that do not reach this figure will be out of the competition very quickly. 

I decided to find out why precisely 300 miles is so essential? The most important thing to mention from the beginning is the average mileage. According to different sources and studies, the average distance traveled on a typical day is 30 to 40 miles. In recent years, this figure has grown slightly, while in 2015, it was 29.2 miles; in 2020, it is 36 miles. It is important to note that these rates are average. One person could drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco, and the second only to the nearest pharmacy. So we need to focus on the most active drivers. Following the most recent studies, male drivers aged 35-54 drive an average of 52 miles a day, and if we take the average number of days of use, we arrive at 80 miles already. It would seem that under such circumstances, there would be enough 100 miles for potential mileage, but ... This is where the most exciting aspects begin.

1. Mileage possible with a single charge is carried out in "ideal" conditions. In reality, you will be driving in traffic jams, or just on your way to the office there are a lot of traffic lights, and you will have to start and stop a lot. Maybe you live in a hilly area, and your road will not be flat. You can use the music louder, connect your phone to charge, or your pet Hippo likes to ride with you. All this applies to each driver's individual characteristics and their driving style, which can significantly increase energy consumption.

2. Of course, the weather conditions will also affect. Severe frost or extreme heat will require you to use air conditioning or heating in a more active mode. These will lead to a decrease in potential mileage.

3. There is a possibility that you forget to put your car on charge for the night and then you have to use a fast charge during the morning. Fast charge ideally promise you to have 80% in 30 minutes. In reality, it will be either less charge or more time. 

So we got 3 factors, each of them possibly decreases the mileage by 30%. So here is the time to remember your school math teacher and do a small exercise: 300*0.7*0.7*0.7= 103 miles. 

Finally, we arrive to find the answer. We have that, on average active drivers drive about 80 miles a day. Taking into account all the real-world conditions, the mileage possible will be about 100 miles. So, to cover the everyday need of ordinary drivers in the US, car manufacturers really need to have that 300 miles batteries.