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  • The US Sun

    My vacation was ruined after I was forced to rent an EV despite reserving gas car – they lied and said charge would last

    By Kristen Brown,

    2 hours ago

    A COUPLE went on vacation and was offered an EV rental when their gas rental fell through – they wasted hours trying to find a charger.

    When they returned the rental early and demanded a gas rental, they discovered they weren’t the only ones.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2hVo1U_0ukawOAl00
    A couple was forced to rent an EV while on vacation after a company ran out of gas cars
    Getty
    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0xGD4g_0ukawOAl00
    He wrote that he and his wife wasted four to six hours looking for a charger in triple-digit temperatures
    Getty Images

    Ross Allan Hill, a banking industry extraordinaire, best-selling author, and keynote speaker from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, traveled to Indian Wells, California, earlier this July with his wife for vacation.

    He wrote on his Facebook that he was careful with preparations, reserving an SUV for their trip as far as a month in advance.

    When they landed at the airport and attempted to pick up their rental, they were greeted with bad news .

    “The guy says they don’t have the car I reserved,” wrote Hill.

    “I said, ‘Well, give me something comparable.’ He replied, ‘We’re all out of cars that size, but I have an electric car and I will rent it to you for the same price.’ I said, ‘No, I don’t want electric.'”

    Hill continued, saying the representative convinced him to give it a try and promised the battery was fully charged, so the couple wouldn’t have to worry about charging it if they did around-town driving.

    When they entered the car in the middle of a 114-degree day, they encountered their first obstacle.

    “The battery was only 73% charged,” he wrote.

    “By mid-day the next day we were looking for a charging station. He gave me a map of the charging stations but they are all hidden, not easy to find like a C-store or gas station.”

    Like many Americans, he found that several charging stations were malfunctioning or out of order.

    As the day progressed, so did the couple’s anxiety, as the percentage continued to drop.

    “The next day we had 30% battery left and spent hours in the heat trying to get a charge,” wrote Allan.

    “The one we did find that worked would have taken six hours to charge and it had a sign that said you could only hook up for four hours.”

    Going to a Tesla Supercharger didn’t help either, as the adapter was missing, so he drove to another public charger that wouldn’t read credit cards.

    Feeling like he was up against a wall, he decided to return the EV to the airport rental kiosk and demand another car.

    Electric vehicles vs gas

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3JZS1I_0ukawOAl00

    Pros and cons of EVs vs gasoline-powered vehicles

    EV PROS:

    • Convenient (when charging at home)
    • Cheaper (depending on state or city)
    • Cheaper maintenance, due to lack of mechanical parts
    • Great for commuting
    • Reduced CO2 emissions
    • Federal and state tax incentives
    • More performance (speed, handling – depending on the make and model)

    EV CONS:

    • Higher initial cost
    • Higher insurance rates
    • More frequent tire and brake replacement intervals
    • Higher curb weight (thus causing more rapid wear on crucial parts)
    • Low resale value
    • High depreciation rates
    • Lack of charging infrastructure
    • Unreliable public charging (related: slow charging times)
    • Poor winter and summer performance
    • Lack of clean energy alternatives means more “dirty energy” from coal and nuclear sources
    • Range anxiety

    GAS PROS:

    • Highly developed refueling infrastructure
    • Fast refueling
    • Cheaper insurance rates, depending on make, model, and configuration
    • Established repair industry
    • Lower initial cost
    • Higher range before refueling, especially with hybrids
    • Many manufacturers produce nearly emission-less engines
    • Cheaper refueling, depending on the location

    GAS CONS:

    • Finite resource (related: heavy dependence on petroleum)
    • Carbon emissions/greenhouse gases
    • Higher repair costs
    • Higher insurance rates, depending on make, model, and configuration
    • Varying costs at the pump, depending on state, city, and county

    Source: Car & Driver , Perch Energy , AutoWeek

    There, he ran into other ranters who were just as angry as he was about his EV rental.

    “I told the attendant what happened and I wanted to trade it for another. He said, ‘Get in line!'” continued Allan.

    “He said the last three people had the same story. When we arrived it only had 12% charge left.”

    For Allan, the worst part was spending four to six hours on vacation trying to find a charger for an electric car he didn’t want.

    However, he secured a gas SUV rental, which put the EV troubles in the rearview.

    “Believe me, I am never renting an electric car again!” he concluded.

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