USA: Electric Vehicle Owners Face “Logistical Nightmare” Over Charging
Owners of electric vehicles are finally admitting that recharging away from home is a total “logistical nightmare,” between finding charging stations, and the fact that in the best case scenarios it takes 30 to 40 minutes, and up to two hours, to recharge.
The report comes on the heels of the Biden administration’s announcement that Tesla would open its Supercharger network to non-Tesla owners by the end of next year – a plan which includes 3,500 Tesla fast chargers and 4,000 of the slower, Level 2 chargers. To try and cope with an increase in EVs, the Biden administration’s 2021 infrastructure law has a goal of installing 500,000 new chargers across the country – as well as dramatically boosting EV sales, by 2030.
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. What’s more, the range of EVs plummets in the cold, or if you use things like the heater. That said, Quiroga of Car and Driver calls these inconveniences “teething pains,” which he says have greatly improved over the years.
