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Lose your EV range anxiety
David Osterberg
Apr. 30, 2024 8:21 am
I’ve driven an electric car for several years. It’s quiet, quick and comfortable. When people ask me about charging, I tell them I have about 250 miles of range. I also tell them that cold temperature, fast driving and a heavy wind will reduce that range. I have a 220 outlet in my garage and can get a full charge overnight, so local trips are a breeze.
Long distance trips create few obstacles. I went to Des Moines last month — 140 miles from Mount Vernon. I drove Highway 30 and connected by the four-lane from Marshalltown to Altoona where there is a Tesla supercharger. After two hours on the road, I was ready for a restroom at the Quick Trip next to the bank of 8 chargers. After I returned to the car my screen told me I needed about 18 more minutes to get my battery back to 80% capacity. I could skip the extra time and charge on the way home again at the Altoona supercharger or another one a mile from 1-80, in downtown Des Moines.
I stayed the extra minutes. After lunch, I told the car I wanted to go home. It told me to charge just off Interstate 80 in Grinnell. I was ready for a cup of coffee and when I got back to my car, I needed only another 10 minutes to get back home. I had the range to stop at either a Hy-Vee store in Coralville or Iowa City that have superchargers. (Wilson Avenue Hy-Vee also has a bank of 8 chargers.) I stayed the extra 10 minutes and got to my garage with 20% of my battery still charged. The next morning my battery was filled again. My credit card statement tells me, the stops in Altoona and Grinnell cost $8.68 and $5.58. Electricity costs half that at home.
Two years ago, my wife and I drove to Fredrick Md., Charlottesville, Va., Ashville, N.C. and home through the Great Smokey mountains. The screen on the car told me where to stop each time to get charged. It even guided me to get to each bank of chargers.
The federal government is building a supercharger network and adding more chargers every week so all electric cars will soon be able to do the same as mine, but for now, so long as you have a Tesla, or starting this month a new Ford electric, you can go anywhere in America close to an interstate and not worry about finding a charge. Don’t be afraid to buy an electric car — the technology is here, and the learning curve is short, and you may get a credit on your taxes.
David Osterberg lives in Mount Vernon.
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