We rented an electric car (Bolt) for our holiday trip to visit our northern relatives. We reserved the car through our AAA insurance at a discount and picked it up at the Hertz office on Harbor.

Sharon went in ahead of time to check out the procedure and witnessed Hertz employee Nat juggling three groups of customers all by himself. This would have been a stressful task for anyone – and maybe he was stressed, but he didn’t show it. Even when one customer was very disappointed, and one was rude, he kept his cool and figured out the best solution.

Sharon left with some good tips – like if you want your car present when you come on pick-up day at the small office, remind the attendant you will need the car the day before. This is because if any one of several people in the network drops the ball, you may have to visit other Hertz offices before finding your particular car. This happened to one of the customers mentioned above, and he was not too happy about having to drive elsewhere.

We called ahead, and on pickup day, we breezed in, and our car was ready for us. As first-time EV drivers, Nat, Leo, and Reyna gave us some good tips: Reyna told us to try out the feel of accelerating and braking in the parking lot before hitting the road because both are much more sensitive than in a gas-powered car. Nat told us about downloading the Electrify America App, which would direct us to the nearest available charger, and we could pay through the App. Leo explained why there was no converter available that would make us able to charge at the faster and more numerous Tesla stations. Tesla has dedicated chargers but needs an adapter to be able to use regular charging stations.

Off we went, noticing how pleasantly quiet EVs are. It wasn’t until our first charge stop that we realized there might be a problem with our arrival times visiting friends along the way, and we had to rearrange our estimated arrival times by hours. Due to poor charge station infrastructure, there just aren’t as many as needed, and we had to wait for sometimes up to a couple of hours for our turn.

Once it was our turn at each station, we plugged in and went for a 45-minute coffee or walk. Upon our return to one station, an angry man pointed to the screen and told us it was extremely rude to charge above 80%. Well, we didn’t want to be rude, so we unplugged and got to the back of the line for another round. Later, we learned that the system charges fast to 80% and slow after that. And that charging all the way to 100% isn’t really good for the battery life anyway. Also, we found our brand vehicle to be a slower charging version.

EV People are a kind of club, and it was fun chatting with others along the route. Sometimes, we would recognize each other at a stop farther toward our destination. At one of these stops, a fellow charger told us that the electricity used at charge stations is coal and nuclear-generated. That totally ruined our idea that we were helping save the planet by driving electricity.

However, we later learned that though he was right about the source of power in the beginning, as of August 2023, the company’s first huge solar farm, “Solar Glow,” in San Bernardino County, began operations and is expected to generate 75 MW (comparable to power drawn by 500 EVs charging at once). Total annual production is projected at 225 Gigawatt-hours (GWh).

Before that plant came online, Electrify America charging stations had already changed to 100% renewables via renewable energy certificates. In 2022, Electrify America delivered 173 GWh to over 5 million customers, avoiding 21 million gallons of gas. In addition, the company has invested in over 150 battery energy storage sites and is installing solar canopies for chargers.

Happily overall – we had a fun road trip with no disasters.

Exploring Paso Robles while waiting for the EV to charge

Here are a few fun facts:

Solar is half as expensive as it was ten years ago.

• “Nuclear power is the most expensive form of generation, except for gas peaking plants.” 2.4 GW of net new nuclear generation capacity came online last year compared to 98 GW of solar.’ World Industry Status Report 2020
• Solar panels increase the appraisal value of your home by 4.1% on average, according to a 2023 Zillow study.
• Renewables are the cheapest form of power, according to a 2022 report from the International Renewable Energy Agency. Renewables: The cheapest form of power – the United Nations un.org
• Acres of Solar Panels Required to Power the entire US: Four petawatt hours yearly is enough to power the country, translating to 13,600,000 (13.6 million) acres of solar panels. (The US has 2.43 billion acres of land). Oct 27, 2023 8billiontrees.com
• Solar farms require about 4 to 5 acres to generate 1 megawatt (MW), depending on the panels and how much buffer land your local regulations require.
• One megawatt (1 million watts or 1,000 kilowatts) is enough electricity for the instantaneous demand of 750 homes at once. The typical American home uses about 840 kWh per month. Understanding Electricity – California ISO
• The profit margin per acre of a solar plant is between $21,250 – $42,500 per acre each year. The rates can be lower or higher than this after factoring in some variables. 8billiontrees.com Oct 26, 2023
• A one-megawatt solar farm could cost $1 million. Comparatively, home solar systems cost $15,000 to $20,000 on average, and that price can drop to less than $10,000 with solar incentives like the federal tax credit. Dec 22, 2023 marketwatch.com