California is DOOMED! My DISASTROUS Experience with the EV Charging Network

Is California ready to be the first to go full EV, or is it a disaster waiting to happen? I'm driving the formidable Rivian R1T, and 1,000 miles on we've got a lot to discuss from my time with it so far. Let me take you on a journey to discover the painful experience currently offered in LA.
Firstly, the R1T features the quad motor setup and a 135kWh battery; plenty for almost 300 miles range and a car loaded with great useful features; from the storage compartment in the gear tunnel, to the air line in the bed, and even a detachable speaker stowed inside the cabin. With a minimalistic approach inside, it's elegant, loaded with technology, and although there's a bit of a learning curve, it's very functional. Some work is needed with the navigation system, and ideally use of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto would be nice, but you'll get there eventually.
However, let's talk EV and California's charging infrastructure.
At home, I am currently daily driving an electric Abarth 500e, and have had extensive use from my Porsche Taycan Turbo S, done many miles with a Mini Cooper E and a CUPRA Born, and of course plenty of test drives and reviews of different electric cars; including all 4 models of the Tesla range in various motor/battery configurations. Safe to say, I am not opposed to electric cars for many circumstances and have long argued that you can only live with an EV if you have access to charging at home, and have no requirements to depend upon long distance journeys.
However, that doesn't always work for everyone. Take into consideration those who are perhaps older or not technically minded, people who are renting cars during their travels, and people who have just never tried to use one before. These are some of the situations where it starts to unravel very fast, unless of course the infrastructure is fabulous and very much set up to really make it easy.
This is where Tesla step in; the Supercharger network is indisputably better than the offerings for everyone else. Of course there will be comments on this video of "should have driven a Tesla" but I can equally state from experience that I've seen Supercharger stations out of action, with long queues, and you'd currently then be forced into the Tesla ecosystem which is quite the monopoly and doesn't support growth for the industry in general. Yes, in 2024 the Supercharger network is going to open to other brands and some will be moving to the NACS connection type rather than CCS or CHAdeMO, but with the growing number of EVs on the roads, that's also not necessarily a perfect solution.
Another angle to take, is to only use known charging stations that work like Electrify America, but even that isn't fully dependable, and nor are there enough charging stations to find one anywhere near where you want to be travelling. Rivian are also expanding their own charging network but with next to none around, it's again a lost cause to try and depend upon that.
We're lead to believe that California is one of the first places to be ready to ban combustion engines, but is it even close?
Thank you to Rivian for the loan of the R1T during this period, it's been a great opportunity to discover the car and the approach the company have taken to their offering. Ultimately though, as great as the car can be, there's a lot outside of Rivian's control that needs to be worked on before this is a viable solution.
Thanks for watching, Tim
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:15 Rivian R1T Walkaround
04:00 Interior Features
06:04 My First Drive
09:03 EV Charging Problems
12:39 Tesla Infrastructure
17:36 Charging the Rivian
24:45 Rivian Features
28:24 Final Thoughts
31:24 Wrap Up
#Rivian #California #Charging
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[@tavarish]

I am eternally jealous that Tim can basically give a TED talk on the side of the road in one take

[@turcaneo]

dont worry bro, you have the talent to talk about car parts and builds and make it very interesting for everyone :D

[@ViorelDrambarean]

I am still waiting for more videos of you fixing the mcLaren!...good luck!

[@trevorlangdon]

Dont worry he cant film a whole episode without combing his hair.

[@luboinchina3013]

Got to make an EV trip in China.

[@Jl-gu9pc]

Hes not wrong tho! I own a start up trying to address these issues. Its expensive and theres no money to assist. Even the charger makers are going bankrupt instead of creating partnerships. My LLC is likely going to be funded alone.

[@dachautv]

One of the most crucial points you didn’t mention. Most of these charging points are on some remote car park somewhere. If you are a woman and have to charge your car at 10pm and you have to sit in your car for an hour. Range anxiety takes on a new meaning!

[@Hanibul_Lecktor]

Charging spots will become the new looting spree spot. Fun times 😅

[@MRMINKS-ks5sm]

Exactly....

[@JJSmith1100]

How often would a woman want to go charge a car at 10pm? There is hardly ever a car at a filling station that time of night and, at least where I live, I have ne seen a woman at a petrol station that time of the night.

[@Ratlins9]

Very good point, even at the safest location, who wants to sit in their car for an extended period of time waiting to charge their car.

[@goviacn1]

and what planed do you live on@@JJSmith1100

[@boblatzer]

One thing I can’t get my head around is, we are not allowed to use a cell phone while driving, but here we have touch screens to control every aspect of the vehicle. Looks pretty dangerous to me.

[@ianmcleod8898]

My thoughts exactly. This a typical Govt. moving the goal posts. Imagine the argument in a court room somewhere. Laughing stock. The media wouldn't cover that would they, it would be too close to the truth about electric cars.

[@jamesvandamme7786]

Many new cars are like that, because it's cheaper. It's got nothing to do with the government, or EVs.

[@vincenzodigrande2070]

Good chance they will be made illegal at some point. Buttons like in older cars could be found and operated just by touching, a touchscreen always requires visual attention, which is inherently removing road attention.

[@markread8851]

My local petrol station in the UK has 3 150kw chargers literally 5m from the petrol and diesel pumps that I use but a sign saying no mobile phone use lol

[@tammyrobinson5249]

You are exactly right. These contraptions are dangerous and such a waste of money.

[@Hawk89gt]

Good video, and great points. I am absolutely blown away by anyone who thinks an EV truck is useable as a truck. I guess if you don't have to tow very far, have a virtually unlimited time to get where you are going for the ridiculous recharge times, have no plans to go off road, don't mind dimished range in the cold or if you are running the A/C, want to pay 3-5x the insurance rates, want to replace tires WAY more often, and don't mind just throwing it away in 8-10 years when the cost of replacing the battery will cost twice as much as the car is worth, then it's the vehicle for you. Try fording even a shallow stream in this or the ridiculous looking cybertruck, and you'll quickly find that when the battery gets wet, the car is trashed, and they likely will not cover by warranty. I've seen two stories out of Canada recently where owners of Hyuandi Ionics ran something over in the road, had almost no visible damage, yet the entire car was totalled because replacing the batteries was quoted at nearly $60k CAN. No damn thanks, I wouldn't touch one for any price. And let's not overlook the fact that CA already cannot keep the power on for consumers now, let's see how well that goes when even 30-40% of the cars are electric. I almost think this is on purpose. Keep people from being able to travel long distances, hold them hostage to a barely functioning electric grid, and the ability to completely disable the vehicle over the wire? What a damn disaster. But OH!!! It has a $100 bluetooth speaker! That changes everything... lol.

[@scorchedearth1451]

On purpose do you think? Just ask the WEF. They're behind all this.

[@jjrockjaw]

There's a guy on KZbin who has been running the rivian for quite a while and his doors on both sides are full of water.

[@cspark9186]

Nicely done. Well 😢thought out. This was much better than the video.

[@FreddyOJohnny]

They advertise Rivians as being rugged and off-road capable, but a dent costs $22k to repair, so what is the point? These things look cool, and that’s where the benefits end. They’re completely pointless novelty-mobiles just like every other EV. It baffles me that anybody who wants a truck to do truck activities like towing or off-roading would ever chose a Rivian, or any electric “truck” for that matter.

[@stewartwaterman7837]

The whole point of EV's isn't about saving the environment, it's about control over the people.

[@fredbazzoli780]

We ran into this problem with a rental car in Germany. Trying to come back on the Autobahn with a car rapidly draining the battery, trying to recharge in the rain, trying to figure out charging station information in German -- well, it was a nightmare. We only made it back to the rental outlet because an angel of a German helped us at a charging station about 20 miles from the outlet, with the car at 0% battery charge. Totally agree with you.

[@jeffrobodine8579]

As the rest of the petrol powered vehicles pass you @ 180 Km per hr without a care in the World.

[@bmw803]

Never understood why EV charging companies need to reinvent the wheel. Why can't we just tap a debit/credit card, charge and fuck off?

[@rcpmac]

Let me rephrase your comment. EVs are useless because you don’t speak German and don’t know how to use the iPhone translator… Now I’m never buying one.

[@rainersta7073]

Very nice experience is, when you can't get the plug off your car while heavy raining. 😂 Had this two weeks ago

[@claythomas7982]

There is nothing convenient about driving an EV.

[@sabersz]

I saw the original Instagram stories and couldn't stop myself from laughing 😂 not because I find it funny, but when Tim feels the need to pop a video up about something negative then you *know* it's bad! Disgruntled Shmee is a rare but welcome sight haha

[@Shmee150]

I feel that I have to say something, even if it's just to try and kick people into action to start working on it. The world is not ready for EV, and too many people are living detached from reality if they think it is.

[@sabersz]

@@Shmee150 more power to you!! You're one of a few who has the platform to make a change with it too. I'll be sure to drive ICE if im ever in Cali

[@Mgoblagulkablong]

battery electric vehicles are one of the biggest scams ever, their real purpose is TO GET RID OF CARS for "peasants" to lock them down To electrify cars they should use overhead lines just like trains and trolley-buses have done forever. MUCH more efficient and environmentaly friendly than insane batteries in every single vehicle.

[@waltercarobbio7443]

@shmee159 Is the same things in Italy, i try to give back tò Official Porsche dealer a Taycan turbo with 10.000 km and no One want! That Crazy! I pay the car in January over 120 k and After 7 month they don't want back !

[@shawnbradford2243]

Yes they are great and cool but shouldn’t be forced on anyone, if it’s best it will be bought most. Like the government making people only buy Nike shoes 😂😂😂

[@Pahoe77]

It always amazes me that people who post about traveling with a EV, how long the journey takes.

[@MrWolfSnack]

because they dont have a brain.

[@rainersta7073]

because as an EV Driver you get in contact with one hot chick after the other😂The EV is already 100% loaded, but woman get one vulcano blow after the other😉

[@Pahoe77]

I get in fill up my old fashioned gas tank drive hundreds of miles, fill up again, till I'm there. No way a 700 mile trip should take as long as EV drivers report. A little over 10 hours in my old fashion gas propelled vehicle. In the US, PTO, or indeed regular unpaid days of vacation are limited. There's a need to get where you're going as soon as possible, so you can enjoy whatever your time allows. Having to take extra time, evidently lots of extra time won't cut it. The government likes mandating things, perhaps they'll mandate extra time off to accommodate the EV's... When pigs fly.

[@Clearanceman2]

They always say it gives you a chance to stretch your legs and walk around get something to eat. Well, buy a Model T and then you can break down every 10 miles and spend even more time stretching your legs, walking around and getting something to eat.

[@Clearanceman2]

Get a model A and work on it every 25 miles. Lots of walking around. Eating. @@CantStopTheSignal337

[@stephanforseilles]

Saving the planet by driving 3-tons behemoths. What a time to be alive...

[@dlux703]

One of my pet peeves with newer vehicles, whether EV, Hybrid, or ICE, is the touch screen use for ANYTHING you need to access while driving. Having to navigate any menu to arrive at something like wipers is stupid.

[@MILKYBAR1969]

Agreed if it's something you might need while driving it definitely shouldn't have to be excessed though a touchscreen no difference between using a mobile phone while driving too much faffing.

[@agent7947]

and, potentially, a dangerous distraction while driving

[@landysok90]

IDK what kind of car requires the screen to do absolutely everything but the wipers, music and HVAC all have physical controls on the steering wheel. The non essentials are on the screen. I own a Tesla so I can't speak for other EV but from my own experience, I barely even touch the screen anymore. Although the new model s and x having to go into the screen to go into D and reverse is stupid. I hope they do have a physical gear selector behind the steering wheel

[@cbatiau2528]

Yep, government regulators need to make it so that touchscreens in cars cannot do anything via touch while the car is moving (as they have banned touching smartphones while driving)…

[@007knick]

Agreed. Whoever thought of this trend is a moron

[@MrGm182]

Tim in full rant mode, love it! I like this detailed constructive criticism Tim, more subjects like this with your experience is needed!

[@ianmcleod8898]

One moment he was about to swear! Calm blue oceans, breath....If I was Tim I'd be looking for the matches.....

[@johnstaring3210]

On several crossings of the Nullarbor Plain between Western Australia and South Australia I have passed (with my 200 series Landcruiser and 21 ft caravan) Ecars travelling at 85-90 kph due to range anxiety and the paucity of chargers out there. Guaranteed once you have covered the distance between roadhouses out there, possibly meaning you will only get to bypass one before having to stop and charge your vehicle, it will no doubt include a night of accommodation as there are no fast chargers out there. One is designed to run on fat from their deep fryer (I kid you not) and the other road houses have diesel generators supplying their power. Given that I have encountered 47C on several crossing, or on other occasions severe head winds, that will only add to the concern because running the aircon will once again reduce your range. None of these Evehicles are suitable for Australia if you ever intend leaving the city.

[@Scriptorsilentum]

i remember about 2005 a taxi owner bought a prius. one month later when she took the fuel bills to the credit union she walked out the door to the dealer to place an order for five more, certified cheque in hand. THEY WORKED beautifully. I have a feeling, though, you're right: ev's will be generally limited to local and municipal limits.

[@Scriptorsilentum]

edit: the two taxi companies built charging stations for their ev cabs owned by the cabbies, 24/7/365, monster maintenance making sure they work. part of the success is the general public are not allowed into these compounds to use them - they are privately owned - so the cab companies don't have to put up with a-holes vandalising the charging points.

[@leoncardinal2035]

The real truth! Hello from -30 C Canada!

[@captainz9]

@@leoncardinal2035 was gonna say, I live in the northern US but same thing, EV battery efficiency vanishes in cold conditions, and just Ike A/C reducing your distance even further so does heating an EV because you don't have a nice combustion engine generating excess heat. I was LMAO about the one, think it was Alberta, buying a fleet of EV busses for literally $millions only to find they could literally only do about 1/3 the mileage a day of diesel busses - you could send the diesel bus out with a full tank and it could run all day, the EV bus could run for 3 hours and then need over an hour to recharge before going out again for another few hours, and then they needed new battery packs (several months downtime) after only 2-3 years ... I dunno about you but I've never had to replace the fuel tank in any ICE car I've owned over 4 decades - and in fact I've only known of one car that ever needed one (friend who owned a 1967 car (in 1984/5?) where the tank got a pinhole leak - had to take the tank out and weld it, because where are you gonna get a "new" tank and even old ones from junkyards would be rare. EVs are entirely impractical in overly cold environments, and even in very hot ones, you'd be far better off switching to natgas/propane ICE (a fairly easy change) for vastly lower emissions, but not zero by any means.

[@douglasgangi8888]

I've rented 2 EV's in Southern CA in 2023 and my experiences mimic this. It's maddening. Now when I pick up a rental car and they give me an EV, I swap it out for an ICE vehicle. I wish using EV's outside the perfect situation - short trips, home garage charger - was easier and more convenient but general use of EV's outside of the perfect situation is not worth the hassle. The charging infrastructure is bad enough. But even when I found a functional charger, the time it took to charge the car was very inconvenient.

[@Tom-dt4ic]

Poor baby!

[@user-vj9hy8dw9e]

@@Tom-dt4ic Very helpful

[@invernessity]

​@@Tom-dt4ic Time is literally money. And, in this case, it's your money. Who do you think is paying for this fiasco? You are. Look into it.

[@Tom-dt4ic]

@@invernessity Actually we are all paying for the MANY problems that come with burning fossil fuels: choking air pollution, deafening noise in cities, and from semis on highways, horribly increased cancer and emphysema rates, rising sea levels that will cost trillions of dollars, lots of defense dollars, LOTS, going to protest sea routes coming out of the Middle East, dependence on crappy governments like Venezuela and Russia...I could go on. You see an extra twenty minutes every 200 miles at a charger. I see much, much more. Look into it!

[@andreasnarum]

I've done road trips from Norway to the Czech Republic, and from Norway to Sweden and Finland, and I had serious charging anxiety. Notable "highlights": 1) arriving at one of the few high speed chargers in Denmark only to discover that 3 out of 4 were not working, 2) arriving at a high speed charger in Sweden, with 6 cars in front of me in the queue, 3) arriving at a charger with 0 of 6 working chargers in Germany (and having to go to another place with hardly any charge left, 4) arriving at a charger behind a gas station in Norway, with 16 charging points blocked by fences (I had to cross a small mountain to get to another charger, where I only had a couple of per cent of charge left). Many times I would also have to try the chargers 2 or 3 times before they would start charging. The time you have to wait while charging is gruesome; even charging at 270 kW it's painfully slow. With gas you're ready to go in 5 minutes. The electric car also binds you to the main roads, and you're not able to stay in the mountains and explore for days. From now on I will use the electric car as a transport around town, and a gas car for going on trips.

[@mciejgda88]

You just reinforced my conviction that currently hybrids make much more sense than pure EVs and it's not something that's going to change overnight.

[@travelswithbenny3328]

I drive a 2018 prius. 70mph on the hiway. I have a 500+ mile range. Gas here is right at 3$ a gal today. I drove 497 miles on highway, 2 lane country roads in the mountains and a small amount of stop and go. It took 9.5 gl to fill up, I hzd 2 gl left in the tank. 28.50$ for a full tank and less than 5 min. And it cost 60$ and an hour or so to charge the rivian for 300 miles? No thank you. Today was not an unusual day of driving for me either lol. My road trips are typically 5 to 7500 miles and in very out of the way areas. No thank you to the evs. I live in a rural area, there are 6 charging stations within a 50 mile radius, the closest 15 miles away. Gas stations? All over the place, 3 within 3 miles.

[@markwilliams4671]

This is not a problem with technology, but with economic motivation to keep the equipment operating. We drove from Oslo to Nordkapp and back in Norway, about 4,500 miles. And well north of the Arctic Circle. But because virtually all of the chargers we used were part of the Tesla Supercharger network, we experienced absolutely no difficulties. Gas station operators make essentially no money on the gas they sell; instead, they make it on food and other sales. When more gas stations become electric stations, like is beginning in Norway, then station operators will have the economic incentive to keep the "pumps" operating.@@mciejgda88

[@amazoidal]

My EV is a "City Car" for shopping trips. Anything over 50 miles is the job of the Prius V. But 99% of my driving is city driving.

[@foxlake6750]

I had the same experience with a friend of mine on a road trip with a Lightning, chargers not working or only charging at half the rate. Issues with apps. and issues trying to pay. After that I put in an order for a RAV4 hybrid…..I was considering a Model 3…..but let someone else go through the pain for now.

[@craddatzm]

The funny thing is there is no more “range anxiety”, the range gauge is accurate. What it makes me anxious is the fact that upon arriving upon a charger within my range, the charger will not work. That sucks.

[@BigBodyPresence]

Yeah that’s what Jim Farley CEO of Ford said. No range anxiety just charger anxiety. Hence why everyone is joining Tesla with there 99.9% up time.

[@MasterChief37]

Move to Norway, so far I’ve never come across a damaged or failed DC charger.

[@BigBodyPresence]

Ive never come across a broken tesla supercharger in my first 45k km in canada haha @@MasterChief37

[@joelspaulding5964]

Range may be accurate but is only based on the conditions at that moment. Add a hill, turn on the AC to Max...

[@bspencersf]

@@joelspaulding5964 with a Tesla if you have entered your destination into navigation, it calculates range based on elevation changes, ambient temperature, even wind speed so it’s pretty darn accurate

[@Tangent360]

I leased an EV from 2015 - 18 in CA and it's sad to see things haven't improved. It was so common for charging stations to be chronically out of order or for cars to be parked in them well beyond being full that I finally stopped driving it further than I could get back home without recharging. I still want an EV again someday but it would purely be for local runabout use; charging infrastructure just isn't even close to being trustworthy. Even the vaunted Tesla network still gets situations where people are waiting for hours for their chance to charge. Charging needs to reach a point like gas stations are at now before I'll trust it on a road trip: - No app needed to find one because they're everywhere. - Fast enough that I don't need to plan breaks/meals around charging. - No need to join a bunch of networks, just tap a credit card and go. - Out of order stations need to be a very rare exception. - Charger capacity needs to outweigh demand enough that a "long" wait is ~10 minutes.

[@bmw803]

It took 100 years to get gas to this point, and those Geniuses in Sacramento and DC expect shit to be ready in 10 years? Get a PHEV is the best option at this point in time.

[@razoraz]

@@bmw803 Couldn't be said better or more succinctly. But even PHEVs are out of reach for the many apartment dwellers who have no nearby place to plug in. And I say this as a 10-year PHEV owner who couldn't be happier with it.

[@rainersta7073]

👍100% right. One more point: riding with EV's must actually be far cheaper due to more trouble.

[@Matt123a]

Agree with all said there, but I just can't see it happening. And who pays for this massive overhaul of infrastructure? Who asked if the country wants to go in this direction?

[@bmw803]

@Matt123a Always remember!!! "Planned" economies/jurisdictions by politicians and bureaucrats ALWAYS FAIL. No exceptions. Therefore, this will fail too. When enough are angry, someone like Donald Trump will emerge to put an end to this. I own a BOLT, and use it for what it was designed for. A commuter car. Works great. But, for someone who works on the road and is on a schedule, forget it.

[@shteebo]

Good video, thanks for sharing. The only EV owners I've met that remain enthusiastic are those that use an EV for a commute of one hour or less, and charge in their own garages at night. They invariably have a larger gas car for other needs. For that purpose, it make some sense. Otherwise, not so much.

[@danieldaniels7571]

That really is the way to do it.

[@marquisdemoo1792]

It depends; we live in S Wales and the run to London has a really good smattering of Tesla chargers but for other EVs and other routes not so much.

[@evilsimeon]

Not some sense, total sense. The only time I drive an ICE is for round yrips over 250 miles. The infrastructure does not exist for long trips. Also, the cost for charging at a station is many times more expensive. There is a point where driving a gas vehicle is the same or cheaper.

[@captainz9]

I fully agree, I wouldn't mind an EV for simple around town stuff, a trip to the grocery, etc. Even if the battery loses is capacity in the cold (several months out of the year for me) the grocery is 5mi, Lowes and other shopping maybe 10-15... And I work from home mostly so it would be doable. The 45 minute drive to the office though gets more questionable in winter, especially since I'd need heat as well, an ICE car is almost essential for that given the state of charging infrastructure/times. And forget visiting family at hours away - what I could do in a day with maybe two tanks of gas (the second when I get there) would become an overnight trip with a hotel cost to if I had to charge 3-4 times at even an hour each.

[@danieldaniels7571]

@@evilsimeon I hope to someday soon get an EV to charge at home and work for my daily local driving. But I'll be keeping my old Saturn for those occasional road trips.

[@wallyr.7854]

Tim, thank you so much for speaking the truth, specially here in California where people actually think we’re gonna make this work within just a few short years from now. It seems they are ignorant to the whole infrastructure topic, it’s not there and it will not be there in 10 years, but yet here in California people are just not thinking realistically. And then we have crime problems in California, California as you know, is the most lenient state on Crime and Criminals, criminals have been gone rampant on the new charging stations being built stealing all the metals that make these charging stations work, yet legislation, laws, are lenient and continue to be lenient. And don’t get me started on the catalytic-converter theft phenomenon that’s going on here. Sad, sad sad sad. Love your channel.

[@barsaf9989]

This comment is 100% correct.

[@pigpie4581]

Yup

[@hi_tech_reptiles]

The crime aspect is probably the biggest issue for California. It has much better possibility in other states. We built a gas network nationally in a very short time really, but it had staff and more support etc. Let alone ya know... ya legally couldn't just destroy and steal the pieces lol

[@perfectlybalanced8995]

That’s what happens when your state is mostly liberal/progressive

[@Meatwad650]

You’re welcome to leave. You may be happier in Texas.

[@dave_n8pu]

This is IMO, an excellent example of when politicians get involved and mandate something that they do have a clue about. They don't know if it is in reality even possible to electrify America for vehicle charging.

[@jerryjeromehawkins1712]

Democrats and their "Feel Good" policies. California is the perfect example of this.

[@WeeToddDidd]

All politicians that support EV's should be required to drive EV's exclusively. Until they feal the pain, nothing will change.

[@dave_n8pu]

@@WeeToddDidd Totally agree.

[@stevemerritt2721]

who voted for these politicians?

[@dave_n8pu]

@@stevemerritt2721 Apparently Sheeple

[@618GOLDENRATIO]

I live in the Midwest and can see that charging port door frozen over from a freezing wet snow/ rain changing to ice event, and you're stuck trying to thaw that thing out so you can go to work in the morning. Rivian, we all do not have garages to keep our vehicles in to protect them from the weather.

[@superstarcat7654]

In Michigan, insurance will not pay for an EV fire in a garage. Rule is the EV must be fifty feet from a building. You are suppose to put your charger out away from your buildings on a post. Fifty feet.

[@7wpollard]

People are going to go to work and leave their cars plugged in to charge without caring about anybody else. Fights are going to break out over this. You will literally need a charging station for every car.

[@southerntesla]

Idle fees and Congestion up charges will fix this issue. Tesla is doing the idle fees currently, which has stopped most of the issue. But Telsa owners with older Model S cars would just come to 100% which takes forever to kind of get around this issue. But not a new update that is going to charge a congestion fee if you charge above 80% on a business supercharger site. EVGO and EA need to do both of these things.

[@buggerlugz6753]

And yet no one in a position to address this wants to do so eh...........i wonder why that is?

[@FSX239]

When the time comes they will charge idle fees like Tesla, which charge $1 for every 5 minutes. Shmee seems to have planned the rage video for clicks and it's working 😅 I've had my Tesla for a year now and to be completely honest it's been nothing but a pleasure. His observations, which are real I'm not saying they are fake, however they are exceedingly overblown.

[@MichaelHBallard]

With BP just investing 100M in tesla chargers to roll out to their stations and also purchasing other brands of chargers for their over 7,000 stations with a commitment of another 400M investment in chargers in next 5 years Most of us charge at home

[@schnaido]

@@southerntesla EVGO and EA will definitely die a natural death with all these automakers adopting Tesla's charging infrastructure! My concern is that Tesla needs to build out more superchargers before opening up its superchargers to everyone else and I do not see that roll out happening fast enough and congestions are going to be what Tesla owners will have to live with till then. The ease and reliability of charging at Tesla Superchargers was one of the reasons why I bought a Model Y in the first place over any other non-Tesla electric cars. It's been about three years into ownership and I do not have any complaints.

[@davidhilderman]

Great vid! I am convinced the whole purpose of this EV initiative is to end personal transport for all but the elite.

[@larryjanson4011]

but the elie still drive around in there armored plated gas guzzling 2 ton trucks. to keep them safe from us, the public.

[@williamandrews3648]

What else could it possibly be ???

[@cccc9911]

Its about total control. The more and more of our daily lives that depend upon being on the grid is proof that "total control" is the end game. Speed to much?? They'll limit how often u can drive. Dont pay a bill or vote the wrong way?? You'll be punished socially and economically. Its obvious. Its already a proven, undeniable fact that net effect of EV's on the enviroment is no cleaner that ICE cars. Making it worse is the negative socioeconomic problems with the ineffective charging networks and the HUGE demand on our power grids. Lets also not forget the incentive and infrastructure costs footed by the American Tax payer. I have an electric car. Its pretty damn nice. But its the politics behind it is the huge problem.

[@blito3wot]

price every joe blow out of personal transport, frees up the road for the elite, they can afford it......sooon government mandate to ban any gas personal car, unless you pay the extra penalty (and the rich can afford the penalty)

[@rlevo]

Yes. 15 minute cities. Won't be able to go anywhere anyway!

[@AverageCarGuy]

As a Californian I’m embarrassed at the state of our state and our bullshit policies. I made a RIVIAN video doing this exact same drive you did and pointed out many of the same problems. Thank you for pointing out how badly CA government is failing our residents here. Remember this the next time you vote people!

[@Dbrockjohnson]

Unfortunately these CA politicians are installed not elected. We've all been screwed for decades. Everything needs to change, NOW

[@kingdommusic5456]

its being done on purpose its not a coincidence it all hype . EV lS a scam to get people to buy /drive them so they can control you eventually , only the elites will have petrol/gas and be able to use afford it.

[@henryhill3778]

OBVIOUSLY People need CHOICE!!! Not JUST EV!

[@hoboonwheels9289]

If you believe their elected, not selected.

[@jackandblaze5956]

Don't worry. Soon Gavin will be president and the whole country can become like California! Minus the nice weather of course.

[@winstoncat6785]

Ionity chargers that I use in Germany frequently have broken screens. They still work (mostly) with RFID. I just use the card reader having plugged in. A friend was charging when the Ionity maintenance guy was there, and got talking to him. Screen breaks are due to "somewhat frustrated people" who don't know what they are doing, getting a bit heavy handed. Apparently, the touchscreens aren't very resiliant and it takes little to break them. Anyway, as you mentioned, country specific issues. Europe is a different world to both the US and the UK. Here, you can charge any car you want, very easily.

[@tclem44]

Only if you have the requisite tech equipment and accounts and the savvy to use them! And you had the tens of thousands of dollars available so you could get them.

[@sprockkets]

@@tclem44 No, unlike the USA, the EU is actually smart and has a charging network that works.

[@paga12621]

Also, one must remember the time to charge, even at a fast charge you will be there for probably 1/2hr, so you will have to wait at most charging stations, as there is typically very few chargers, whereas, when going to a gas station, they can fill at least 100 per hour, and possibly more than that.

[@extremedrivr]

Yep. I'll gladly stick to the good ol ⛽ station. Most reliable way of transporting yourself from point A to point B.

[@ballislife]

Me and my wife have an f150 lightning and we were on a trip recently from LA to above SF in California. On our way back we stopped at Harris Ranch in the middle of nowhere and only 2 out of 6 stations were working. On one of the 2 a young kid was charging his car all the way to 100% with a line of 6 people waiting. It was very frustrating. This was an electrify america charger too. We’ve had the most issues with evgo. It’s rare that we plug in on a road trip in a charger that is using it’s full power capabilities. Generally they are charging at 35-50kwh. This takes like 40-60 minutes to charge 20%. Fortunately when we are home we have a charger in the garage but on road trips there definitely needs to be a change asap. Btw when I am charging at home I can charge our extended range truck fully for about $16-$17.

[@geraldscott4302]

Did you know that the chargers at Harris Ranch are powered by diesel generators?

[@life_of_riley88]

​@@geraldscott4302so "green" 🙄

[@thedopplereffect00]

What's the point of owning a truck you can't take anywhere?

[@geraldscott4302]

@@thedopplereffect00 There is no point. It's completely worthless. My sister in law has a Nissan Leaf she bought about 4 years ago. She got some kind of huge tax break on it. She only charges it at home, and uses it to go about 30 miles a day round trip to work. She lives in Phoenix, AZ, where it can hit 110-112 degrees F for weeks at the time in the summer. She discovered that when using the A/C, it has a total range of about 45 miles. She got it mostly as a toy. And that's pretty much what these things are, and always will be, expensive short range toys. She has enough money to buy a nice new car every 2-3 years.

[@typhoon320i]

What about just using your gas car for a road trip? If you have a lightning, there is NO WAY you don't have another gas powered car or 2 or 3. Like me.

[@frankmayer139]

On a hot day in California, they will tell you not to turn on your air conditioner because the grid would be overloaded. What do you think would happen if everyone had one of these?

[@BVonBuescher]

They would need to increase power capacity by 50%! Not to mention the extra wear on roads by these extremely heavy vehicles

[@michaelhearne3289]

In 2013 Southern California Edison told the state of CA that if just 10% of vehicles were EVs, that the system could NOT meet the electrical demand to charge them. Now that was 10 years ago. EVs are currently 3% of vehicles in CA. LAST SUMMER PEOPLE WERE TOLD NOT TO CHARGE THEIR CARS due to a heat wave!! So obviously this prediction is still true. Time to wake up people. They know the EV system can’t work. What they really want is for you not to have a private vehicle.

[@danharold3087]

Yet the US can charge 40 million EVs at night when power stations/generators are looking for a way not to pay others to take their power. In fact, a study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory found that 90% of EV drivers charge their vehicles at home, and 80% of that charging is done overnight. In fact, a study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory found that the US grid could handle up to 100% EVs by 2050, if we use smart charging technologies. We still need to handle day time charging but we can manage that. It is not as popular as it cost much more.

[@michaelhearne3289]

@@danharold3087BS. Large High Voltage Transformers are the bottleneck. They need to cool down at night in order to be ready to face the next days demands. You have them pumping power 24/7 and you’ve got a real problem. It’s called load shedding, brown outs and rolling black outs. That’s why California asked people not to charge last summer. To allow relief on the transformers. Former So Cal Elec grid operator.

[@cg5648]

@@danharold3087and what exactly will supply all that electricity by 2050, wind and sun 😂😂😂😂 stop the nonsense. Gas and oil is not going anywhere and if you don’t include nuclear energy, your dream of total electrification, is just that, a dream.

[@boeing900]

Excellent video, you did a great job. It was not only "entertaining", but educational as well. Who would have thought, something as mundane as filling up, I mean, charging up your car would become so important in your, not mine, daily lives. What do you do while you're waiting? Wait to get bugged?

[@sportsmediaamerica]

REALLY informative video!!! Thank you!

[@wernerengel4919]

As a Tesla owner in Australia I’m shocked how bad the situation is in California. I’m in San Francisco at the moment and surprised how few non Tesla electric cars there are. Maybe this is the reason.

[@m40dot]

The experience between Tesla or a non Tesla is completely different. The downtime, speeds, total chargers, etc are all so different here vs non Teslas. Luckily they’re all getting access to Tesla chargers next Spring, and moving the Tesla charge port for 2025 models. Anyone that road trips often in US, really should just get a Tesla yet till next spring really.

[@Kalepsis]

It doesn't help that we have idiots with stupid political opinions wearing red hats going around sabotaging chargers. The police had to put a parking lot camera system at my local Walmart because dumbass Trump supporters were breaking all the EV chargers every week.

[@plutodestroyer12]

tesla is ahead of the curve and its not even close . just a fact....

[@bavariasuhl]

i was just in Australia, nothing to crow about there mate .. sucks worse sorry in Australia

[@stephenlatimer1428]

mate i live near Brisbane n its no better. dont make it sound better than it really is mate.

[@advadv-lb8in]

we need more influencers bringing this to light. it’s a catastrophe waiting to happen

[@joshuakhaos4451]

Before Tesla being successful , They were going Hybrid as the standard, but with the Model 3 capturing the public. They chose to go EV and nothing else.

[@TESLAenjoyer]

We don’t need more influencers exaggerating the truth.

[@Neojhun]

@@joshuakhaos4451 Your argument is childish absolutes, reality does not work like that. Hybrids are still massive chunk of the market, now it's just heavily combined with Pure Electric BEVs. This is the best method for the next couple decades. More long range PHEVs need to be developed.

[@Neojhun]

@@modestmousecoloredperson In EU Hybrids is 22.6% of the market in addition to around 12% Plug Ins. Soo that's freaking massive.

[@johnfetter]

@@TESLAenjoyer We don't need more leftist politicians with their FAILED policies here in California either.

[@HDHQDIRECT]

Electric cars are gonna be just like Waterbeds. Remember when waterbeds were the thing, multiple waterbed emporium locations, selling you supplies and conditioners. That went bye bye, just like Blockbuster Video. A craze with lots of hype and then reality hits.. winter is coming and new EV owners will experience their first downsides. Cold in the car, cant get any heat, reduced ranges from frigid temperatures, completely fogged up windows, iced over and frozen recessed door handles, and then sitting in your car for an hour waiting and charging your car. The winter really makes you want your gas car back. I have free heat and plenty of it. Can crank it as high as I want without effecting the range. Also, you guys always say you have a full charge everytime you leave the house, but what you actually have is a Half a tank of Gas when you compare the ranges.

[@johnnyhock]

Same as curved screen TV’s

[@mikegrantham7440]

$90K is too much for ANY vehicle. And they wonder why EV sales are tanking. Dealerships are having a hard time moving them and they are staying on the lots more than twice as long as an ICE vehicle is.

[@walterphoenix8045]

I really appreciate your honesty regarding this episode and electrification in general, thanks Tim.

[@matteoponzetto6682]

It would be interesting to hear your take on Norway, the land of evs. Maybe you can do a trip and see if the system actually works there

[@Shmee150]

I'd be really interested to see what it's like in the country leading the world with this

[@matteoponzetto6682]

Yes some guys like Bjorn Nyland say that an electric car is as usable as a petrol car

[@justfixingstuff1438]

Had a rental i-pace in Norway a couple of years ago, and the infra generally worked well. Generally lots of chargers at end destination parking garages. main exception being chargers on highways being busy particularly around public/school holidays when lots of people travel at the same time leading to long queues. Also returning it 80% charged needed careful planning and could have been anxiety inducing if running late for flight. Went for a Rav4 plug in hybrid on most recent trip which was a better compromise.

[@colinporter1578]

I agree with this request. See what a determined country has to offer before dismissing EV’s. However, to get all things to the full EV stage perhaps manufacturers should produce cars with ICE generator. Very quickly owners would understand that EV’s are practical solutions to reducing the need for fossil fuels whilst still keeping the ICE industry alive. Range extension using ICE generators will eliminate the anxiety that is a real thing when travelling long unknown distances. Buy a used EV if the cost of a new EV concerns you. Better still buy a used EV with a range extender. Riven missed a trick by not including a range extender version.

[@frantikfueled]

Norway is one of the richest countries. They build crazy stuff there as in traffic infrastructure.

[@leslendvai7128]

100% agree, charging was a nightmare there on my recent trip with a rental Chevy Bolt. I own a Tesla at home, charging is way less of a headache.

[@PeterWilliamson-nn9et]

I read of an incident where a Rivian owner was involved in a rather minor collision, by any standard, and after a long wait to get his vehicle his insurance paid 37,000 to fix, all those cameras, sensors, are expensive to repair

[@Hoxson1]

It's hard to imagine all the time that will be lost on charging unless you have a home charge port

[@Squirrelman48]

Except you can only have 240V charger. Roughly 3kW.

[@diesixdie]

@@Squirrelman48 Ehhh, no. Home level 2 chargers commonly run at 7.2kWs and 11 is possible. I have 5.6kWs, and it's more than fast enough to do a full overnight charge, even though I'm only using a 30A clothes dryer plug. That does about 99% of my charging. In over a year, I've only had to DCFC once, due to a power outage, and it was quick and easy. Speed isn't an issue, if you have even the lowest amperage 240 connection available. I can do 100% charges, but really only charge to 80%, most days. That allows me to drive up to 200 miles a day, at work, and still have a 30% reserve.

[@HDHQDIRECT]

I drive so little, I get gas maybe once a month... 500 miles of range with fill up. I would constantly have to be plugging in my car to keep a battery charged that I'm not even using....and because of that I can keep a car for 20 years....but not if it's electric. That battery is gonna die and probably die sooner because I'm not using it as much ....bad solution for me.

[@diesixdie]

@@HDHQDIRECT - Possibly, though EV traction batteries are far more durable and have a higher longevity than most people expect. Having the battery in a mid-charge state, most of the time is ideal. Under normal use, current batteries are expected to go 300,000 miles and/or ten+ years. I know people who have the same car I drive and they passed the 300,000 mile marker, way back, and their range loss is undetectable. And with driving 500 miles a month, you wouldn't be plugging in "all the time". You'd only have to plug in a couple of times a month. I generally plug in anytime my car is in the garage, but that's mostly so the system can do thermal maintenance, if the temps get extreme, and so the car can charge in it's assigned time window. I don't even think about it. I set my charge level to 80% most days, and in the morning, that's where it's at, without having to do anything other than stick the charge gun in the charging port. My only reservation about saying "you'd be fine to run an EV 20 years" is that we have estimates on that time range, but no real-world data. The current tech just hasn't been running for 20 years!

[@MRMINKS-ks5sm]

Well during emergencies, if you want to rush someone to the hospital but your EV had just started charging, you can always carry that someone to the hospital yourself. EV is the future ( Yeah...sure)

[@aipo86t]

The charging stations need to be like gas stations with restrooms stores etc. Just like Wawa Or Buckies. Instead, you are in a dangerous location with no services and you have to hang out for much longer.

[@richardjohnson8009]

seems like easy pickings for criminals, good thing you can remotely shut off your car

[@asiandrag0n]

I completely agree with Shmee on the charging. I was in Denmark driving from Copenhagen airport to Sønderborg to visit a friend. I charged halfway there n that charger worked fine with me tapping to pay n all. But by the time I got close to Sønderborg, it was night time & I was low on charge from the Leaf I had rented. I kept going from charger to charger with literally none of them working. I ended up going to a government building parking lot that was close to my Airbnb, n called a tow truck cause I was at 1% n was scared that my Leaf was gonna die on my way to my Airbnb even though it was close. At that point, both me and the tow truck(with my Leaf on the flat bed) went from charger to charger around town trying them all out to no avail. Close to midnight, we decided to have me dropped off at my Airbnb, him take the Leaf to the Avis(since I rented from them) in Sønderborg, and just have me switch to a Hyundai Ioniq hybrid the next day. Granted in that whole process, I may have misunderstood how EV charging in Denmark works vs charging in the US, but I still think there are still too many charging issues for EVs to properly take over the world's car market. (On one hand I missed my leaf, cause right before the tow truck took it away when I was getting all my stuff out the car, I discovered that it had a Bose sound system)

[@vidfan1701]

I appreciate your honesty. I have 2 questions. The first is how long it took to charge, the second is what running the AC does to the range?

[@RegularDudeDYI]

The AC has very little effect on range. The AC compressors are small and don’t require much electricity to work. Heating is another story. That eats away at range and lot more. But the biggest impact on range is moving a 3 ton pickup 70 MPH.

[@vidfan1701]

@@RegularDudeDYI Thank you for that info.

[@davidcottrell570]

Actually, the biggest impact to range once you’ve gotten past the “holy crap this thing is fast” stage, is the impact of heating the battery on the road in cold weather. If you charge at home and are taking a trip, easy, plug it in and precondition. If you can’t, expect to lose 10-25% range. ICE cars have a problem too, with the added issue of needing to run the engine to keep the car warm in the event you do get stuck in snow. In an EV, the heater is working off the battery, so even with less range you’re staying warm for a while - no one in their right minds goes on the road without charging or filling the tank in bad weather, and you keep the battery/fuel tank nice and high.

[@ianmcleod8898]

Well that is ironic. A test was done here in Australia to see if you could do the lap in an EV. This wasn't reported in main media circles but the aircon had to turned off and the car couldn't be driven any faster than 60klm otherwise the range suffered badly.

[@johnreese3762]

Great video, thanks! One of the reasons we bought a Tesla. Thanks to you guys and KZbin I knew the charging issues before we bought an EV. That Rivian is a work of art, love it!!!

[@stephenirvin4426]

All valid points. In addition, the time it takes to charge vs filling a gas car is a big problem. Not only for wasted time on your part, but for how long the lines will be. Putting the cart before the horse is putting it much too mild. And the problem of evacuations (earthquake, Hurricane, etc) is even more important. The country is not in any sense ready for this change.

[@DavidJao]

It's only a problem if you think EVs are gas cars. They're not. You can charge AT HOME. No lines. No waiting around. Most people park their cars overnight in their garage while they sleep. Your car is fully charged when you wake up in the morning. It takes zero waiting time. Public charging is only used on road trips, which are NOT the majority of driving. Hurricanes and evacuations: since you always have a full battery every morning, you can almost certainly make it out of the disaster zone. The reason why you see long lines at gas stations during evacuations is because not everyone starts every day with a full tank of gas. EVs are VERY different. Everyone starts every morning with a full battery. Very few people drive the 300 miles daily that it would take to deplete the battery within a single day. Also, if the power is out due to some disaster, gas station pumps won't work either.

[@stephenirvin4426]

@@DavidJao Not everyone can charge at home (apartment complexes, etc.). A gas vehicle takes about 5 minutes to fill up from empty, as opposed to the hours required for electric. This is assuming your power company/ state doesn't tell you not to charge because the power grid can't support the load. That is (for California, the state with the most EVs) less than 25% of cars, and a much lower amount of commercial vehicles. If the grid can't support that, how will they support the numbers California is trying for? If you ARE fully charged, you have maybe a 250 mile range (EVs average a range of 211 miles. Less on a long trip where regen from braking doesn't provide as much return) Possibly enough to get your family to a safe place in case of an evacuation, as long as you don't get stuck in a traffic jam. Then, when you (hopefully) get where you're going, you're back trying to find a public charging station that works. The power being out for gas powered vehicles is a problem only after the disaster hits. And I can store some gas in my home if I think the power will go out. Not so for EVs I'm not saying electric isn't a good idea, but there are problems that need to be solved before there is a general readiness for EVs. Some of these include: having the power grid able to handle the load (especially when commercial vehicles are added), recycling of used batteries, cost of replacement batteries, charging time, availability of chargers, safety of electric vehicles after an accident (fire risk) and equity value of used EVs. It's a good idea whose time has not yet come.

[@DavidJao]

@@stephenirvin4426 Well done! Spoken like someone who owns a gas car and has no idea how EVs actually work. The truth: 58% of Americans have a garage. If we can get 58% of Americans into EVs, that's already tremendous progress. EVs charge at night, when demand for electricity is lowest. EV charging will not break the grid. Not even in California. EVs use very little energy when stuck in traffic (this is your gas car experience showing -- gasoline cars waste a ton of energy when idling in traffic, but for EVs, energy efficiency goes way up at slow speeds). If you're moving at 25 mph you can essentially hypermile for 600 miles or more on one charge. Range drops way down as your speed increases. 300 mile range is what you get at typical highway speeds of 70mph. But in an evacuation scenario if you're cruising at 70mph you're probably already home free.

[@pnichols6500]

@@DavidJao So if the power goes out, which is common in disasters, you going to have a gas generator on hand to charge your battery?

[@DavidJao]

@@pnichols6500 Absolutely ridiculous. Solar panels are just fine, thank you.

[@Mr.Higginbotham]

Catching up. It's about time. Much love. Shalom

[@BradKwfc]

I rented a Model Y earlier this year. Went to 3 Chargepoint stations at the local mall and NONE of them worked. I ended up having to drive 30 minutes to a genuine Tesla charging station, then sat for over an hour while it charged, then drove another 30mins back home.

[@thechillhacker]

So serious question - really not trying to troll but, is that charge door a simple mechanical spring based latching mechanism or is it motorized? i.e., if the thing is stone dead, can you not charge it without a specialist or a crowbar?

[@pip5461]

You've hit the nail on the head regarding the lack of infrastructure for EV ownership... Unless it's sorted out, there's little to no chance that this would be anything other than a complete flop...

[@heatsink_]

Except that it's clearly picking up pace and the infrastructure is being built. I guess it's not too shocking to see people here whining about EVs and EV infrastructure in such a short-sighted manner.

[@Neojhun]

Complete flop is IMPOSSIBLE. But massive struggle and slow down to adoption is most likely.

[@darmou]

There is a group of manufacturers that are creating a new charging network, I assume because of this disaster.

[@JohnSmith-pn2vl]

most new cars are ev and the adoption has just started to grow exponentially, tesla model Y is the most sold car in the world, not just ev's but all cars. it is night and day better than ice, it is so far better it's not even worth comparing to ice or anything else. ev's have won a long time ago already@@Neojhun

[@mikapeltokorpi7671]

Fun fact: a couple of days ago there was a blackout in an adjacent district in my hometown. Also the gas station was not in operation because of it. Neither combustion or electric powered cars were able to refill/recharge their cars.

[@Studio89Graphic]

But one can drive to another Gas/ ⛽ ⛽ Station to refill the Fuel... Good luck with Tessie Morons...

[@gfarnden56]

worst case is u hand pump the fuel.. not so bad

[@MrRenoman2011]

awesome video thanks so much

[@mikepardo9976]

Just like everything in California. They make rules and force people to compliance with their policies, but do nothing to support the ability to comply. How will people like me that can barely afford a gas powered vehicle be able to afford an EV?

[@thevillage38]

Rebates if you'd have done a bit of research Calif HAD 350M for ev/hybrids the lower your income the more you'd get How would 15k help? Or 21k,for certain neighborhoods? Pay attention the $ are coming back 2024

[@thevillage38]

Rebates pay attention

[@Arthur-ke9vz]

@@thevillage38stupidest reply ever!!! Buy a 2015 v-8 LEXUS!!!!

[@booyakashaWagwan]

Just some hints to those who have to use an EV in California: EV go has an app that lets you initiate charging remotely, without using the charger screen. It's essential, because sometimes chargers are operational, but not through the builtin screen! Also, prepare to wait in line for your turn. It hsppens VERY often. You arrive at the charging station and all chargers are in use and there are 2 cars already waiting before you. Oh so much fun! 😂

[@tclem44]

I see no reason to have an EV.

[@mattyb1624]

The app shouldn't be necessary

[@markoverton5858]

Very good points being made, very important blog hope those that can improve this nightmare are seeing this 👍

[@ken9576]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t this a 4wd truck? Presumably you can go off road in it then? What do you do to charge it up in the bush? You can’t carry a Jerry can full of electrons.

[@lynnclemente1480]

I wonder how it's going to work in cities like LA where many apartment residents have street parking only on residential streets? Are they going to add chargers on such streets? Or maybe folks will just have to plan to charge when they are grocery shopping or at the gym etc, if charging at work is not an option.

[@thedopplereffect00]

It's not going to work at all

[@JohnSmith-pn2vl]

pretty much every parking spot will have a charger like in norway which is the leader. over 80% of new cars are electric there. they invested heavily early on.

[@thedopplereffect00]

@@JohnSmith-pn2vl and who pays for that? Tell me about your tax rates.

[@polystictus]

California does not like cars. They have given up lanes on crowded roads for bicycles. Our leaders want you on foot or bike or on that metro. The metro is unfortunately not popular as the transients have taken over and made it dangerous or very uncomfortable. Many have tried it and said "never again". Multi unit complexes are being built that average less than one parking place per unit. Of course when walking or biking, in many areas you have to navigate around the homeless living on the sidewalks and meandering around.

[@rogergeyer9851]

@@thedopplereffect00: Because nothing EVER changes, much less improves. /s But keep the nonsensical denial up, like a flat earther -- despite things obviously improving a lot over the last decade re BEV availability and charging, and things OBVIOUSLY set to improve a LOT over the next decade. Your ilk gets endlessly more credible, re your endless denial. /s

[@tomyost6330]

-Shmee, you are absolutely correct. This country is far from being ready to be completely electric. A joke right now.

[@diesixdie]

It's fun to read comments like this when you're somebody who uses the tech being discussed, easily, every day.

[@sajjie8121]

@@diesixdie You are just one person. The comment above refers to the *whole country* being ready for EVERYONE, which involves a wide range of people and situations. Believe it or not, the whole world does not just revolve around you...

[@diesixdie]

@@sajjie8121 - And, yet, I seem to mostly be debating with people who know virtually nothing about EVs. I'm certainly not the only person on Earth, and, no the world doesn't revolve around me, but, WHAT KIND OF POINT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO BE??? How is that even relevant? Here's the thing: EVs _will_ work for a whole lot of people. Yes, I know that there are people who have usage exceptions, but, I'm here to tell you, that the vast majority of people would be fine with EVs, even if they don't think so, today. They're actually easier to drive, far more efficient, have less maintanence, have adequate range, and it's easy to keep enough in the batteries to manage unforeseen emergencies. And that situation is only getting better, not worse. Charging speeds keep going up, and the availability of DCFC stations is improving. Battery tech is improving, and soon, we'll have solid state batteries that are better for the environment, and which will be manufactured without the expensive, rare metals we need, today. And there's the fact that we're all in this together. The mission is to serve everybody who needs transportation, including people who have valid concerns about why an EV might not work for them. We can make all this work. All of these systems are open to expansion, and improvement. The grid can grow with the demand, and we can build as many DCFCs as we need to serve the expanding number of EVs, out here. This isn't magic, and it isn't something unmanaged. And if capitalism works, as I'm sure many people here are confident about, it will recognize the profit potential of the millions of EVs to come, with their need to charge, and our infrastructure will expand to meet the demand, just like your first year economics professor said it would. Because it's good business to sell as much electricity as people need. So, how is the fact that I'm not the only person here relevant?

[@yambo59]

One big issue among many others that no one talks about is the fact gas stations are manned and monitored at least when open so very little to no vandalism to pumps - EV chargers are often in no mans land where ever property is cheap and vandalism goes unnoticed and chargers are far more easily vandalized. Also they will NEVER make EV charging as convenient as stopping in for a ten minute fill up and back on the road, and just as you said on side of the road if you run out of gas they bring a can to get you to a gas station - no way to do that with an EV and with difficulties finding chargers that work at the right time its far more likely to happen with an EV.

[@Soca47]

I believe smaller island states/ countries and newly built cities like dubai will be able to pull that off because 1. With small island states the range,plus owners having the ease of charging at home. Hotels, Air BnB places would only have this issue with mass/multiple charging stations and the overall stability of the grid will be the factor. 2. Being that is a new place or small island they can make provisions for this as apposed to this mordern system being retrofitted to a decades old infastructure. Smaller countries will make it to a net zero phase alot quicker..

[@stuffhappens5681]

Matt Farrah put it succinctly. When speaking about Mustang Mach E he said, “I don’t have range anxiety I have infrastructure anxiety.” Most EVs have pretty decent range some rival many gasoline cars. But if you can’t “fill ‘em up” reliably away from home that’s very limiting. Add to that the fact that not everyone’s living arrangements support a home charger and this EV thing becomes a real problem.

[@stuartkidney3257]

EV's are a #myth in the Good Ole #usa - wait till you start adding up the bills and the repair bill after any car accident. #myth

[@4thdistrict476]

@@stuartkidney3257 - That is what insurance is for. My Hyundai Ioniq 5 Limited insurance is a whole $6 more than my 17 year old Subaru Outback was. So, I am not concerned about accident repair costs, just like I wasn't with my Outback.

[@stuartkidney3257]

@@4thdistrict476 My comment is a general comment that many or most EV owners can agree with especially Ford & Tesla and includes all of the Lower 48 states. EV's burn down houses, catch fire, burn up drivers/passengers; fire departments can't put out the fires quickly; lithium batteries in bikes is a leading cause of house fires and deaths in apartments (particularly in Democrat Hell-Hole cities such as NYC).

[@johnadams3800]

Lol...yup, and guess what's going to start happening to those EV insurance rates as the ridiculous repair cost disparity between conventional and EV vehicles start adding up? My wife underwrites policies and is already noticing it. When your grid rates go up, and your insurance goes up, guess what's going to be coming down? Ev sales, that's what. Like Ayn Rand said, "you can ignore reality, but you cannot ignore the consequences of ignoring reality". And we are about to get a big dose of reality over the next year or two in regards to evs.

[@TwoBassed]

@@4thdistrict476 - Be wary of relying on insurance, a U.K EV driver experience 1st yrs insurance £540, 2nd yrs insurance £600, his quote for his 3rd - £3000 with no claims or accidents! Plus 3 of the big vehicle insurance companies have now stopped insuring EV’s altogether!

[@wayno747]

This is so perfect. I recently flew into LA for a couple days and thought I'd rent a Polestar 2 from Hertz. It was a very frustrating and time-consuming experience finding a charging station that was actually accessible as I had to turn away from two 'available' stations that were actually in restricted corporate parking garages/areas.

[@Kailaniandkiara7165]

should have rented a Tesla...

[@diesixdie]

If you're renting, get a Tesla. They're easier to deal with if you're just using them for a day or two. Other brands are easy enough, but the learning curve is a bit more. I live with a non-Tesla EV, every day, and aside from most of what you're reading here, once you know what you're doing and have everything setup, they're simple to live with.

[@kc4cvh]

I installed a Leviton charger at my house. When I get home in the evening, I plug in my I3. Takes about eight seconds per business day, I never have to stop at the gas station and fend off bums again. Couldn't be any more convenient.

[@user-tk9hy1pu3w]

Thank you for all these excellent points I've gotten quite an education here!

[@stewvlogs5084]

Really good video. Recently purchased the Mustang Mach E in the Uk. Went to a charge station and the screen would not work, went to another site and it would not connect to the car. No one at the garage had been trained to use it. I phoned the 24 hour hotline on the charger only to find out the number was not manned 24 hours. It was raining heavy, my charge was low, the area was new to me and it was very late and dark. Eventually I found a charger at another site that worked. I admit I was panicking as I had not had the vehicle long. Something needs to change for sure. Liked!

[@andrewwaller5913]

A Mustang in name only, a proper Mustang has a V8. Get rid and buy a diesel which does 60mpg. Problem solved, and far cheaper.

[@KaiPonte]

Good points. Having owned a Ford Mach-e for almost a year with a 110v home charger, I pretty much use DC fast charging about once per week. However, I have not once used the onboard maps and rely solely on PlugShare, and the charging apps. Three years ago (2020), I rented a Kia Niro EV and found public charging always available. Now, not so much. I do see you’re at South Coast Plaza. There are four charging stations within a one-mile radius of that. The charging companies are continually building new stations. I just charged my Mach-e at an EV Go that didn’t exist six months ago. Also, with the Tesla-based adapters becoming the standard, I think charging stations will become ubiquitous soon. If I go on a longer trip, I can just take my 1999 Lexus with 200,000 miles.

[@MRMINKS-ks5sm]

I think to solve this charging issues, Tesla needs to make an electric vehicle with an auxiliary charging system such as a small ICE generator that can be filled up and should already be plugged to the cars electrical system. You can actually drive around while charging your car. If the generator is almost out of juice, it is an easy stop and top-up at the gas stations. No more hassle of going to the charging station non-sense. You can drive around while charging your car and that is FREEDOM!!! ( I need to apply for a patent to this idea.)

[@michaelkestrel8363]

Videos like these confirm why people are avoiding EV's. Nicely done

[@kovica75]

Finally an influencer speaking the truth! A great video as always Tim!

[@Aquajoda]

He's not even from America and you take his opinion? If he dropped the address to that charging station I bet there's 5 others in a 10 mile radius

[@mitchellsteindler]

If he's the only influencer you see complaining, you need to follow some more legit people

[@Shmee150]

@Aquajoda This is in the LA area, within 10 miles there are vastly more than 5 others. But, what you've seen is going to 3 in close proximity all of which have issues, and there in lies the problem. How often do you go to get gas, and 3 stations in a row have a problem?

[@Aquajoda]

@@Shmee150 never, since it's just liquid and they've existed since the early 1900's. Is there not an app to show working chargers with live updates similar to the WAZE app? Seems like not too big of an issue in California. Other places where they are less common sure.

[@Aquajoda]

@@Shmee150 I would never road trip in an EV and never want to own one to be clear. I don't think infrastructure is there yet either but in California going north/south I would be confident

[@BuRNingFLaN]

Thank you for making this video! Mirrors my EV charging frustrations in California as well. Switched back to ICE vehicle until charging infrastructure vastly improves. Yes, electric is great in certain environments, but the charging definitely needs to get better.

[@typhoon320i]

What! ....You switched back. You are only allowed to own ONE car? You can't charge at home? I have an EV I bought for 10 grand and it has 80 miles of range, and I use IT 80% of the time.

[@shou635]

Good grief. Buy a Tesla and be done with ICE.

[@ls6097]

Don't hold your breath.....on second thought, do hold your breath...we need less people stupid enough to tolerate totalitarianism.

[@ryanwelsch9384]

I guess you did not get a Tesla.

[@notchit3542]

Once they know more ppl are depended on EV, they gonna rise that electricity bill beyond believe. Those EV infrastructure r not free & big investors r waiting for there returns.

[@mikemartin181]

Sounds like a 15 minute distance range from home is in our future soon.

[@phantomduck65]

That’s not wind noise It’s part of the calming experience of driving an EV

[@PShawtx]

Also be sure to have charging adapters so you can use what ever charging station your at.

[@timoliver8940]

Last year travelling in Norway I found that easiest way to circumvent not having a local phone number and address when registering for a charging app (even though the rental company provided a “tag” to activate an account of theirs with a price mark up……. ) was to use the address and phone number of the first nights hotel. It worked well for 4 networks - the 5th was Tesla who at the time had only opened a few sites to all makes of car and whose app I downloaded and activated as a non-Tesla owner in the UK. Like you I have a small EV (Mini Cooper S E) that mainly gets used for local runs except my local runs are 45 -80 miles round trips from my home in the countryside of rural Scotland into town or to the airport - works fine for me with that usage pattern and has meant that my 2023 Defender sits on the drive most of the week. This summer 2000 miles of motoring in the Mini has cost £12 in paid for off peak home charging mostly on my solar panels - to have done that number of miles in the Defender would have cost around £400…………..

[@keithhooper6123]

With that weird idea of economics,you should be in goverment!Two expensive cars to pay for,but ones a fair bit cheaper on fuel.Good.Look at the money tied up buying those cars.

[@laurap3244]

So across 2,000 miles you saved only $400 but to do so you purchased a second vehicle for $34,000, netting a total loss of $X,000 once you've factored in the new car's depreciation, paying for two car's insurance/taxes/registration..

[@goodguy7420]

Amazing how long it takes to charge this behemoth.

[@RobertR3750]

This is weird. I went to the Google Maps location in Gardena shown at 9:30 next to the 110 freeway, and there's no sign of the EvGo station. Outdated map?

[@TSLAaddict]

It’s NOT a California problem, it’s an ENTIRE United States problem with these other charging networks. And that’s why other EVs are adopting NACS.

[@janardan23]

Actually it is a world problem… they don’t want to make it work. They want you to stop driving. They want you to stay nicely locked up in your fifteen minute city…

[@michaelgodbold6247]

It's the same in the UK,

[@lgbman]

TOTALLY AGREE! So well said Tim! The officials who are absolutely in favour of an EV world are completely out to lunch to the reality of fueling these EVs! Sad!

[@madgreek8668]

No, what’s sad is your generalizations, speaking in absolutes, and your obvious politically based bias against EV’s. This is a technology that is still in its infancy, and as such, needs time to grow into a mature, workable system. Every institution on the planet experiences growing pains; why would you think this is any different? And there is absolutely nothing wrong with pointing out the flaws, as this video is doing. That will actually help the process along. What isn’t helpful is what you are doing; crowing about the problems. If you have some constructive criticism, fine. If you have a solution to a problem, also fine. But if all you have is a chance to take a cheap shot at officials who you don’t know and a process you don’t really understand, all to make a point to make yourself feel good, then keep it to yourself.

[@lrod8692]

What's sad is resisting the movement forward and when another country takes the lead, becomes the world leader, we will be back to pointing fingers on who's fault it was.......

[@thedopplereffect00]

​@@madgreek8668imagine defending a politician in Washington who wants to make your life miserable. Sad.

[@ironclaw6969]

@@madgreek8668 So let it grow into a mature, workable system BEFORE you start trying to force it down everyone's throats. If not, you deserve every cheap shot you get and then some.

[@madgreek8668]

@@thedopplereffect00 - why do you think politicians who don’t know you are trying to make your life miserable? Paranoid much?

[@ryanyoder7573]

PHEV is the solution as it can be charged at home economically and serve as a city EV with trips running as an efficient hybrid. I own two and love them.

[@0hypnotoad0]

Good cars, but too expensive to manufacture. Right now PHEVs are built like a gasoline car that has some EV capabilities, what they need to be built like is a short range EV with a ICE range extender. They aren't going to work if they keep putting these stupid 1.5 - 2.0 liter engines in them, too much weight and too much additional complexity.

[@bmw803]

That's what the Chevy VOLT was. An EV with a range extender.

[@ianmcleod8898]

EV's will not save the planet. You would do better getting your home off the grid. Homes have a far bigger footprint than cars ever will.

[@princeginger2025]

wonder much coablt abd lithium was needed to make the batt ?

[@rogervondach1238]

I have been watching quite a few of these videos and I came to the conclusion that every single EV driver is suffering from the very same problems. Finding a charging station and range anxiety. Once they start talking about them, they can't stop. And this turns into the next "sickness". They can't stop talking with growing frustration. Well, one thing is for sure - you will not catch me driving an EV !

[@silvy7394]

Im an EV driver and charging stations are just fine. I simply check ahead of time if they're working or not. Takes 1 min tops. Nor do I have range anxiety. 250 miles is plenty. I can drive across my entire state, pass 32 quick chargers, and still not be dead.

[@james3440]

If you want to drive, we certainly will.

[@Playingwithproxies]

Perfect car to drive to and from work everyday terrible car to drive over 200 miles for a single day.

[@I.Am.Nobody]

electric vehicles aren't that great, and certainly do not decrease the emission levels. What they do not emit gets emitted by the electricity producing facilities (producing electricity by burning biomass which will come from mostly trees). It isn't an improvement, and increases abuse by and for the interest of both the manufacturers as those in power, as everything electric can be easily digitally tracked and controlled remotely. Manufacturers now sell their electric cars, then you are forced some form of subscription for basic things to be and stay enabled/functional, like for instance seat heating (just an example). When something breaks down, you are forced to bring it in for the manufacturer made sure no third party can repair it. Having a dislike for electric vehicles for the right reasons isn't that stupid.

[@Mage-mc7mz]

@@silvy7394I don’t have to check anything and I know there’s 5 gas stations between work and home and they are always working properly. EVs are not the saviors of the planet everyone is making them out to be.

[@mburleigh8]

Thank you for exposing the truth about how disastrous the EV charging industry is, a relative of mine bought a Chevy Bolt and has huge regrets about it.

[@laxplayer99]

keeping the bed connected to the cab is stupid idea. Repairing any crash damage will be really expensive.

[@solarguy4850]

We are early in the BEV disruption .. so charging options are no where near “mature”. It is notable that Tesla drivers don’t have charging anxiety since the Supercharger network is excellent already. I’ve been driving a Model S for 8 years and 340,000 km with zero issues .. and we live in a rural area and we go into remote regions all the time. We do not have another car because we don’t need one and BEVs are too much fun .. fuel savings are awesome too. Since we have solar, we spend just $400/year on electrons (yes this accounts for the cost of the array).

[@driliagor]

The need to plan your valuable vacation/road trip/“adventure” around the crappy charging network is beyond belief! I usually “plan around” landmarks, trailheads, wildlife and sunrise/sunset. Oh well in aby case 90% of these “SUC” are used for groceries run and to drop off kids to school. Welcome to California!

[@ls6097]

Trips and vacations are for the privileged class. They are sick and tired of having to share their favorite destinations with you filthy deplorable peasants. It blows my mind you people cannot put 2 and 2 together.

[@kdrapertrucker]

Or just get a gas powered vehicle and avoid all the problems.

[@kdrapertrucker]

Get a hybrid, you'll do a lot less walking or waiting.

[@lukeGGlee]

@@kdrapertruckercalifornia making it illegal soon

[@glenncronise7775]

Yeah, real well thought out. If you get into a fender bender in the rear then you have to replace everything up to the windshield. Real good for the dealerships.

[@larryjanson4011]

not only that but battery powered cars tend to catch fire that can not be put out. the EMT's are told to not get close or touch any electric car, till checked out by a electric car tech, due to a electrocution hazed. and if any spillage, the rd is closed off, to be repaved due to very hazardous stuff on the ground

[@jimk4267]

how well do you think that little charger access door will work after you bump that corner?or in North Dakota in an ice storm?

[@Everythingisgoingtobealright]

Rivian does not own any body shops. They and many other manufacturers just don’t factor repairs into the design of the vehicle. Some would say that they intentionally make it expensive to repair so the vehicle totals and they can sell a new car.

[@MrWolfSnack]

dealerships wont stock these parts dude. it has to be sent back to the company.

[@sprockkets]

@@larryjanson4011 Lol, every EV has a relay that requires 12v power to keep it activated. If the airbags are deployed, the power is automatically cut. You think an EV fire is bad? A gas car has 7x the energy to go up in flames. And you are many times more likely to have it happen in an ICE car vs an EV.

[@PeterWilliamson-nn9et]

I read about a guy that bought a high end Rivian 800Hp and loved everything about it on road off toad range everything, until one day he was involved in an accident. at only 5mph a mere bump, his insurance paid for a loaner rental as months rolled by he borrowed his son Toyota and then Rivian customer service stepped up and loaned him a Rivian comparable to his own ,it took the repair shop 8 months to fix his truck, as some cameras and wires were damaged in the 5mph collision so this is something to consider.

[@bmuns6445]

I see videos of Tesla owners who charge at home say their electric bill jumped only $30 for a month of at home overnight slow charging.

[@RevSolution4U]

Tim, Very good evaluation of the sad situation that this government is initiating without thorough thought on the infrastructure to accompany this. Can you imagine doing this when it's -10⁰ and snowing?

[@skierpage]

Some places will have canopies over the chargers, same as gas stations. If the charger recognizes your car and can bill it without fussing with a card reader (as every Tesla can do at a Supercharger), it is NOT a big deal to stand outside for 20 seconds to plug/unplug the charging cable.

[@Shmarc150]

@@skierpage I don't want it just bill me, I want to know what it cost so I read the damn screen which takes time and therefore I need a roof above my head. Additionally, plugging in a cable is not that easy with having cars having different ports on different locations and chargers not having a standardized way of approaching the charger and it's cable. Often you are pressed into a corner of a parking lot and have to come up interesting movements and parking ways to get the cable even close enough to put into the car. Try to charge a Etron GT at a Tesla charger, good luck! ;) I had to park the car perpendicular and block four Tesla chargers to try and charge the Etron on one charger.

[@RevSolution4U]

@@skierpage you are kidding yourself to think they can have all the infrastructure for this built when the government in charge can't even make the roads smooth and flat, without potholes the size of smart cars. Example: 2 year closure for West Seattle bridge followed up with an immediate closure for a hole in it. Your logic is flawed but your dreams are real.

[@skierpage]

@@RevSolution4U it's good then that the U.S. and California governments AREN'T in charge of any charging network. They control the availability of incentives, and are saying the right things about uptime and standards.

[@RevSolution4U]

@@skierpage however they do have to support the grid to make this all work.

[@jchoo3387]

I had this exact experience renting a car in Germany. An absolute nightmare finding a charging station that worked. Finally found a hotel that would let us use theirs with 1km of range left. Talk about anxiety on what was supposed to be a fun vacation.

[@wadeepperson6906]

I really would like to go electric myself. Just with the range most vehicles have and needing to charge approx 6 times to go to Denver. I’d be worried I’d never find a charger until I’m pushing the car. Currently my car can drive there, drive around there for a bit before needing fuel again.

[@thedopplereffect00]

Why would you do that to yourself?

[@babstude]

if you buy a Tesla; it would be stress free; plug in your destination and it shows you where to stop and for how long; Tesla chargers have 99.9% uptime@@wadeepperson6906

[@cg986]

Strange. Never had any issues in Germany!

[@petertraveller6421]

I went to germany, france and italy almost 6.500 km, only used tesla superchargers with non-tesla car, those were easy to find with tesla app and only once had to wait 10 minutes because 2 out of 4 chargers were not working.

[@cupera1425]

The proud owner of a Rivian R1S electric SUV Chase Merrill, was overjoyed to have his dream electric vehicle after waiting for years and shelling out nearly $70 grand. But after owning the car for just days, it got stuck in the snow and was immobilized by a safety feature requiring a $2,100 tow bill to transport it to a distant repair facility. When the car got stuck in 2.5 feet of snow, his love affair with the truck promptly ended. Merrill commented on his expectations, stating: “I had seen all the Rivian marketing campaigns with the cars just eating through the snow, so it was kind of like, man, this is disappointing.”

[@victory6422]

Sooooo,How do you like that “Wretched” governor Over there in the Golden State @Shmee?

[@alexsystems2001]

Something people miss out on too is the apartment living situations, people who can adopt an EV usually have a “house” and usually a “garage” where they can charge their vehicle overnight. I live in an area where loads of cars park on the street in areas with lots of apartments. Many of the folks living in these apartments are working class folks who have longer commutes, do you think after a 8, 10 or 12 hour shift they want to play the “let’s find a charger game”? NOOO! The second thing most people don’t care to consider, if there is already a waiting time at EV charging stations with 2% of the vehicles on the road as EV’s how many more charging stations are we going to need to support 100%? We have loads of fuel stations, it almost feels like we have them on every street corner and there have been times where I have had to wait a few minutes for a pump to be come available. Can you imagine vehicles sitting at a charger for an HOUR?!?!? So not only will you need more to begin with but you’ll need more for the simple fact that people will have to take them up and use them longer. This is a mess waiting to happen, I’m not on board with it, this seems very poorly thought out.

[@scottlenahan8228]

Welcome to California. Big promises. Zero execution. Been that way for decades.

[@Shmee150]

That's definitely how the EV infrastructure feels. From the other side of the pond we hear the promises and assume it gets executed... but apparently not.

[@fdapro1975]

Commiefornia! The mandates will be dropped after governor hair gel is out of office.

[@bradenmchenry995]

That’s Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom. Absolute clowns

[@scottlenahan8228]

@@Shmee150I’ve lived here my whole life. They have always been big talkers. It is easy for the government to put these different gas car bans in place with the supermajority they have in place. But nobody is doing the leg work to accomplish the goal. Come back in 2035, it will be the exact same experience. I promise you that.

[@Fenmore50]

I ran into the same issues when I bought my Mercedes EQS. Now I only charge at home and use it for local running around. Any trips we go on we take the gas car. Only way I see it ever working is if the gas companies start installing them

[@RJohnson-nh6ud]

A California company just bought our coal fired power plant here in Utah where I live. EV's have come onto the scene too quickly and California is going to pay a high price for this in the near future unless nuclear energy comes onto the scene.

[@MatthewFordVictoria]

That's why going Hybrid is the safest option, as you won't get stuck anywhere if the Battery dies. One thing I really like with Hybrids is how the Gas motor stops when you're not moving, such as waiting at a Red Light.

[@miketwomey4923]

So you're telling me that I should have to buy an overpriced car with minimal power in eather mode. This is America and we should have a choice of vehicles that will fill our needs within reason. The Democrats and liberals are changing the country to fit into green sheep...

[@jimmahr.4665]

I find todays electric cars a total failure from the functional side, they are a good "look at me" and inner city pieces but that's it. I agree with you on hybrid, though I would like one with small engine and generator (weight savings, say 2 cyl motorcycle engine) but no mechanical drive, pure electric motor drive, decent but not big battery, and let the generator charge slowly (not keep up for say highways) and it can catch up some every 300 miles, everyone needs a brake anyways. As far as I know, nobody makes this.

[@That-Guy_]

@@jimmahr.4665 My Tesla Model 3 rwd is great. Have gone from Houston to Orlando and back without issue. Plus, I charge it for free at home.

[@dwightdodd3734]

gonna be buying starters.................@@phillipbanes5484

[@dyna_zero0385]

There’s a whole host of problems here in the USA when it comes to EV’s and you are correct about the charging Tim. In the oldest parts of the country like the N East there’s cities like mine that have old 1 & 2 family homes that don’t have driveways , so how are you supposed to charge your car ? You can’t put chargers out on the sidewalk at the curb because the street and sidewalk belong to the taxpayer, you can’t reserve a spot for parking except for a vehicle except for a handicap persons car. I have 18 homes on my block , half with no driveway and no parking now with the amount of cars my neighbors own and even the ones with driveways don’t use their driveways most of the time they park on the street and if you aren’t home by 5:30pm chances are you ain’t getting a parking spot. So again how are you supposed to charge your vehicle if you don’t have a driveway ?? You can’t mandate people use their driveway because they pay taxes also. I can just imagine the fights that’ll brake out because my neighbors having a party and their family & guests are parked out on the street and you need to park in front of your house to charge your car. The whole EV thing is a novelty to me it’ll never work here and my Governor just announced the same policy as California, no gas powered vehicles sold after 2035. I got more to rant on about EV’s but I’ll just leave it at that.

[@jimmartin8853]

How much they pay you before you drank the coolaid?

[@ryanpuryear]

Having lived in San Francisco, I found it to be a good infrastructure. Now that I live in Texas, there is no way I would own an electric.

[@hi_tech_reptiles]

The infrastructure is probably OK depending but when it's constantly broken, vandalized or stolen for parts it becomes a moot point. Here in Iowa they work all the time because they are kept up and people won't illegally damage them because they'll actually get prosecuted lol.

[@viktor.egelund]

Texas is a large place. Could you be more specific?

[@ryanpuryear]

@@viktor.egelund Houston

[@ryanpuryear]

@@viktor.egelund none of the apartments or places of work have charging like they did in SF. I also rarely see them in grocery parking lots like I did in SF.

[@ryanpuryear]

@@hi_tech_reptiles Yeah, I did not own an electric vehicle in SF, so I can really only speak to number of charging spots and location relative to popular destinations and such….not sure how many were broken, but Shmee and Strad sure seem to find a lot of broken chargers. Wonder if many are not sabotaged?

[@belltolls1984]

This is a great and well made video with lots of great information for someone interested in EV's, For me at least the infrastructure just isn't there, I'm glad Tesla is opening up their network to more automakers but where I live (Alaska) it will just never make sense.

[@mc333777]

We have a Tesla in the family here in California. During super hot and super cold winter time, the cost of power per mile is more expensive than my Accord Hybrid. During summer, when the Tesla is parked outside (at home or at work) for a long time, it uses some of the power to cool down the battery or to warm up the battery. With my hybrid car, if I spent $40 on gas, I get the range what it says on my dash. With Tesla, you pay for electricity and you get only 60% of the range of what you paid on electricity during extreme weather. with hybrid (or gas cars), the gas consumption during extreme weather is not much of a difference, and we're comfortable inside the cabin. We also have 2024 Prius, that gives us 50-58 mpg. If you have a garage and solar panels, electric cars make sense economically as a daily driver.

[@AllenSymonds]

In America we call it a parking lot and a flashlight

[@thechoosen16]

Would love to see a collab with MKBHD and have you both talk more in depth about the situation of EV chargers.

[@Shmee150]

I would absolutely love to meet with him sometime

[@Shmee150]

Don't think that's true at all; great time over the last few weeks included time hanging out with Strad, Ed from VINwiki, DragTimes, Alex Choi, EddieX, and Parker to name a few. Luckily we have an amazing car community and I'm very pleased to have so many great friends within the same space.