> I'm increasingly convinced this is a generational thing
You are taking about gas cars, though. Nobody, of any generation, has "range anxiety" in a gas car. People might be afraid they will hit empty, or not trust their fuel gauge, but that's not "range anxiety" that's "running out of gas is a PITA". Those things are different, one is a commonplace that has always been true and the other is new and EV-specific for good reason.
An EV is much harder to recover from an empty battery than an ICE car is from an empty tank. There is no red jerry can you can fill that will give an EV the 10-30 miles you get from a gallon of gas, and there is no guarantee that a refueling station is close by and conveniently located. And ofc if your EV is empty, it will take hours to refill. Hence range anxiety.
I have an EV, I love it and have done 7 hour road trips with it no problem, but planning the battery charge level is something you have to think about in a way that is qualitatively different than with gas cars.
Uh, their house guests clearly do. -- "I've had houseguests, on the other hand, who start literally flipping out if the tank goes below a quarter full."
Quarter tank is easily 50-100 miles depending on the car. I swear, I'd have to go out of my way to travel that far without accidentally passing a gas station.
You are taking about gas cars, though. Nobody, of any generation, has "range anxiety" in a gas car. People might be afraid they will hit empty, or not trust their fuel gauge, but that's not "range anxiety" that's "running out of gas is a PITA". Those things are different, one is a commonplace that has always been true and the other is new and EV-specific for good reason.
An EV is much harder to recover from an empty battery than an ICE car is from an empty tank. There is no red jerry can you can fill that will give an EV the 10-30 miles you get from a gallon of gas, and there is no guarantee that a refueling station is close by and conveniently located. And ofc if your EV is empty, it will take hours to refill. Hence range anxiety.
I have an EV, I love it and have done 7 hour road trips with it no problem, but planning the battery charge level is something you have to think about in a way that is qualitatively different than with gas cars.