Why you should stop worrying about EV range

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated December 21, 2024

Contributions sourced from

Screen Rant

Range anxiety still exists today and can deter many potential EVbuyers from making a purchase, but the fear is becoming less justified as time goes on. All-electric vehiclesfirst arrived years ago and the market has changed a lot since then. In February 2008, Tesla sold its first EV model, a two-door Roadster. At which point, range anxiety started to become more common.

The first EVs found acceptance in a niche of green customers who appreciated the innovation. Driving an all-electric back then was more than challenging. The first-generation Roadster could travel around 220 miles on a single charge. While impressive at the time, domestic chargers took about 30 hours to charge it. The availability of fast chargers were very limitedback then.

Related:EV Searches Double, But Manufacturers Cant Meet Demand

EVs are more popular than ever, but potential buyers are still concerned about range and charging stations, according to Cars.com. Range anxiety is often described as the fear of running low on battery and not being able to find a charging station. While this could have been a validfear a few years ago,there arethousands of charging stations in the U.S. today, with more than 128 thousand connectors available. Europe, China, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea also have a solid EV charging network, according to Statista.

Long Range Vehicles, Superchargers, And 24-7 Updates

The average American driverreportedly spends about one hour behind the wheel and drives around 37 miles a day. EVs tend to offer an average range of 250 miles fully charged and many new models will drive 300 miles. That is more than enough to cover an average driver forone week. Long-distance travel and time-to-charge are also fundamental aspects of range anxiety. When it comes to charging on the go, fast charging public EV stations are spread throughout the states and worldwide. Tesla, for example, says it has more than 30,000 Superchargersglobally, and that one of itsfast chargers can provide a Tesla with up to 200 miles of range in as little as 15 minutes. Overnight home charging is still the most used method, however, and domestic chargers are also getting better and faster.

Then there's the fear of running out of power without notice. Not only will an EV warn a driver when the power is low, but it will even suggest nearby charging stations. Today, all EVs can be linked to smartphones which can further help to keep drivers informed on their energy status, even when not in the car. These features are also improving as well. For example,the Ford F-150 Lighting can estimate range depending on route, weight, weather, and traffic conditions. To sum up, today'sEVs can cover hundreds of miles, have thousands of stations and domestic charging options, and always keep drivers informed, which collectively should help to ease buyer concerns and range anxiety.

Next:New Study Claims That Teslas And Other EVs Could Save Over 100,000 Lives

Source: Cars.com, Tesla, Statista

Why You Should Stop Worrying About Olive Oil's Smoke Points

Extra virgin olive oil is a staple in a Mediterranean diet, linked with improved body compositions, heart health, cognitive function and longevity.

But in recent years, alarms have repeatedly sounded over fears over the oil's "smoke point," and how heating olive oil to this temperature could release harmful compounds. Cautious consumers worried that heating olive oil during cooking would, at best, take away from olive oil's health benefits and, at worst, be dangerous.

However, 2018 research published in Acta Scientific Nutritional Health shows that not only is extra virgin olive oil safe when cooked to extremely high temperatures, it is more chemically stable at those heats than other common cooking oils.

[See: Best Foods for Brain Health.]

What Is a Smoke Point -- and Why Does It Matter?

"The smoke point of an oil or fat is the temperature at which, under defined conditions, sufficient volatile compounds emerge from the oil and a bluish smoke becomes clearly visible," explains Leandro Ravetti, the study's co-author and agriculture engineer and technical director of Modern Olives laboratory in Australia. "At this temperature, volatile compounds, such as free-fatty acids, polar compounds and short-chain degradation products, evaporate from the oil." Such harmful compounds, including lipid peroxides, may contribute to lung and bladder cancer risk, according to a 2011 Molecular Nutrition & Food Research study.

Every oil and fat has a unique smoke point, with temperatures ranging from more than 400 degrees Fahrenheit for grapeseed oil to about 300 degrees for butter. According to the North American Olive Oil Association, extra virgin olive oil's smoke point is 350 to 410 degrees Fahrenheit, and olive oil's smoke point is 390 to 468 degrees Fahrenheit.

The difference between olive oil types comes down to how they are processed. Extra virgin olive oil results from the first pressing of olives, while regular olive oil is a blend of the first pressing as well as subsequent processing. Many food labels state that extra virgin olive oil is for dressings and finishing and olive oil is for cooking, since the latter is less expensive and doesn't have as great of a flavor, which is not related to smoke points, Ravetti explains.

[See: 11 Foods and Beverages That May Promote Calm.]

A Smoke Point Isn't the Best Predictor of a Cooking Oil's Stability

In the Acta Scientific Nutritional Health study, 10 of the most commonly used cooking oils were selected from the supermarket and heated in two different trials. In the first, the oils were heated for about 20 minutes until they reached 464 degrees Fahrenheit. In the second trial, the oils were heated in a deep fryer to 356 degrees Fahrenheit, the highest temperature recommended for deep-frying foods, for six hours.

In both tests, extra virgin olive oil displayed the greatest oxidative stability, producing lower levels of polar compounds, trans fats and other byproducts when compared with other oils that had higher smoke points.

"Smoke point does not correlate with the timing when the oil starts to break down or lose stability," explains Selina Wang, research director at the University of California--Davis Olive Center. While olive oil has a moderate smoke point, its stability may be due to its high levels of antioxidants as well as monounsaturated fats, she says. (Note: While extra virgin olive oil was the most stable oil when heated, coconut and other virgin oils such as avocado followed close behind.)

In a 2010 Food and Chemical toxicology study, when researchers fried various types of olive oil, only after 24 to 27 hours of frying were the oils considered to be harmful. And in a 2015 Food Chemistry study, when researchers deep fried and sauted potato, tomato, eggplant and pumpkin, antioxidant levels of the foods actually increased, showing that olive oil continues to deliver nutritional benefits even when cooked at a high heat.

"Oxidative stability, not smoke point, is the best predictor of how an oil behaves during cooking," says Holly Herrington, a registered dietitian at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

[See: 6 Healthy Fall Desserts That Satisfy.]

Remember: You Probably Aren't Going to Hit the Smoke Point

When you're cooking with olive oil, you're not typically just heating olive oil by itself in a laboratory and serving it straight.

"The smoke point is determined in an enclosed environment, using only a very small volume of oil in a small brass capsule," Ravetti says. Factors such as the amount of oil used and the presence of air can increase the temperature at which a given oil smokes, meaning that, in practice, oil smoke points are likely greater than their official numbers.

All in all, even if smoke point were a good measure of how an oil holds up at high heat, it's very unlikely that you will actually hit that temperature in the kitchen. So if you love olive oil, there's no reason to stop cooking with it now.

K. Aleisha Fetters, MS, CSCS, is a freelance Health & Wellness reporter at U.S. News. As a certified strength and conditioning specialist with a graduate degree in health and science reporting, she has contributed to publications including TIME, Women's Health, Men's Health, Runner's World, and Shape. She empowers others to reach their goals using a science-based approach to fitness, nutrition and health. You can follow her on Twitter or Instagram, find her on Facebook or the Web or email her at [email protected].

5 Reasons Why You Should Stop Worrying

Apr 24, 2017 Kolyanne Russ Save For Later Print

Last Updated: Oct 30, 2018

Youre only here for a short visit. Dont hurry, dont worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way. Walter Hagen

To be human is to worry. Yet what value does worrying really bring us? Not only does worrying not offer much in way of value, it can actually be damaging and debilitating in a number of ways.

Why You Should Stop Worrying

Here why you should believe always in yourself and stop worrying today:

Worrying Wastes the Here and Now

Most often, worry comes in the form of worrying about the future and what it holds. It may also come in the form of worrying about and dwelling on the past. Either way, worry wastes the only thing we actually have control of the present. Let go of the past and let the future take care of itself. Instead, enjoy the here and now.

Worrying Accomplishes Nothing

No problem has ever been resolved by worrying about it. Yes, forming a plan of action is important, but worrying about and dwelling on the outcome is not. Worry isnt constructive, and by reason of uselessness alone it should be avoided.

The Future is Constantly Changing

Why worry about something that may not even be an issue when time comes about? The future is fluid and impossible to predict. With that being the case, theres no sense worrying about something that may never even happen. Or, even if it does happen, circumstances and situations might have changed to the point that it is no longer an issue. We just dont know what the future holds, so theres no reason to worry about it.

Worry is Unhealthy

According to WebMD, worry can cause a long list of physical symptoms including fatigue, headaches, irritability, nausea, and shortness of breath, just to name a few. Not only is worrying not good for your mental functioning, it can have real, tangible consequences on your body as well. Worst of all, worry can be a cause of stress, which is linked to an even longer list of physical symptoms. Suffice it to say, then, that worry is an incredibly unhealthy habit.

Worry Destroys Confidence

Confidence is one of the most valuable attributes a person can have. According to Psychology Today, Confidence is the most important psychological contributor to performance in the business world. It could also easily be argued that confidence is equally important in every other aspect of our lives as well. Worry, though, destroys confidence by inviting in self-doubt and forcing us to dwell on what could go wrong rather than on what could go right. While worry offers no value itself, it does destroy something that offers tons of value. Protect your confidence and stop letting worry damages it.

90% of What We Worry About Never Happens

This world certainly provides plenty of things to worry about, but never has worrying about them actually done someone any good. By recognizing how little worth worrying has and how much damage it can actually cause, we can begin to worry less and approach our problems in a more constructive, useful way. The next time you find yourself starting to worry about something, consider how little good it does and let your worries disappear.

Stop Worrying: 10 Ways to Put an End to Worry

Do you get stuck in your worries? Check out these science-based strategies to stop worrying and create a worry-free life.

*This page may include affiliatelinks; that means I earn from qualifying purchases of products.

What is worry?

Worry refers to thoughts, emotions, and images of a negative future. People may worry about real or imagined future events. Often, we mistakenly believe that worry is useful in helping prevent undesired future eventsto prepare or think through how we'll respondbut excessive worry only propagates future worry and is not really a useful coping strategy. So most of us worries just want to stop worrying.

How much worrying is too much?

Worries, doubts, and anxieties are completelynormal. In fact, 38% of people worry about something everyday. Its actually adaptive (beneficial) to worry about things that could go wrong. It we just lived life will-nilly, we'd be more likely to make mistakes that could hurt us, threaten our health, and derail out future.But normal worry can become problematicwhen its enduring and difficult to control. For example,if you worry about all the bad things that could happen, often imagining worst-case scenarios, and you have anxious thoughts that interfere with your abilityto do regular stuff, like sleep, digest, enjoy friends, etc, then worrying has become a problem for you.

Why excessive worry hurts our well-being

Excessiveworrying can hurt your emotional and physical health. It can cause unpleasant emotions and contribute to all sorts of anxiety symptomslike insomnia, headaches, stomach problems, muscle tension, and poor concentration.Excessive worrying can also put stress on your relationships, hurt yourself-confidence, and even stall yourcareer.Chronic worrying is usually a symptom ofGeneralized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), a non-specific anxiety disorder that involves a general feeling of unease about most aspects of your life. Luckily, if you worry more than you'd like to there are lots of things you can do to stop worrying so much.

Why is it hard to stop worrying?

For us chronic worriers, the idea that we could just stop worrying seems unlikely. And it's clear why. Worry is a negative thought pattern, and any thought pattern that we use over and over again gets hard-wired in our brainsonce it's hard-wired it's harder to stop.Stopping worrying also involves addressing our beliefs, values, and emotionsall things that keep the worry going long after it is useful. So stopping worrying can require overhauling the way we think and behave.Here's some strategies that can help you stop worrying:

1. Ask yourself, where does your worry come from?

Psychologists (like myself) tend to focus on psychological solutions to worry. Change your thoughts, stop the worry cycle, etc... These are helpful anti-worry strategies, but if you're caught up in a bad situation, finding the source of your worry and taking action to change the situation can sometimes be the more effective strategy.One way you can tell whether the worry is more situational versus more about the way you think is by asking yourself: "is the worry general or specific?" If you only tend to worry about one specific area of your life, like work or a relationship, but you don't worry about everything else (like health, money, etc...), your worry might be better addressed by taking some sort of constructive action to change your situation. Ultimately, your thoughts are trying to protect you. So first ask yourself if there is something you can change in your life to stop the worries altogether.Or, if you're like me, and you tend to worry about most things, then working directly with your thoughts is likely to be more effective. In this case, the worry problem is likely arising from worry patterns rather than specific events.

2. Explore your worry triggers

Sometimes finding the source of your worry is easyit'sthe job, the romantic partner, the kids, or financial issues.Or, the origins of your worry may be more complicated, hidden, and, therefore, difficult to stop. Either way, before working on stopping worry, it can be useful to investigatewhats causing your worry until you get a clearer picture of what's driving worry

for you

Explore worry at work.

Perhaps a workgroup you are part of is

amping up stress

. Perhaps you could ask to be moved to a different group or perhaps you can negotiate morework-from-home flex-time.

Explore worry at home.

Perhaps you have a stressful in-law, sibling, partner, or screaming children. Consider

assertively communicating

your needs to these folks to help cut the worry that arises from these stressful relationships.

Once you've done what you can to change the worrisome situations (which in many cases may not be much), its time to start working on your worrying thoughts.

Here's some quick strategies to stop worrying:

3. Calm the worry in your body

One way to stop worryingis a by engaging in meditation. By sitting quietly and directing thoughts elsewhere, you can begin to soothe the body and halt worry cycles. Over time, we can train the mind to notice our thoughts and calm the body without getting stuck in our worries.To practice meditation all you need is a comfy spot and, to make it even easier, a meditation video to guide your thoughts and keep them from getting caught up in your worries.Here are a couple good anti-worry videos:This one is just calming music (I'll often listen to it while working on a stressful project to calm my anxiety).

This one walks you through an anti-worry thought exercise:

4. Identify your worry patterns

Worry comes from negative thinking about the future, and it can make the future seem more threatening than it really is. Here are some of the negative

overthinking

patterns that can lead to worry. See which ones resonate with you. These are the ones you need to work on to reduce your worry.

Rumination.

Rumination is when we think about something distressing over and over again. We think about what we could have done differently or how it could have turned out differently.

Catastrophizing.

Catastrophizing is when we expect the worst possible outcome for every situation.

Minimization.Minimizing

is when we downplay positive attributes, experiences, or strengths.

Suppression.

Suppression involves trying not to show or express negative emotions. For example, we may be upset with our boss, but will try not to show our emotions on the face or in words.

Experiential avoidance.

Experiential avoidance involves trying not to feel negative emotions. For example, we may try to push away negative emotions or engage in drug/alcohol use so as not to feel negative emotions.

All-or-nothing thinking.

All-or-nothing thinking is when we view a situation as all good or all bad.

Distraction.

Distraction is when we avoid experiencing our emotions by doing something else. Distraction is not always bad, but it is usually ineffective when we use it to avoid emotions. For example, a woman may get in a fight with her husband, but instead of talking to him to resolve the emotions she distracts herself by going shopping. This approach leaves the negative emotions unresolved.

Overgeneralization.

Overgeneralization is when we believe negative experiences mean we will always have this negative experience. For example, if we had a bad relationship, we may suspect that all relationships we have in the future will also be bad.

Negative attention.

Negative attention is when we focus on the things that went wrong rather than the things that went right.

External attributionfor the good things.

External attribution

is the belief that the good things that happen to us are controlled by forces and circumstances outside of ourselves. "We're just lucky".Internal attribution for the bad things.

Internal attribution

is the belief that the bad things that happen to us are controlled by us. It's our fault that bad things happen.Mind reading.

Mind reading is when we think we know what others are thinking about us, but we haven't actually asked them.

Self-criticism.

Self-criticism is when we beat ourselves us for even the smallest mistakes. For example, I can't believe I did that. Im such a moron.

5. Challenge your worry patterns

When you identify your own unique worry patterns, challengethe validity of these thoughts. For example, you could ask yourself:

Whats the evidence that your thoughts aretrue?
What is a positive version of the thought?Might this positive versionbe true?
Whats the likelihood that the thoughts will come true?
Is the thought helpful? (This one isthe most helpful for me. I remind myself that worrying just makes things worse and doesme no good. That helps me calm my worries).

To work on changing your worry patterns a bit more, check out this activity.

6. Ask yourself, is the situation controllable or not?

If you're worried about something you can fix, you might be better off fixing it than letting the worry dominate your thoughts. Procrastination is a good example. Instead of worrying about the thing you need to do, just do it and that can help the worry dissipate.On the flip side, maybe you're worried about something you have no control over. I recall a period when my husband and I were considering a divorce and I worried intensely about it initially. At some point, though, I just realized I could only be myself and I had no control over his decisions. It actually felt good to just let go of the fears about what could happen and accept whatever was to come.Why avoiding anxiety is a cycle:

7. Stop worry with exercise

When you're worrying intensely, your physiology is all messed up. Simply stopping the thoughts doesn't help those neurochemicals dissipate in your body any faster. That's why doing something with your body can really help with worry.

Exercise can help with anxiety

because it releases endorphins and activates the parasympathetic nervous system, both of which can

relieve stress

and help your body calm itself. It may also be helpful to focus on how your body feels during the exercise. Try to notice your breath, your heart beating, or how your body is moving, for example.

8. Try deep breathing to calm worries

When you worry, you breathe faster and shallower, which limits oxygen and can lead to more anxiety symptoms. Pausing for deep breathing exercisescan help you calm your body and mind.

9. Talk about your worries

Talking with trusted friend or family member on the phone, video-chat, or in person can help you gain more perspective on your thoughts.Keeping worries suppressed or to yourself only causes them to build up and they can become overwhelming.Just be cautious of who to avoid when you're worrying. There may be some people who are worriers themselves or have a difficult time sympathizing. Talking to them can leave you feeling worse. So be thoughtful about who you share your worries with.

10. Set a time limit on your worry

If you're not careful, worrying can suck up a lot of your time. By setting a time limit on your worry, you allow yourself some time to worry, and then let it go. During this time, you could write down your worries. This can trick your brain, letting it know it doesn't have to think about the worries anymore and can go about life.You can also go over past worry lists and cross out the things that are no longer bothering you or didn't turn out as bad as you thought. This can help teach your brain that these worries weren't necessary after all.

More Activities To Help You Stop Worrying

To stop worrying, work on stopping the unhealthy processes that generate negative emotion.In this activity, you learn skills to stop a variety of unhealthy emotional processes.

Positive reappraisal involves reframing a negative event as more positive so that you hopefully don't worry about it so much.