by Sasha Latypova at Due Diligence and Art
On my recent trip to I made the fateful decision to rent a Kia Nero EV. I was in a rush to book the car for a work trip that would take me out of town for about a month. As I was browsing options on Cheaptickets and dreading the cost of a monthly car rental, I saw that Hertz was offering a 40% discount on electric vehicle (EV) rentals compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, making them look like a compelling option. While I took the plunge to try my first EV, I had a nagging feeling that this would turn out to be a mess…
No Charging Cable Included
I ask the lady at the rental desk if the vehicle comes with a charging cable. She says isn’t sure but I should check the trunk. I check the trunk. No charging cable. I ask the attendant, and he says the cars don’t come with a charging cable. So much for the option of charging the vehicle at a private residence, where I’ll be staying for the next four weeks. For a moment I think about returning the vehicle, but say fuck it, let’s go with it and see how much these vehicles really suck… Nothing like having a direct ‘lived experience’ with an EV.
What a Charging Cable Would Have Looked Like (If Included)
EV Range
Without a charging cable, I really need to watch my range. I start the car and glance at the range, it shows 260 miles on the dashboard. Ouch. That really is a lot less than the 350 miles that I’ve been hearing in the media. But it really is a lot worse than that. The vehicle charges shockingly slowly for the first 20% as well as the last 80%. In other words, if you are in a situation where you have to use a charging network (and not do overnight residential charging) you really can’t use 40% of the battery. That leaves you with 60% or about 150 miles. But we have been told that there is a lot more charging infrastructure, so how bad can it really be.
Lots of Slow Charging…
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