WASHINGTON, D.C. – Prominent figures advocating for electric vehicles (EVs), including Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, Ford CEO Jim Farley, and New York Times reporter David Gelles, have encountered unanticipated difficulties during recent road trips. These experiences have inadvertently highlighted existing issues such as inadequate charging infrastructure and battery performance.
Those experiments are making people here in New Jersey feel a bit uncomfortable over a proposed ban on gas car sales by the year 2035.
Granholm set out on a four-day journey through the Southeast in July to endorse the use of electric vehicles and their role in job creation. Despite the promotional angle, the trip met multiple challenges linked to EV charging. Granholm’s vehicle had a hardware issue that complicated the charging process. In an effort to secure a spot at a charging station, one of her staffers used a gas-powered vehicle to reserve a space, leading to a dispute that eventually required police intervention.
Similarly, Gelles embarked on a 154-mile drive from Minneapolis, Minnesota, to a farm near the South Dakota border over the summer. Using a rented EV from Hertz, Gelles discovered firsthand the limitations of the existing EV infrastructure. After 30 minutes of charging en route, the vehicle’s battery life increased by just 2%. Despite plugging the car in overnight at his destination, Gelles had insufficient power to complete the return trip to Minneapolis. The aftermath involved a tow truck and a bill from the rental company exceeding $700.
Ford CEO Jim Farley, undeterred by a projected $4.5 billion loss in EV production this year, completed a Route 66 road trip in August in the company’s F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck. Farley reported inconsistencies in charging experiences. Some charging stations worked effectively, but he also had to use a low-speed charger that increased his truck’s battery life to 40% over 40 minutes due to the absence of high-speed chargers.
The Biden administration aims for electric vehicles to make up 50% of new car sales by 2030. To support this goal, the government has earmarked $12 billion for manufacturers to retrofit facilities for EV production and an additional $7.5 billion from the bipartisan infrastructure law to develop a national charging network. The Inflation Reduction Act also offers $12.5 billion in tax credits to encourage consumers to make the switch to electric vehicles.
Despite these investments, recent experiences from those at the forefront of EV advocacy suggest there is still much ground to cover to make electric vehicles a reliable alternative for the American public.
Based on a report by DCNF.