The Unforgiving EV

Electric cars are unforgiving things. If you forgot to plug in the night before – or just didn’t have time – they’ll make you pay for it . . .  in time.

My 18-year-old non-electric truck is much more forgiving of my forgetting . . . to fill it up.

I was driving down to Lowes the other day – and from there to the coffee shop where I spend a few hours each day composing the rants – when I glanced at my fuel gauge and realized I was almost running on empty.

No worries – as the Aussies say.

There’s a gas station just up the road. I’ll roll in – maybe on fumes – and roll out just a couple of minutes later with a full tank. No planning – or waiting. A minor detour and back to my day. Amazon.com Gift Card i... Buy New $10.00 (as of 08:25 UTC - Details)

But what if I’d had an electric car?

Lots of worries.

The first being to try to find a “fast” charger before I ran out of charge. Because if you do run out of charge, you are out luck. You can’t hike to the nearest “fast” charger and bring back a gallon of electricity. You must get the car to the charger – which will mean towing it there, if you run out of charge.

And there may not be a “fast” charger anywhere near-by.

Many cities have installed some, but outside of most towns, “fast” chargers are kind of like Little Caesar’s – they are around, but it’s usually a drive to locate one.

But let’s say you do find one. There’s still no getting around the wait. You won’t be rolling out of there for at least half an hour or so – and when you do, you’ll only be carrying a partial charge. Which means you’ll have to plug in again  . . . sooner, this time.

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