GROVETOWN, GA - This is probably not the visual the Biden administration is looking for, as they force Americans kicking and screaming to transition to electric vehicles.
According to JD Rucker, writing for Liberty Daily on Substack, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm embarked on a public relations excursion, towing along a reporter from NPR to tout the benefits of electric vehicles.
Unfortunately for Granholm and the administration, NPR journalist Camila Domonoske’s story bore the headline, “Electric cars have a road trip problem, even for the secretary of energy.”
Domonoske’s article read, in part, "But between stops, Granholm’s entourage at times had to grapple with the limitations of the present, like when her caravan of EVs—including a luxury Cadillac Lyriq, a hefty Ford F-150, and an affordable [Chevrolet] Volt electric utility vehicle—was planning to fast-charge in Grovetown, a suburb of Augusta, Georgia.
"Her advance team realized there weren’t [sic] going to be enough plugs to go around. One of the station’s four chargers was broken, and others were occupied. So an Energy Department staffer tried parking a nonelectric vehicle by one of those working chargers to reserve a spot for the approaching secretary of energy.
"That did not go down well: a regular gas-powered car blocking the only free spot for a charger? In fact, a family that was boxed out—on a sweltering day, with a baby in the vehicle—was so upset they decided to get the authorities involved: they called the police."
Probably the biggest surprise out of this story is the fact that NPR didn’t deep-six it.
We often hear about white privilege or the patriarchy. Neither of those have anything on White House or political privilege. It says all you need to know about how the Biden administration feels about regular old Americans when they attempt to put optics ahead of the welfare of a family.
Many people who don’t have a “D” next to their name have long warned that the United States is nowhere near ready to transition to electric vehicles. The lack of charging stations is only one problem. Still, the other problem nobody talks about is how America’s energy infrastructure cannot support today’s demand, let alone a significant transition to electric vehicles (and appliances).
Nick Arama from Red State credited the family for not merely standing down and accepting Granholm’s interference.
"Good for the family who wasn’t taking that nonsense and called the police on them," Arama wrote. "The police couldn’t do much, however, because it’s not illegal to do what the Secretary’s team did. But realizing they had a potential PR nightmare on their hands, they 'scrambled to smooth over the situation, including sending other vehicles to slower chargers, until both the frustrated family and the secretary had room to charge.'
"This highlights the depths to which the Biden administration will sink to sell this snake oil to the American people. Fortunately, a Georgia family refused to let them get away with it this time."
There are a lot of problems with electric vehicles aside from a lack of charging stations and infrastructure. For example, according to Cars.com, the range of electric vehicles dips dramatically as the temperature does. For instance, according to a study from AAA, electric vehicles lose about 40% of their range when the outside air temperature drops from 75 to 20 degrees.
This is attributed to matters such as battery capacity loss in colder temperatures and the increased energy needed for something pretty important in winter—heat. Using other features, such as heated seats or heated steering wheels, also cuts into an EV’s range.
As an example, an EV with a range of 250 miles sees that drop dramatically to only 150 miles when it is 20 degrees outside, a common occurrence in the northern United States in the winter. Used EVs do even worse since rechargeable batteries lose their capacity with use and time. According to a Las Vegas-based company, Geotab, average car batteries lose around 2.3% annually.
And what if you need to recharge your electric vehicle? Lower temperatures impact the battery’s capacity to store and release energy. While gas stations are plentiful, driving an electric car requires extensive planning.
Cold weather also affects rather important vehicle components on EVs, such as brakes. Most such vehicles have a regenerative braking system, which captures braking energy and sends it to the battery to give it a bit of a charge. Colder temperatures impact that system, sometimes rendering it unusable.
But fear not…some cars, such as Tesla’s, display a blue snowflake (appropriate color for snowflakes) if it is too cold to access all of the battery’s stored energy.
Cars.com had some recommendations for using an EV in cold weather. First, they suggest parking the car in a garage, if you have one. And if you don’t? Oh well…
Second, preheat the cabin while the car is still plugged in using grid power. This is great unless it’s a typical New England January with temps hovering around zero.
Fear not, however. Some electric car manufacturers offer apps that can “schedule” cabin preconditioning. That can help “preserve the full capacity of your battery for range and cabin-heat maintenance while underway.”
According to JD Rucker, writing for Liberty Daily on Substack, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm embarked on a public relations excursion, towing along a reporter from NPR to tout the benefits of electric vehicles.
Unfortunately for Granholm and the administration, NPR journalist Camila Domonoske’s story bore the headline, “Electric cars have a road trip problem, even for the secretary of energy.”
Domonoske’s article read, in part, "But between stops, Granholm’s entourage at times had to grapple with the limitations of the present, like when her caravan of EVs—including a luxury Cadillac Lyriq, a hefty Ford F-150, and an affordable [Chevrolet] Volt electric utility vehicle—was planning to fast-charge in Grovetown, a suburb of Augusta, Georgia.
"Her advance team realized there weren’t [sic] going to be enough plugs to go around. One of the station’s four chargers was broken, and others were occupied. So an Energy Department staffer tried parking a nonelectric vehicle by one of those working chargers to reserve a spot for the approaching secretary of energy.
"That did not go down well: a regular gas-powered car blocking the only free spot for a charger? In fact, a family that was boxed out—on a sweltering day, with a baby in the vehicle—was so upset they decided to get the authorities involved: they called the police."
Probably the biggest surprise out of this story is the fact that NPR didn’t deep-six it.
We often hear about white privilege or the patriarchy. Neither of those have anything on White House or political privilege. It says all you need to know about how the Biden administration feels about regular old Americans when they attempt to put optics ahead of the welfare of a family.
Many people who don’t have a “D” next to their name have long warned that the United States is nowhere near ready to transition to electric vehicles. The lack of charging stations is only one problem. Still, the other problem nobody talks about is how America’s energy infrastructure cannot support today’s demand, let alone a significant transition to electric vehicles (and appliances).
Nick Arama from Red State credited the family for not merely standing down and accepting Granholm’s interference.
"Good for the family who wasn’t taking that nonsense and called the police on them," Arama wrote. "The police couldn’t do much, however, because it’s not illegal to do what the Secretary’s team did. But realizing they had a potential PR nightmare on their hands, they 'scrambled to smooth over the situation, including sending other vehicles to slower chargers, until both the frustrated family and the secretary had room to charge.'
"This highlights the depths to which the Biden administration will sink to sell this snake oil to the American people. Fortunately, a Georgia family refused to let them get away with it this time."
There are a lot of problems with electric vehicles aside from a lack of charging stations and infrastructure. For example, according to Cars.com, the range of electric vehicles dips dramatically as the temperature does. For instance, according to a study from AAA, electric vehicles lose about 40% of their range when the outside air temperature drops from 75 to 20 degrees.
This is attributed to matters such as battery capacity loss in colder temperatures and the increased energy needed for something pretty important in winter—heat. Using other features, such as heated seats or heated steering wheels, also cuts into an EV’s range.
As an example, an EV with a range of 250 miles sees that drop dramatically to only 150 miles when it is 20 degrees outside, a common occurrence in the northern United States in the winter. Used EVs do even worse since rechargeable batteries lose their capacity with use and time. According to a Las Vegas-based company, Geotab, average car batteries lose around 2.3% annually.
And what if you need to recharge your electric vehicle? Lower temperatures impact the battery’s capacity to store and release energy. While gas stations are plentiful, driving an electric car requires extensive planning.
Cold weather also affects rather important vehicle components on EVs, such as brakes. Most such vehicles have a regenerative braking system, which captures braking energy and sends it to the battery to give it a bit of a charge. Colder temperatures impact that system, sometimes rendering it unusable.
But fear not…some cars, such as Tesla’s, display a blue snowflake (appropriate color for snowflakes) if it is too cold to access all of the battery’s stored energy.
Cars.com had some recommendations for using an EV in cold weather. First, they suggest parking the car in a garage, if you have one. And if you don’t? Oh well…
Second, preheat the cabin while the car is still plugged in using grid power. This is great unless it’s a typical New England January with temps hovering around zero.
Fear not, however. Some electric car manufacturers offer apps that can “schedule” cabin preconditioning. That can help “preserve the full capacity of your battery for range and cabin-heat maintenance while underway.”
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