EV Proponents Road Trips Reveal Shortcomings of Electric Cars
Those favouring electric vehicles keep going on long drives believing the vehicles will perform as reliably as gas-powered cars, but end up encountering problems while on the road
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Ford CEO Jim Farley, and New York Times reporter David Gelles all embarked upon EV road trips using the vehicles that the Biden administration is seeking to impose on American consumers in the coming decade.
However, each of these trips ran into significant reliability and performance challenges that suggest the EV transition may not be as smooth as advocates anticipate it will be.
Common gripes that American consumers have with EVs include inadequate charging infrastructure, higher costs, worse performance in cold weather, battery degradation, and inconsistent range, according to Top Speed.
EVs can cost significantly more than internal combustion engine vehicles, according to CBS News.
Granholm embarked on her four-day July trip through the Southeast to promote EVs and the jobs their production will create, a key selling point of the wider “Bidenomics” agenda, according to NPR.
However, her journey faced several challenges related to EV charging: the vehicle she drove for the trip had a hardware issue that complicated charging, and one of her staffers raced ahead of her to reserve a spot at a charging station using a gas-powered vehicle.
The staffer would not get out of the spot when requested by a family, which had a crying infant in tow, looking to use the charging station before Granholm showed up, according to NPR.
Eventually, the police were called to sort out the situation.
Gelles rented an EV from Hertz over the summer to make the 154-mile drive from Minneapolis, Minnesota, to a farm near the state’s border with South Dakota to gather information for a story about agriculture.
He documented his experiences on the open road in a Thursday piece for the Times, observing that his trip was, in theory, emblematic of “the kind of long drive through sparsely populated farmland that is a hallmark of American car culture.”
“The nation’s EV infrastructure is not ready for prime time,” Gelles wrote. “I recently found this out the hard way.”
Gelles described having to charge his vehicle while en route, gaining just two percent of the battery life back after 30 minutes of charging.
Upon reaching his destination, he plugged in his EV to charge overnight with the cable kept in the vehicle to ensure that he would have sufficient power to make it back to Minneapolis the next day.
The next morning, the EV he had rented did not have enough power to make it back to Minneapolis, so he had to call the rental company to arrange for a tow truck to provide a ride for himself and for his otherwise stranded EV.
He made it back in time to catch his flight out, but the rental company billed him more than $700 for the services rendered.
Farley, whose company is set to lose $4.5 billion on its EV production this year, remains confident in its longer-term profitability.
He embarked on a Route 66 road trip in August in Ford’s F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck, noting that “there are things you can’t learn in an office or from a PowerPoint,” in a LinkedIn post announcing the trip.
While on the road, Farley encountered inconsistencies in available charging. Some of the EV chargers he used were effective and provided a painless experience, while in another case, he had to use a low-speed charger that juiced up his truck’s battery to 40 percent in 40 minutes because there were no high-speed chargers available, he said on X, formerly Twitter.
“It was a really good reality check,” Farley said of his experiences with EV charging, which he also described as “pretty challenging.”
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Tom
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The EV revolution will be fine as long as you tow a gas vehicle behind you.
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Lorraine
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When I spot an EV I take a look at the driver so I can ID mindless stupidity when I see them out and about. I would bet they are vaxxed too. Bye bye dodo.
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Dave
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EVs, Unsafe at any Speed!🔥🔥🔥
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Tom Anderson
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The Bell curve has filled the world with mediocrities whose only “talent” and chance of employment is to give out mediocre advice—which is everywhere and interminable. Why are we surprised? Are we still listening?
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Lorraine
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I’m amazed at the gullibility of the masses. That’s what the would be tyrants are counting on.
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Howdy
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Humans are not variations on a theme. They have a character, and a path to follow – every one of them, so what gives another the right to contradict how that path is followed?
None of the EV writings mean anything in the end, it’s a ploy, like many things, such as windmills. The specifics don’t matter. What does matter is that the plan serves the commissioners of it and people will fall for it based on their perception and knowledge. If that doesn’t work well enough, apply the thumbscrews, and again, some can resist, so here we are. Thing is, are others not allowed to make mistakes in choice, same as anybody can?
There’s a reason the planet is in such an imbalance. These ‘idiots’ are blameless. Attribute it to the Almighty. Surely you know that life is not yours? That the ‘elites’ are as clueless as anybody? An actor following a script?
I’ll say again: “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do”.
The sooner people realize that working against that imbalance rather than helping it by negative ‘vibes’, which is why we’re here, and only degrades conditions further, the sooner it will try to move to centre again. That being said, Humanity alone cannot reverse the direction in time, alone.
Flying carries the risk of death, so are people who fly on planes gripped by a death wish, or is it simply not in the mind, not considered a risk at the time? Same idea.
It’s another sermon – sorry.
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aaron
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Preach on Howdy
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Howdy
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Got the idea from you with your never-ending NASA/space/CGI rants Aaron. Difference is, my words have truth, relevance, and meaning.
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Lorraine
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Follow your path Howdy as is your right.
If you drive off a cliff, it was your decision.
If you find paradise it was your wise choice.
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Howdy
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I have an idea allready Lorraine, but specifics are never known until they happen.
Take care.
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