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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,
7 days 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.
A couple was forced to rent an EV while on vacation after a company ran out of gas cars Getty 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
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
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