Old North News

When it comes to purchasing an electric vehicle (EV), Americans are mainly concerned about charging station logistics, as well as the limitations with travel range.

A Wall Street Journal reporter has attested to both of these factors in a recent piece, where she writes about the major difficulties she faced while taking a long road trip in an EV. Long story short: An EV is not well-suited for a lengthy road trip, and you should know what you're getting into before deciding to embark on one.

"I thought it would be fun,” Rachel Wolfe, a consumer trends reporter, wrote in The Wall Street Journal. “That’s what I told my friend Mack when I asked her to drive with me from New Orleans to Chicago and back in an electric car.” 

Long journeys are nothing to worry about, she insisted.

“I’d made long road trips before, surviving popped tires, blown headlights and shredded wheel-well liners in my 2008 Volkswagen Jetta,” Wolfe wrote in WSJ. “I figured driving the brand-new Kia EV6 I’d rented would be a piece of cake. If, that is, the public-charging infrastructure cooperated.”

Wolfe rented the EV for a four-day trip, and the headline says it all: She spent more time charging it than she did sleeping.

Wolfe and her friend drove 2,013 miles from New Orleans to Chicago and back, a distance that required them to spend 18 hours and $175 in order to charge the EV 14 times.

Today’s electric vehicles can travel an average of 250 miles on one charge, according to University of California Davis EV Research Center. Depending on how large the battery is and what type of charging station is used, charging EVs with larger batteries can take up to 20+ hours using a 120V charger and four to eight hours using a 240V charger. Those that are equipped for fast charging can receive an 80% charge in about 20 minutes. 

Americans recognize the challenge inherent in driving an EV long distances. A Consumer Reports survey, which collected 8,027 interviews, shows more than six in 10 Americans say weak charging station logistics are preventing them from buying an electric vehicle, while more than half (55%) say the EV's limited travel range on a single charge is preventing them from purchasing one. 

In North Carolina, it’s especially important to map out your route, as the number of public EV charging stations in North Carolina is 3,023, according to PlugShare.

The Consumer Reports survey found that nearly two-thirds (63%) of Americans surveyed said they would not purchase an electric vehicle today. Of those who said they're concerned about cost factors, 58% said the high purchase price of an EV is holding them back from buying. 

Wolfe’s calculation that she spent $175 on charging looks good on paper. A comparable Kia Forte would have required $275 in gasoline for the same trip, according to AAA's average gas price at the time of the trip. But Wolfe said looking just at the cost is misleading.

"That $100 savings cost us many hours in waiting time," Wolfe wrote.

In accordance with his clean energy stance and a commitment to having EVs make up 50% of new car sales by 2030, President Joe Biden has extended a $7,500 tax credit for buyers of new EVs under the new Inflation Reduction Act signed into law this month. 

That, too, sounds good. However, Seth Goldstein, a senior equity analyst at Morningstar, cautions that the tax credit comes with "price and income restrictions,” according to CNBC. For instance, sedans must be sold at a price below $55,000 to be eligible. SUVs, trucks and vans must be sold below $80,000 for the buyer to receive a tax credit.