Road trips are my favorite thing to do, even if I’m not driving. Thankfully, hubby enjoys being in the driver’s seat, so I get that option more often than not. Anybody who’s been out on the road and has ventured off the beaten track knows the thrill of freedom and adventure that comes with even the most modest of journeys. From Orange County, California to San Luis Obispo, there is plenty of space and road to give me the feeling that I have traveled. Road TripThis is one of a kind American pastime. Trains are used in Europe. America has a train system. we driveIt is unparalleled. The road trip could be considered one of America’s last remaining bastions of freedom. I’ll take a road trip over a plane trip any day of the week.
This brings me to the fascinating article. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).. Their reporter decided to drive 2,000 miles from New Orleans to Chicago using an electric car. It’s a worthy experiment, since Dementia Joe and Co. are determined to get us out of our gas-guzzling, fossil-fuel-dependent clunkers, and into bright, shiny, computer-controlled electric vehicles.
This is even though the high-end models cost over $40,000 and lower-end models more than $100,000. An average American earns $45,000 per year as a base salary.
Sure, Jan.
The reporter aptly named her article, “I Rented an Electric Car for a Four-Day Road Trip. I Spent More Time Charging It Than I Did Sleeping.” Straight out the gate, this is not a winning argument for people like me who love the drive, not sitting at charging stations.
It seemed like fun.
That’s what I told my friend Mack when I asked her to drive with me from New Orleans to Chicago and back in an electric car.
I’d made long road trips before, surviving popped tires, blown headlights and shredded wheel-well liners in my 2008 Volkswagen Jetta. I figured driving the brand-new Kia EV6 I’d rented would be a piece of cake.
If, that is, the public-charging infrastructure cooperated. We wouldn’t be the first to test it. Sales of pure and hybrid plug-ins doubled in the U.S. last year to 656,866—over 4% of the total market, according to database EV-volumes. More than half of car buyers say they want their next car to be an EV, according to recent Ernst & Young Global Ltd. data.
Oh—and we aimed to make the 2,000-mile trip in just under four days so Mack could make her Thursday-afternoon shift as a restaurant server.
WSJ has reported on the fact that despite Dementia Joe’s urgency to get us off fossil fuels and out of gas-powered cars by 2030, the charging infrastructure does not match the goal.
The U.S. is slowing down in its efforts to create a network of charging stations for electric vehicles. States are still trying to figure out how they can fairly distribute public funds to help kickstart this new industry.
As the Biden administration prepares to give states $7.5 billion for new charging stations, a similar recent effort suggests a difficult path is ahead. States received $424 million that could be used for charging stations as part of a $2.8 billion settlement by Volkswagen AG VOW -1.97%▼To resolve claims that it had cheated diesel emission tests. They have already spent 48% on those charges, almost four years after the initial allegations.
Sixteen states, including Connecticut and Illinois that claim they will use VW settlement money to pay for chargers, have not yet disbursed any funds. Based on data provided by Atlas Public Policy, a Washington, D.C. research company that monitors the electric-vehicle market, four states have indicated they will use the money to fund other projects, such as bus fleets of lower emission buses. Thirty-seven states, including New Mexico, South Dakota, Hawaii and New York, have already distributed the majority of their charging money.
Daily Caller
According to the New York Times, an unwritten law prohibits Chinese supplies of electric cars and green energy products from the United States. This is a significant change in a priority for the Biden Administration.
The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act requires proof that any products coming from Xinjiang, one of the main sources of products crucial in making batteries, were free of forced labor, the NYT reported. On Tuesday, the law takes effect.
President Biden is pushing to make at least 50% of vehicles emission-free by 2030 as part of his push for green energy, The White House stated in a press release.
[Writer falls out of her chair from laughing uproariously. Picks herself up from the floor, sits down, and continues writing.]
Is this government any less inept than the others? Maybe I shouldn’t ask that because, with each new day, they seem to plumb new depths. Daily Caller’s article reiterates this. WSJ stated. It seems that not only the red states but also many other countries are enthusiastic about this initiative.
Biden has had to overcome obstacles, such as cratering auto manufacturer revenues. Ford saw a 5% decline in revenue and a $5.4 billion loss in the first quarter after investing in the production of electric vehicles. A number of states, including New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and Montana criticized Biden’s plan for electric vehicle charging stations.
This brings us back to WSJ reporter’s road trip.
“The government is spending $5 billion to build a nationwide network of fast chargers, which means thousands more should soon dot major highways. For now, though, fast chargers tend to be located in parking lots of suburban shopping malls, or tethered to gas stations or car dealerships.”
Wow… We have record inflation. We are facing a food crisis. Record high gasoline prices. Our government still has $5 BILLION for infrastructure charging. Is it not easier, and likely less expensive to get rid of the oil lease restrictions and restore the flow of American electricity?
The answer is obvious to all of us.
The reporter’s rented EV had a range of 310 miles on one charge. The PlugShare app allows users to create maps of charging points across the country. This allowed her to calculate that she would need to only charge once per day and would still be able plug in for the night.
The plan didn’t work out as planned.
The PlugShare app—a user-generated map of public chargers—showed thousands of charging options between New Orleans and Chicago. Most were Level 2 chargers, meaning they take around 8 hours to fully charge.
While we’d be fine overnight, we required fast chargers during the days. ChargePoint Holdings Inc., which manufactures and maintains many fast-charging stations, promises an 80% charge in 20 to 30 minutes. Longer than stopping for gas—but good for a bite or bathroom break.
Americans have trouble fully charging the lithium batteries in our smartphones, especially when we don’t have the right charger. It will charge faster or slower depending on where it is located (or both). It is a large lithium battery, capable of moving a staggering 3,000 to 5,000 pounds. What would make a vehicle work differently?
It turns out not all “fast chargers” live up to the name. According to State Of Charge, the most important variable is how fast a unit can generate power in one hour. To be considered “fast,” a charger must be capable of about 24 kW. Fast chargers are capable of producing up to 350 watts.
And that’s not even factoring in weather, which was a major hurdle for the WSJTo overcome. The interstate highway system was a boon to her, but what about when you go off-the-beaten track? You might be in rural areas with poor infrastructure. Once your gas-powered vehicle is filled up, you don’t have to think twice about the time it takes to get to your next destination. This gives you security and certainty.
The EV The EV? It is possible to get a variable fee depending on your circumstances.
After a while, the reporter tried his best to find out.
As intense wind and rain whip around us, the car cautions, “Conditions have not been met” for its cruise-control system. The battery begins to lose life quickly. From a distance of 100 miles between Chicago, Ill. and our intended first stop in Effingham. Ill. has dropped to 30.
“If it gets down to 10, we’re stopping at a Level 2,” Mack says as she frantically searches PlugShare.
We feel defeated pulling into a Nissan Mazda dealership in Mattoon, Ill. “How long could it possibly take to charge the 30 miles we need to make it to the next fast station?” I wonder.
It can take three hours. It takes three hours.
My mind begins to wander as I search for gas-station doughnuts. I feel like I am losing it all.
But it’s not just inclement weather. When I had a 9-5 job, I used to commute 20 miles one way using a canyon road—lots of climbing and switchbacks. I thoroughly enjoyed the pretty and pleasant ride in my gas-powered SUV, even in stop-and-go traffic, which in Los Angeles is another day ending in Y. I also enjoyed seeing all the Prius drivers pulled over to the side because their lithium batteries couldn’t take the stop-go-idle, and were overheating.
That was years ago, and hopefully, they’ve fixed that. But if you enjoy the open road and the ability to get up and go, don’t expect to be able to do it in an electric vehicle.
Yeah, given the choice, I’ll take the financial hit and keep my gas-powered V-6 SUV, along with my freedom of movement. The majority of Americans will, with the exception of the Coasties and champagne-eligible elite.
This is the moment in my life that I have been blessed to be able take this hit. Unfortunately, this is not the case for many Americans.
The evil intentions of this administration are nothing but pure evil.
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