Electric vehicle drivers get candid about charging: ‘Logistical nightmare’

YouTube personality Steve Hammes leased a Hyundai Kona Electric sport utility vehicle for his 17-year-old daughter Maddie for three reasons: it was affordable, practical and allowed Maddie to put her cash toward college, not fuel. Now, the upstate New York resident has a dilemma many EV owners can relate to: finding available charging stations far away from home.

“We’re going through the planning process of how easily Maddie can get from Albany to Gettysburg [College] and where she can charge the car,” Hammes told ABC News. “It makes me a little nervous. We want fast chargers that take 30 to 40 minutes — it would not make sense to sit at a Level 2 charger for hours. There isn’t a good software tool that helps EV owners plan their trips.”

Last week the Biden administration said Tesla would open its Supercharger network to non-Tesla owners by the end of 2024. The plan includes 3,500 Tesla fast chargers and 4,000 of its slower, Level 2 chargers — a small number in Tesla’s sprawling network. Setting up an account on Tesla’s app is also required for access.

drivers — “how you charge, where you drive and what car you have.” He does not expect Tesla to commit to additional charging stations.

“Tesla does not want its highly reliable and tightly integrated charging network to be clogged with people whose cars can’t charge as fast as Teslas,” he told ABC News.

President Joe Biden prioritized emissions-free vehicles in the 2021 infrastructure law, vowing to increase the number of green vehicles on America’s highways and local roads. The president’s goals include installing 500,000 new chargers across the U.S. and dramatically boosting EV sales by 2030.

Voelcker said he’s seen little improvement in the nation’s charging infrastructure in the last four years and frequently hears complaints of dead chargers and sticky cables.

“The incentive right now is to get stations in the ground,” he said. “It’s not making sure they actually work.”

Tony Quiroga, editor-in-chief of Car and Driver, has been forced to wander the aisles of a Walmart in Burbank, California, while the EV he’s testing that day sits and charges. He’s become a familiar face at a Mexican restaurant in Mohave, California, where a Tesla charger is located. A coffee shop recently opened nearby that caters specifically to EV drivers.

“I imagine an ecosystem will be built around charging stations eventually,” he told ABC News. “Longer trips bring up flaws with EVs. People are leery of taking them on long trips — that’s why older EVs don’t have 40,000 miles on them.”

Sandwich chain Subway announced Wednesday it was partnering with GenZ EV Solutions to build “Oasis Parks” at select dining locations. EV customers can expect charging canopies with multiple ports, picnic tables, Wi-Fi, restrooms, green space and playgrounds to make the charging experience more “seamless,” Subway said.

Last March Swedish automaker Volvo and Starbucks said they were teaming up to install as many as 60 DC fast chargers at 15 Starbucks stores along a 1,350-mile route that spans from Seattle to Denver. The carmaker plans to open about 7,500 charging stations across the U.S. before the end of 2024.

“I can meet a lot of cool people at these stations,” he said. “I always ask them how their EV experience has been. One Polestar owner helped me with a The carmaker plans to open about 7,500 charging
stations across the U.S. before the end of 2024. payment issue I had.”

Hammes said EV owners have also come up to him at public charging stations, knocking on the Kona’s window to say hello.

“It’s a social experience … EV owners love to talk about their cars and talk to other EV owners,” he noted. “It’s a new tech and everyone is learning at the same pace and sharing their experiences.”

Hammes, a first-time EV owner, said his experience overall with the Kona Electric has been positive. He installed a 240-volt Level 2 charger in his garage last December and has only praise for the Hyundai Home system. His one gripe? The sales associates at his local Hyundai dealership were unknowledgeable and poorly trained about the intricacies of EV ownership, he explained.

“The dealership experience is so far behind. I get solicitations for oil changes. The staff is so disconnected from the product they’re selling,” he said. Hammes said he will likely choose another EV when his lease is up next spring — only this time he’s adding more range.

“For me personally the new threshold would be 300 [miles]. That number makes me feel more comfortable,” he said. “That’s what I am aiming for in
our next EV.”

Source : abc7news