529
Cars are like horses: people will soon realise EVs are just better, claims VW boss
(www.autoexpress.co.uk)
this post was submitted on 05 Jun 2026
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Don't forget the infrastructure! The average American is within 5 minutes of a gas station, but charging stations are very few and far between (you can't even cross certain states with one charge because of the gap).
What state(s) would that be? I just checked PlugShare, and it shows plenty of fast charging stations even through rural states like Kansas and Montana.
I guess Alaska would count, but even that's pretty well covered from Anchorage to Fairbanks
Wendover covered the issue in this video he made 5 years ago (so maybe it got solved), but you could not drive from Denver, CO to Dallas, TX from either direction. The maximum range of cars on the market combined with the lack of changing stations along the way meant it was impossible without getting stranded in the middle.
5 years is a very long time in this field right now. 3 years ago, Aging Wheels made a video about how Tesla Superchargers were the only real option for a road trip. A few months ago, they released a video where they avoided superchargers because they were outdated technology.
I just checked, and it's very doable on most EVs. There aren't a lot of good options from Amarillo to Wichita Falls, but most can cross that gap anyway.
Charging stations are getting more and more common.
I was reading that a lot of gas stations are transitioning from "stop and go" (or "stop and convenience store and go") to a more "rest area" format. As in, there will be things to do there while your EV charges. Brands like Sheetz and Wawa and Buc'ees that already provide food (and, by some accounts, it's better than your typical "gas station" fare) are looking into other things to keep you hanging around. Before, gas stations wanted you to leave ASAP so you free up a pump for another customer. But now if you have to take an hour to charge, they want to keep you fed and entertained so your time is not wasted. (But, by the same token, they're going to want you to vacate your charging port once you're done, so another customer can charge. Imagine waiting not only to charge, but for a charger to open up.)
Hopefully it improves as time goes on - from what I can gather EVs in the US mainly make sense if you're a homeowner or live in an apartment that has a charging station on site.
(I wouldn't be able to own one and reliably maintain charge right now as a college student, for example)
I’ve never understood the gas station thing. Unless you’re along a highway, why would people stop? Charging does have different characteristics than refueling, so we shouldn’t expect the same behavior to be convenient. As hone charging and destination charging get more widespread, you never need to go to a local gas station again. Some of them may be worried about extinction, and they should be
Yeah, charging in apartments, HOAs, street parking is much less developed but it is making progress finally. Part of it is up to states to jumpstart, through building codes and incentives
While i’ve never seen actual data, the colleges I’ve visited were among the first “landlords” to add EV chargers. As a student, getting a campus parking pass is harder than finding charging once you do
Last year at family weekend for my youngest, I was annoyed at having to stay at a distant hotel, when those along campus had chargers
I'm definitely not against charging as a concept - it's just in my current circumstances it's not viable. Without doxxing myself, the current college I am in does not have charging at any of their parking garages or at the dorms.
To own an EV, you basically have to be able to AC charge at home or at work. The good news is that all of the new 5-over-1 apartment buildings (at left around here) are being built with a handful of chargers right from the beginning. As they become more popular, it's pretty easy to add more.
But you can also get creative. My local chain grocery store has level 2 chargers in the parking lot. These don't make much sense to use while shopping, but they're convenient enough for all of the older apartments nearby. Most universities have AC chargers, but it's probably not convenient and you'd have to move your car the next day.