If You Can Afford It, Where Will You Charge It?

(Daily360.com) – As the Biden Administration continues its push for electric vehicles, more questions and issues arise. Through both narrative and executive actions, the administration is endeavoring to create a national charging network for electric vehicles. This is easier said than done, however, whereas any car requiring unleaded gas can pull into any gas stain and fill up in less than 5 minutes this is not the case for electric vehicles.

On February 15th the White House issued a press release announcing a network of 500,000 electric vehicles (EV) charging stations for cars “Made-in-America.” Part of this package includes Tesla creating 7,500 stations for non-Tesla EVs by the end of 2024. The release further notes Biden’s EV spending package allocates $7.5 billion to EV charging infrastructure. The larger question remains, is this investment prudent?

Consumers have voiced quite a few concerns about EVs, one of which is the distance an EV can travel on a full charge is nowhere near what you get on a tank of unleaded gasoline. Likewise, charging your vehicle can take hours, and “fast charge” stations which are sparsely available take 30-40 minutes as well. If you’re planning any kind of road trip you must allocate for where chargers are located, and how long each charging stops take. This also comes with some safety concerns as you’re stationary for 30 minutes to a couple of hours depending on the station. With the increasing EV variables such as range, charging station locations, and charging time, consumers are justifiably leery of EVs.

Automotive YouTube creator Tyler Hoover also pointed to EV trucks being subpar and impractical for the tasks current trucks perform. Noting a truck towing a load of 3,500 lbs would need to stop roughly once per hour for a 45-minute charge. Motor Trend cited similar findings when they tested EV trucks. Despite all the red flags, the White House remains steadfast in its goal of national EV conversion.

 

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