EV Takeover’s Going To Take (More) TIME

Why isn’t America ready for the EV takeover, Chris Mims asks? His answer counts the ways: Schizoid software, strange range estimates & clunky charging options (not to mention some reportedly unquenchable battery fires).

As Mims wrote in a recent WSJ op ed after going on a 1,000 mile road trip in “the longest-range electric vehicle you can buy”: That journey was as worrisome as it was thrilling and it clarified how much more needs to be done for drivers to have a consistent & satisfying [aka stress free] experience on a par with buying a gasoline vehicle … with EVs currently representing only about 1% of all vehicles in the US, according to the Energy Dept, the scale of the challenges ahead is mind boggling.”

Not that the transition shouldn’t be pursued logically & patiently, suggested Mims: “Thursday’s announcement that GM will join Ford in making Tela’s nationwide Supercharger network available to its customers is potentially a big step in the right direction”. Yet, such steps, he adds, are hardly game changers. Mims reminds: “EV makers need to level with drivers about the true range of their vehicles … America’s charging infrastructure is inadequate … EVs can have the same kinds of software problems as computers & phones because that’s what they are” … and, it’s not so pleasurable to have your EV have brain lock at 70 mph on the expressway.

Davd Soul