Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm recently learned of the inherent drawbacks of electric vehicles.
This summer, Granholm embarked on a multi-state road trip from Charlotte to Memphis to promote the Biden administration’s green energy and EV initiatives. NPR reporter Camila Domonoske, who rode with Granholm on Sunday, said: revealed That’s when the police were called to Granholm’s EV caravan.
Domonoske said Granholm’s advance team planned to charge the EV at a fast-charging station outside Augusta, Georgia. But there was a problem. Of his four chargers at the station he had one broken and two occupied.
solution? Granholm’s team parked their gas-powered vehicle next to a working charger to “reserve” the charger for Granholm. But that “didn’t work out,” Domonoske explained. For Granholm, the optics of the situation were the least of it.
Mr. Domonosuke reported:
In fact, one family who was trapped with a baby in their car on a sweltering day was so upset that they decided to get the authorities involved and called the police.
The sheriff’s office could do nothing. In Georgia, it is not illegal for vehicles other than EVs to claim charging spots. Department of Energy staff scrambled to bring the situation under control, including sending other vehicles to slower chargers until both the disgruntled family and the secretary had room to charge.
This incident perfectly illustrates the problems and limitations of EVs. In Domonoske’s words, they “have a road trip problem.”
Domonosuke said the issue is not limited to charger availability, reliability and speed. EV road trips also require careful planning, she explained, as stops need to be designed around chargers.
Charger issues aside, EVs are also expensive.according to To Kelley Blue Book, New EVs currently sell for an average of about $5,000 more than traditional gasoline-powered vehicles. It has fallen nearly $8,000 since January.
Experts said this was likely artificial as unsold EV inventories were responsible for the decline, and prices would rise again once consumer demand matched supply again. .
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