(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm’s road trip to promote electric vehicles came to a sudden halt when a Georgia citizen called the cops after her team decided to block off an electric vehicle charger.
The original purpose of Granholm’s four-day journey was to show Americans the wonders of electric vehicles; however, her advance team parked their gas-powered vehicle at the electric charging station ahead of time to save her spot, blocking a family on a “sweltering day,” according to Breitbart.
One of the four charging stations in Grovetown, Georgia, broke and the other two hosted occupants, leaving one for the secretary. The family who called the police were traveling with their baby in the summer heat.
The sheriff’s office said they could not do anything, but Granholm’s team scrambled to appease the waiting family by sending the cars in their fleet to slower charging stations.
Reports indicate that there are an average of three electric vehicle charging ports for every 10,000 people in America.
“It’s just par for the course,” said John Ryan, a driver of an electric BMW who then had to wait for the family and Granholm to finish charging so he could get a spot. “They’ll get it together at some point.”
The inability of electric vehicle owners to access charging stations is a key issue among the group.
“The availability of public charging stations is still a critical obstacle, but it isn’t the only one. EV owners continue to have issues with many aspects of public charging, as the cost and speed of charging and the availability of things to do while waiting for their vehicle to charge are the least satisfying aspects,” said executive director of EV practice at JD Power Brent Gruber.
Gruber also claimed that the reliability of public chargers is low due to constant outages and maintenance needs.
Even NPR reporter Camilia Domonoske, who accompanied Granholm on her trip, admitted that while electric vehicles were convenient for her day-to-day life, out of the ordinary excursions such as road trips made life difficult.
“Riding along with Granholm, I came away with a major takeaway,” Domonoske wrote. “EVs that aren’t Teslas have a road trip problem, and the White House knows it’s urgent to solve this issue.”
