10 Percent of EV Owners Have Been Left Stranded For a Shocking Reason

by Tim Healey

Published: August 16th, 2024

10 percent of ev owners have been left stranded for a shocking reason

Hey all, it's podcast time again!

This week we talk with Colum Wood, VP of content at VerticalScope, our parent company, about a study run by sibling site AutoGuide. This study shows about 10 percent of EV owners have been left stranded -- but not for the reasons you probably think.

Matthew Guy and I discuss TVs for your garage -- and the surprising reason why he has one. We also discuss Austin Dillon's jerk move at the Cook Out 400.

You can find us at TTAC.com, and wherever you get your podcasts. You can also Click here to find us. We thank Colum and Matthew for stopping by, and Matt Posky for editing. Most of all, we thank you for listening!

[Image: Fisker/TTAC/VerticalScope]

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Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

More by Tim Healey

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11 of 35 comments

Bullnuke on Aug 17, 2024
A recent trip to San Diego from West Central Ohio last week allowed me to experience EVs and Hybrids for the first time (rentals from Avis). The first was a much maligned Dodge Hornet; drove fine, typical safety nannies chirping and twitching the wheel, etc. I made my trip from the airport to Hotel Circle and then to my ultimate destination of Murietta, CA, without much issue until...the Hornet died and nothing would revive it. Only 541 miles on the clock from new. Avis sent out a rollback, the driver hooked up and drug it on saying, "Yep, these things are junk. I pick 'em up all the time.". Avis had a car to replace it some minutes away in Temecula and there I picked up an Inoniq5 full EV with 83% charge and around 200 miles of range - plenty to get me back down I-15 to Hotel Circle and my hotel. 60 some miles later back at the hotel I had 48% charge and around 122 miles left on it. I had to go back to Murietta the next day so I went over to my hotel's complimentary charging station where both chargers were...dead and broken. "Ah ha!", says I, "I'm in sunny San Diego where electric vehicles are everywhere and every third car is a Tesla! I'll just find a place to charge the Ioniq back up for tomorrow easily and close.". Indeed, less than a half mile away on Friar's Road was a large charging facility. I roll up - lucky me! 18 chargers and only two cars hooked up...uh-oh. 16 of those chargers are roped off with plastic bags covering the chargers and charge cables - only two are available for use. One car is unattended sitting at 94% and charging, the other is at 95% charging with the operator sleeping in the back seat. A lady was ahead of me in line so I was #2 for a recharge. She woke Beavis up from his slumber in his back seat - he was annoyed that he had completed charging and needed to move. I'd only been waiting maybe 20 minutes at this point so, no big deal. The car on the other charger was now at 100% with no owner in sight so one charger out of 18 appears to be available. The lady ahead of me plugs in and charges for maybe 45 minutes. During this time a person in a high-vis vest from an auto dealership rolls up in a Mach E to the other operating charger, switches out the Mach E for the fully charged other vehicle, and leaves. The nice lady finishes, says goodbye, and rolls away smiling. I hook up the Ioniq and begin the charge (Note: there is no signage indicating how much this is going to cost me, just a credit card swiper to gladly relieve me of my money). I charge for 60 minutes exactly, going from about 45% to 98% in that time giving me an indicate 238 miles of range. I leave then for my day's tasks. The Ioniq5 is a nice little car - plenty of get-up-and-go, handles and maneuvers well, fairly intuitive to operate. If I were a city dweller I'd consider purchasing one for around town. So, all my ramblings above being spewed, what is my take on EVs/Hybrids when operating them in the Land Of Electric Everything California? Meh, not really impressed. These cars are acceptable appliances and not a lot more.

7 Reply
- See 5 previous
- Carson D on Aug 17, 2024
  I'm not impressed by anyone who'd sign up for that voluntarily.
  
  2
- Aja8888 on Aug 17, 2024
  Hard to read without paragraphs breaks........😑
  
  1
- EBFlex on Aug 17, 2024
  Awesome write up Bullnuke. Confirms everything we know about EVs and the crappy hornets
  
  2
- Jalop1991 on Aug 17, 2024
  Live in the Bottoms do you, Bull?
  
  Like
- Jalop1991 on Aug 17, 2024
  "I'd only been waiting maybe 20 minutes at this point...The lady ahead of me plugs in and charges for maybe 45 minutes....I charge for 60 minutes..." Bull, if you had waited 65 minutes in line at the gas pump for the privilege of spending 60 minutes to fill your tank with gas, I guarantee that wall of text would be COMPLETELY different.
  
  4
- Jkross22 on Aug 19, 2024
  This is good detail. Not surprising, unfortunately.
  
  1
Slavuta on Aug 17, 2024
you should post transcript. Listening is too much

1 Reply
- See 2 previous
- ToolGuy on Aug 17, 2024
  It's a podcast. Audio format. [2021: Russia second-strongest military in the world. 2022: Russia second-strongest military in Ukraine. 2024: Russia second-strongest military in Russia.]
  
  4
- Slavuta on Aug 17, 2024
  Global Firepower makes your statement a statement of a clown www. globalfirepower. com/countries-listing.php
  
  Like
- Jalop1991 on Aug 18, 2024
  not to be confused with trans postscript, new from Adobe.
  
  Like
- Lou_BC on Aug 20, 2024
  "Global Firepower" All of it meticulously cared for and fully functional like Chernobyl.
  
  Like