The US summer holiday season is kicking into full gear, and those embarking on the classic road trip in an electric vehicle are taking shorter journeys and require more planning.
The road trip is steeped into American lore, evoking images of wide-open roads spanning the vast country, beautiful landscapes and kitschy small-town diners serving bottomless coffee.
More than 196 million Americans are expected to drive to their destinations this summer, according to the The Vacationer, a US holiday-planning guide.
Expect more EVs on the road this year – a record 1.2 million drivers had electric cars in 2023.
Almost 90 per cent of EV owners took one road trip a year in their cars, and 32 per cent took three or more road trips a year in their electric vehicle, according to data company CDK Global.
Few, though, are embarking on long-haul trips.
Unlike those who drive petrol-powered cars or hybrids, EV drivers will have to plan their trip around charging stations, most of which are found around metropolitan centres.
And even with a growing network of EV chargers, there are 15 petrol stations for every one fast-charging station in the US, according to Bloomberg Green data.
This means EV drivers must map out more than just the fastest route as they constantly battle "range anxiety" and the uneasy feeling they could be marooned by a low battery.
Compounding the stress is the unfortunate reality that many charging stations have long queues, or technical problems forcing chargers offline.
Oliver Jung, a Tesla 3 owner from Stamford, Connecticut, believes range anxiety is related to the length of a trip.
"Stopping once for 20 or 30 minutes during a four-hour drive is fine for me because I probably wanted to stop at least once anyway," said Mr Jung.
He completed the 900km round-trip from Stamford to McLean, Virginia, last November.
"But stopping twice or more during a four-hour-plus trip can feel like you're wasting time and lengthening your travel time," Mr Jung said.
When it comes to distance, EVs underperform compared to petrol cars. The median range for EVs rose to 434km last year, according to the Department of Energy, well below that of 648km for a petrol-powered vehicle.
Stewart Stropp, executive director of EV intelligence at JD Power, said these long-distance trips can be a sticking point for consumers in the market for an EV.
“They're still very concerned about being able to power that vehicle for that exceptional use case,” Mr Stropp told The National.
The most audacious cross-country trek for EV drivers would be a coast-to-coast trip from Santa Monica, California, to New York City – a 4,415km journey.
But before drivers set off for sites such as the Las Vegas Strip or Rocky Mountains, they first need to plan where they can recharge their vehicle.
They will probably need to charge their vehicle even before crossing the California-Nevada border, 450km into their trip.
A cross-country trip such as this would take extensive planning, and probably an EV that has a greater driving range.
A Hyundai Ioniq 6 (580km) or Tesla Model 3 Long Range (548km) would require fewer stops than a Chevy Equinox EV 2LT (513km), for example.
Although there are 654 DC fast-charging stations along the route, many of these are near major city centres.
Drivers would have to then find a Level 2 charger, which would take one to two hours to power up a car.
While the fast chargers are more than plentiful when drivers begin their trek in Southern California, options dwindle when driving in the Midwest, particularly through Nebraska and Iowa.
Drivers going on long-distance journeys in other parts of the US would face similar challenges.
Faced with the limited options to “fill up”, many electric car drivers can be reluctant to undertake a long road trip.
Only 2 per cent of EV drivers plan a drive of more than 2,400km this year, according to CDK Global.
Instead, most drivers are keeping their road trips to between 400km and 482km, which will probably only require one stop to charge their vehicle.
Range-friendly road trips would give drivers more ease while still being able to see stretches of Route 66 or the 80km journey from San Francisco to Big Sur, California, along the nation's West Coast.
With EVs and charging stations still relatively new technology, planning a road trip will take extra work for travellers to ensure their cars can handle the distance.
To ease range anxiety, motor research company Kelley Blue Book suggests drivers can take advantage of charging their cars by planning them around scenic sites such as the Grand Canyon, and book accommodation that has charging ports.
The national orchestra
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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WHAT IS GRAPHENE?
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Towering concerns
Young women have more “financial grit”, but fall behind on investing
In an October survey of young adults aged 16 to 25, Charles Schwab found young women are more driven to reach financial independence than young men (67 per cent versus. 58 per cent). They are more likely to take on extra work to make ends meet and see more value than men in creating a plan to achieve their financial goals. Yet, despite all these good ‘first’ measures, they are investing and saving less than young men – falling early into the financial gender gap.
While the women surveyed report spending 36 per cent less than men, they have far less savings than men ($1,267 versus $2,000) – a nearly 60 per cent difference.
In addition, twice as many young men as women say they would invest spare cash, and almost twice as many young men as women report having investment accounts (though most young adults do not invest at all).
“Despite their good intentions, young women start to fall behind their male counterparts in savings and investing early on in life,” said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, senior vice president, Charles Schwab. “They start off showing a strong financial planning mindset, but there is still room for further education when it comes to managing their day-to-day finances.”
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"Our study shows that while boys are spending more than girls, they also are saving more. Have open and honest conversations with your daughters about the wage and savings gap," she said. "Teach kids about the importance of investing – especially girls, who as we see in this study, aren’t investing as much. Part of being financially prepared is learning to make the most of your money, and that means investing early and consistently."
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All times UAE
Wednesday
Poland v Portugal 10.45pm
Russia v Sweden 10.45pm
Friday
Belgium v Switzerland 10.45pm
Croatia v England 10.45pm
Saturday
Netherlands v Germany 10.45pm
Rep of Ireland v Denmark 10.45pm
Sunday
Poland v Italy 10.45pm
Monday
Spain v England 10.45pm
Tuesday
France v Germany 10.45pm
Rep of Ireland v Wales 10.45pm
Ferrari
HAJJAN
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Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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