Ten Things I Hate About Owning An EV

Just like everyone under the sun, I was one of those people who looked into an electric vehicle once gas prices costed more than…well, anything.

I had my dream car in possession. Making great payments and really enjoying my time with my dream vehicle. Her name was Gamora and she was a green Kia Soul. Best car I ever had. Although, her fat self couldn’t handle mountains. I still loved her.

But, gas wasn’t cheap anymore or even at a reasonable price. She costed more keeping her than before. I had to make the decision to buy an electric vehicle. So, I researched, talk to dealers, more research for at least a month. Then, because of my credit score, my monthly income, and because I’m not that lucky, I scored this vehicle. Storm is a 2018 Hyundai Ioniq. Her previous owner really ran her into the ground with 93,700 miles and a report stating it was in a wreck.

Little did I know Storm is the best purchase and a nightmare sometimes. But, in the end, I’m weighing the good to be heavier than the bad but let‘s take a look at the bad.

10 things I hate about owning this vehicle.

1. The charging that comes with the car is very very very slow. Let me tell you, I had the car at 2% when I came home the first night after getting the vehicle. So close to dying on me. I started the charger up at the house and it said it would take 49 hours to fully charge. Who on this broken planet would wait 49 hours to fill up the battery on their vehicle? No one!! Why would anyone create such a slow charger that is absolutely pointless? I went to bed that night and woke up about 8 hours later and it was only at 14%. Seriously... Why?
2. Range. This one is both good and bad, depending on what the range of your car is and a lot of other factors. My car gets about 125 on a full charge, that’s not including the sports mode or when I have the AC on. Traveling long distance, it’s not that great, unless you have a much better range. Commuting or traveling close to home is not much of a problem. It’s not a problem as long as I plan ahead. It can be a pain if a charging station is so far away and you only have so many miles left in the car. Talk about scary situation!
3. Stopping to smell the roses. This one can be a good thing and not so good as well. Great if the chargers are in an area where you can go shopping, eating, see attractions, close to parks, etc. Not so great if it’s nowhere and you have to walk somewhere or wait in the car. It’s great if the charging stations are fast. I’ve been to 50kw and 350kw stations where I can charge my whole car in less than 30 minutes. Then… in remote places, you get charging stations that are 6kw and you’re there when the coyotes start singing. Not a fun trip. Talk about a long wait for a short trip.
4. Battery. Because the previous owner decided to live on the road for 3+ years (huge exaggeration), I noticed the car battery’s life might not be at 100. I think the last owner kept charging it so many times because it is at almost 100k in miles. On my way home from a trip, I noticed I started off with saving 10 miles on the range, but then as the trip progresses, I wound up losing 5-10 miles in range. I think the battery pack as a part to play here. It’s not fully there. Like my phone. It dies at 20%. The battery isn’t what it use to be. No longer functions right. This is a bad thing considering I am trying to plan out my trip and now I have to make sure to add 20 miles or take away 20 miles. (Just an example.)
5. The System. I understand this is a “new” thing. The whole 2030 thing about saving the planet hasn’t really gotten serious until recently. So, no one really needed or wanted an EV. Therefore, not a lot of charging stations. But because times have changed and people are adapting to the thought of EV, the system hasn’t caught up. There’s so many places around the US that are shy of charging stations. There are charging stations that take forever to charge. There is a problem with fixing charging stations. But, I can say, it’s not all bad and I can see the US is fixing it. Not as fast, but it’s getting there. For instance, there’s a new charging station in my city, built 15 days before I bought my car. Soon, there’s going to be 40 more around the area but it took 1 year to build 1 station. We don’t have 40 years. We have right now and this is where the system is still fresh and still being worked on. Be patient young grasshopper.
6. No One Tells You. Yes, no one tells you about the world of charging stations and how to charge your car. Sure YouTube but defiantly not the dealers. They wouldn’t even charge my car but only 30%. No one tells you about all the apps you have to download and how much it is to subscribe. No one tells you how much it cost per kw. I had to find out myself. I downloaded so many apps and learned about the subscriptions of some. How much I can save if I use stations that cost money. Some are free all the way. Some are free for only the first couple hours. Here are some apps you can download for free:

• PlugShare allows you to see most charging stations but not give you a lot of info other than what people share.
• ElectrifyAmerica is a good one. $4 per month if you want to subscribe. But, if you don‘t, it’s $4 fee every time you use their station. Subscription can save you money in the long run if you have one close by.
• ChargePoint is my favorite. It’s mostly free. No subscription. You can find these at all charging stations. Depending on what is available, some are slow, some are fast.
• EVgoCharger is all right. It’s only in major cities. I wouldn’t subscribe unless you live in a large city. I only used it once and it was all right but I have the app just in case I come across one in a major city.

7. Stations. So many things about these charging stations I need to address. I’ll have to break it down to the last few. This one is, to me, major. The PlugShare app allows you to view most charging stations (from any company). Problem here is, if you go to a new charging station and find out it’s not the company you are subscribed to, guess what? You have to pay a certain number in order to even use the station (if it’s not free). In the remote area I went to, I had to take a minimum of $20 to use for charging. Now, they used the $20 for the charging but I couldn’t pay for what I use only. I had to give a lump sum of an amount to use. It only costed me $6 to charge my car. So, now I have $14 in the account and I’ll never touch it again unless I go to that station again.

8. Expensive. California created the Fiat 500e as a car someone like me with bad credit and student debt could purchase. The problem is, range. Range is horrible on that car. If I wanted longer range, I’ll have to fork up more money, maybe sell my organs. Even vehicles that are from 2017 still have their value. Gas cars are becoming more obsolete and EV cars are retaining their value a lot longer. But, the system needs fixing. We need longer range that’s affordable. EV cars need to be more affordable for anyone. The rich can’t be the only ones who can purchase EV.

9. Handicaps. I had to add this one on here because of a time when I went to charge up my car. There’s very few charging stations with handicap areas. Mostly see them at grocery stores. The park areas don’t necessarily have handicap areas but the stations are far apart enough to claim it to be enough space for a wheelchair. There are, however, stations that aren’t suitable for wheelchairs, like my story. I pulled up at a charging station next to a car that was also charging. There’s only one station and we both shared it. I parked on the side of the other car’s driver side. Saw a man sitting down in the distance and didn’t think anything of it. Then, I realized he was in a wheel chair. I looked at how close our cars were and realized there’s no way he would be able to get by and get into his car or even unplug his charger. I did feel bad and left after charging it for a certain time.

10. Stress. Okay, stations don’t stress me out as much as my car itself. No, there’s nothing wrong with it in the since of it breaking down or malfunctioning. It’s the lifestyle change that’s stressing me out. I’m always having to charge. I’m always having to check to make sure I have enough battery to get me to work or to the gym. I’m stressed out about long traveling. I want to travel but I don’t know. The unknown stresses me out. This isn’t a “I don’t want to pay gas” change. It’s a real lifestyle change that involves in planning out everything.

Hope this helped you in deciding to purchase an ev or not. I don’t want everyone to purchase one if it will cause inconvenience for you. It’s a great vehicle and I know it’s a key to helping the planet and your wallets but, it is a lifestyle change. Not everyone can change their life. Not everyone can wait patiently for it to charge. What if you have kids? Would they be able to handle the wait? Commute? Do you want to travel? Can you afford to spend on a new car? Not enough charging stations or no charging stations in your area? A lot has to put into place for this to work out.

I’m hoping America can act quickly in creating more stations, more affordable vehicles with a longer range in them, and a better system all around. Dealers need to be informed about informing new EV drivers. We need faster charging stations in remote areas. We need cheaper, longer range vehicles. This needs to be a thing before 2030.

Let me know if you have any questions. Let me know if my information is wrong. Hope you enjoyed!