You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Science & Technology
EV road trip from HELL
2022-06-13
[Breitbart] The Wall Street Journal reported this weekend on a four-day road trip from New Orleans to Chicago and back in an electric vehicle (EV) that ended up as a disaster — one that left the author grateful for her ordinary car, even at today’s high gas price.

The Journal article, by Rachel Wolfe, was titled: "I Rented an Electric Car for a Four-Day Road Trip. I Spent More Time Charging It Than I Did Sleeping." In it, the author described planning the journey, using the PlugShare app to map charging stations and estimate charging times, based on the relative strength of each public charging station. She noted that more charging stations should, in theory, be available in future, thanks to the federal government’s new infrastructure bill.

For now, however, long-distance travel by electric vehicle proved almost impossible, saving just $100 and costing hours. At several points, Wolfe recalled, the car nearly ran out of battery; they missed several appointments. They also had to take drastic steps to curb their use of power, such as unplugging their phones and turning down their windshield wipers.

She wrote: "Over four days, we spent $175 on charging. We estimated the equivalent cost for gas in a Kia Forte would have been $275, based on the AAA average national gas price for May 19. That $100 savings cost us many hours in waiting time."

Wolfe also described conversations with fellow travelers: "The woman charging next to us describes a harrowing recent trip in her Volkswagen ID.4. Deborah Carrico, 65, had to be towed twice while driving between her Louisville, Ky., apartment and Boulder, Colo., where her daughter was getting married." She noted that the woman had described feeling unsafe while charging at night, and that her family had urged her to trade in her electric car in favor of an old-fashioned gas model.
Posted by:Besoeker

#12  #10 *DING DING DING*

How Soviet CCP Putin
Posted by: Frank G   2022-06-13 21:23  

#11  A palpable point, Besoeker.
Posted by: trailing wife   2022-06-13 19:11  

#10  EV's make gov't lockdowns easy. Just 'brown out' the target area and no one goes anywhere.
Posted by: Besoeker   2022-06-13 18:24  

#9  One of the more fun things out there on the horizon will be when the entire Salton Sea is taken from the state of California by eminent domain so that the rare earth minerals in it can be recovered.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2022-06-13 17:48  

#8  As long as you stay in a 75 mile radius from home, you are OK

As long as it is not winter, since range falls with temperature.

If I remember my chemistry, reaction rates fall by half for every 10 degree Centigrade decrease in temperature. This reduces EV range. I suspect this also means longer charging times but I have seen this discussed.
Posted by: SteveS   2022-06-13 17:44  

#7  ^The current generation of EVs aren't made for road trips. They're made for driving around town, and are reasonably good at it.
Posted by: Secret Master    2022-06-13 17:34  

#6  As long as you stay in a 75 mile radius from home, you are OK. You will save money only to spend it to pay for battery replacement. In the event of an EMP you are toast.
Posted by: Papa Cooky    2022-06-13 15:57  

#5  Private auto? 'Liberals' want you ride the state-owned train.
Posted by: magpie   2022-06-13 13:41  

#4  Libs? Marxist Red Guard know nothing how the world really operates living in their magical cocoon built by Western Civilization.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2022-06-13 08:22  

#3  Libs understand battery physics about as well as they understand economics. So don't expect much realism there.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2022-06-13 08:12  

#2  Notice that the answer is more charging stations, not better batteries or charging efficiency.
Posted by: Too Old To Work   2022-06-13 08:10  

#1  
Posted by: Skidmark   2022-06-13 06:10  

00:00