Year in Review: Electric vehicle charging, range, and repair struggles

Heather Hamilton

December 31, 01:00 PM December 31, 01:01 PM

Many electric vehicle owners who took road trips or attempted to haul trailers in an effort to save money amid high gas prices in 2022 found that low-emission vehicles can create other costly problems.

Despite the hype of electric vehicles touted by Washington bureaucrats, EV owners discovered through “difficult” trial and error that mile range is not always efficient or reliable, repair costs can be alarming, and charging stations are not easily accessible nor consistently working.

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One Colorado EV owner, Alan O’Hashi, found a road trip across the nearby state of Wyoming testing his patience after it took 15 hours to drive 178 miles in his electric Nissan Leaf.

“It was very difficult, O’Hashi said, noting the trip should have taken less than 2 1/2 hours. “For example, [it took] 15 hours to get from Cheyenne to Casper.”

Another family taking a 500-mile road trip in their Ford Lightning electric truck also ran into charging station problems.

Steve and Katie Krivolavek, along with their three children, set out from Nebraska for an RV trip to Colorado. They drove their Ford F-150 Lightning while pulling an Airstream 30FB camper.

The family, known as the “All Electric Family” on YouTube, documented their experience as they struggled to find a working Electrify America charging station in Ogallala, Nebraska, before their truck died and required a tow.

“The Lightning died, completely died. The 12V was dead. Everything was dead. No lights would come on, and it got towed,” Steve said. “Couldn’t roll up the windows, couldn’t do anything, couldn’t put it in neutral. At that point, I felt pretty defeated.”

Once their truck was towed for $235 and they had stayed the night in a hotel for $250, the Krivolaveks were able to find a station to charge their truck and continue on their trip to Estes Park, Colorado.

“In the end, we made it, but beware of EA’s chargers, and have a backup plan,” Katie said in a separate YouTube shorts video.

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Roman Mica shared how his brand-new General Motors Hummer electric truck completely shut down with only the windshield wipers and hazard lights left working. He was left stranded in the middle of the road in the new EV that he had bought for $115,000.

“I’m pretty pissed off right now, and I’m pretty nervous about the traffic that this truck left me in,” said Mica, who maintains the website The Fast Lane Truck.

Mica’s son, Tommy, came to help him. He, along with a tow truck driver, discovered that the Hummer would not switch into tow mode, rendering the tow attempt impossible.

Tommy then searched the owner’s manual and found a small cable release to open the front trunk and reset the vehicle’s system. As the Hummer’s computer rebooted, it gave commands to hold the brake and cycle the windows open and closed.

“Putting all the windows down, holding the brake for 20 seconds. I mean, it was just bizarre,” Tommy said. “But eventually, after enough trying, we got the truck out of park and actually into drive, and we were able to pull it off to the side of the road.”

The Hummer EV has also reportedly had problems with faulty tail lights caused by bad software, prompting a manufacturer’s recall.

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The cost of repairs and routine maintenance has surprised EV owners.

A Florida man learned his electric vehicle needed a new battery — at the price of nearly $30,000.

The replacement estimate from Roger Dean Chevrolet in Cape Coral, Florida, circulated on social media, with many questioning its legitimacy.

The dealership confirmed the quote, however, noting that the estimate was for a Chevrolet Volt, which carries heftier costs due to its older technology.

“This is an estimate for a 12 year old vehicle out of warranty and for a battery that is extremely hard to get, due to the older technology of the 12 year old vehicle,” Roger Dean Chevrolet commented on Facebook in an attempt to set the record straight. “The dealership does not set battery prices.”

Consumer research firm JD Power released its second annual United States Electric Vehicle Experience Public Charging Study earlier this year, showing that EV owners are struggling to charge their cars while away from home due to station availability, operability, and maintenance.