Save the environment. Cut the dependency on gas. Go green.
Yes, that’s how they sell the electric car. We did that when we purchased our Nissan Leaf last year.
Today I declare I am done with the Nissan Leaf, Tesla, Chevy Bolt or any electric vehicle.
Our recent weekend road trip confirmed that for me. The final straw was spending most of the day searching for a fast charge station. Anxiety was high. After trying five charging stations we finally found one that was working which charged up our car.
We have had our electric vehicle (EV) for the past 9 months. It’s awesome if you are staying close to home. I love the car. No gas. No oil changes. Quick acceleration and smooth ride. As we have found out this weekend, it is NOT for long range weekend trips.
The average range for us is about 200 miles (they say more miles but they LIE).
If you aren’t familiar with EVs or specifically a Nissan Leaf, you have only two options to charge. There is a Chademo port for “fast” charging which can take up to 90 minutes (They tell you 45 minutes to 80% put that has never been realistic). or Level 2 which is a slow charge which can take 8-12 hours to charge. So it’s not a quick charge and back on the road like with gas-powered vehicles.
Charging stations are scattered and have different chargers and different companies. It’s a mess. Just because there is a charging station doesn’t mean it is a quick charge or even compatible for your vehicle. Teslas are a different story. They have their own SPECIAL plugs and stations.
We decided to take a trip from Nashville to Cincinnati for the weekend. The distance from our home is 307 miles and takes about four hours. Our recent trip with the EV took over 10 hours. We had to stop twice to charge the car. Once in Bowling Green, KY and once in Louisville, KY where there is only ONE quick charging port and to get us to Cincinnati. I used an app called PlugShare which can locate various charging stations. The Leaf has a button on the GPS which is supposed to find EV charging stations for you but it never updated once we left home.
The next day in Cincinnati was high anxiety with the EV. With us drained down to about 15% of battery power left we went looking for a quick-charge. The first attempt was a charging station on the campus of the University of Cincinnati which was not working. Next, we drove to an EVGO charging station. I connected the plug, initiated the charge and the station rebooted and continued to reboot. We then drove to a nearby Holiday Inn Express and plugged into a slow charging station. It was supposed to be for hotel guests but we were getting desperate. I called EVGO customer service who directed us to a quick charge station near Target. When we pulled up it was only for Teslas - yet another charging station fail. Our fifth attempt led us to an abandoned location with two slow chargers. We were finally able to find a quick charge station at a shopping center 12 miles away.
What most people don’t realize is that there are very few quick charging stations. Many of the stations only have slow charging so what are you supposed to do with that? Shop for eight hours at Kroger? Plug in your EV and then Uber to places and pick it up later? Leave your EV plugged in at a location overnight?
In the proposed infrastructure deal includes $7.5 billion for more electric charging stations. That's a start but how long until it is implemented?
Here are the problems with EVs:
Not enough WORKING charging stations.
Yes, the infrastructure bill would go a long way to resolving that issue. Just imagine needing gas, you don't have to worry because you will find a gas station. Not so easy for EVs needing a charge. There needs to be charging stations at all rest stops on the interstate and not just ONE quick charge plug. If you are on the interstate highways you don't want to stay at a rest area for 8-12 hours to charge up. You would ASSUME that car dealerships would have them readily available but they do not. I wrongly assumed that we could just pull into a Nissan dealer for a quick charge.
Need a universal plugs.
There should be ONE plug for the EV. Not one for quick charge, one for slow charge and another one for Teslas. There needs to be one plug to fits all. Companies can charge for the type of charge needed.
Build better batteries.
Replacing batteries in an EV can cost over $3,000. Most people can't afford that. Need to build a better battery.
Solar power backup.
EV makers need to figure out a way to install solar panels on top of EVs to help the vehicles last longer or to provide a backup when battery power is low.
EVs are trying to breakthrough but there are still obstacles to overcome until they can be mainstream. I jumped on it but I'm not ready for it yet. I am ready to jump off because I can't take the anxiety caused by looking for working charging stations on a road trip. EVs are good for local driving but not for weekend road trips.
I'm all about the environment and going green but I'm going back to gas.
