{"id":2006679,"date":"2023-08-21T08:11:01","date_gmt":"2023-08-21T12:11:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/i-rented-a-tesla-for-a-week-and-am-totally-sold-on-gas-powered-cars\/"},"modified":"2023-08-21T08:17:04","modified_gmt":"2023-08-21T12:17:04","slug":"i-rented-a-tesla-for-a-week-and-am-totally-sold-on-gas-powered-cars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/i-rented-a-tesla-for-a-week-and-am-totally-sold-on-gas-powered-cars\/","title":{"rendered":"Rented a Tesla, now hooked on gas-powered cars."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fi-rented-a-tesla-for-a-week-and-am-totally-sold-on-gas-powered-cars%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2006679&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"article-content\">\n<h2>Planning a Trip to\u2063 Seattle? Here&#8217;s Why Renting a Tesla Might Not Be the Best Idea<\/h2>\n<p>While planning a \u200d<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/illinois-dem-releases-comically-bad-campaign-ad\/\" title=\"Illinois Dem Releases Comically Bad Campaign Ad\">week-long trip<\/a> to the\u200b Seattle area recently, I wondered aloud \u200bto my husband if we should rent a Tesla. Neither of \u200cus \u2064had ever driven an electric \u2064vehicle before. The price difference\u200b between\u2063 the long-range Tesla Model 3 and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/i-rented-a-tesla-for-a-week-and-am-totally-sold-on-gas-powered-cars\/\" title=\"Rented a Tesla, now hooked on gas-powered cars.\">standard mid-size\u200c gas-fueled\u200d vehicle<\/a> was pretty negligible.<\/p>\n<p>We agreed it would be an interesting learning experience despite our objections\u2063 to the\u2062 eco-agenda <a href=\"https:\/\/americanaccountabilityfoundation.substack.com\/p\/ban-the-internal-combustion-engine?utm_source=post-email-title&#038;publication_id=1640093&#038;post_id=135527410&#038;isFreemail=true&#038;utm_medium=email\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">to phase out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/two-ca-dem-senators-tell-biden-to-set-hard-date-to-eliminate-sale-of-gas-powered-vehicles\/\" title=\"Two CA Dem Senators Tell Biden To Set Hard Date To Eliminate Sale Of Gas-Powered Vehicles\">gas-powered vehicles<\/a><\/a>. \u200dWe also don\u2019t believe EVs are \u2063particularly environmentally friendly since they need batteries that require the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smithsonianmag.com\/smart-news\/mining-lithium-for-electric-vehicle-batteries-may-threaten-flamingos-a-study-finds-180979741\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">strip-mining<\/a> \u200d of rare earth \u200cminerals such as lithium\u2064 and cobalt. The World Economic\u2062 Forum knows this very well and \u2064is\u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/www.weforum.org\/agenda\/2022\/07\/electric-vehicles-world-enough-lithium-resources\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">likely looking for heavy limits on EV mobility<\/a> after eliminating gas-powered vehicles.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>But more people\u2064 like us are \u2062also finding some very\u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hotcars.com\/why-you-should-never-buy-a-tesla\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">practical reasons to \u200bobject<\/a> to Teslas. There\u2019s\u2062 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/article\/waiting-for-buyers-to-come-unsold-electric-vehicles-piling-up-in-car-dealerships-says-report-5385675\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a glut of them on the market now<\/a> despite\u2062 subsidies and price reductions.\u2064 After test-driving one for an entire week (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.motorbiscuit.com\/what-expect-test-driving-tesla\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">instead of just 30 minutes<\/a>,) we learned \u200d <em>we will never buy a Tesla<\/em> <em>or any EV<\/em> as long as we have the option of gas-powered vehicles or even hybrids. Read on for seven big reasons \u200cwhy.\u2063 (Yes, \u201cmileage may vary.\u201d)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>1. \u2062Battery Drainage Is\u2062 Stress-Inducing<\/h3>\n<p>In the Tesla, stress is a given. The\u200c battery drains faster than you might think.\u200b Our Model 3 \u2063had an advertised range of about 300 miles, \u200cbut \u2062that\u2019s if you charge it to 100 percent (which no one does) and run it to 0 percent (which no one does). \u2062So the practical range is about 150-200 miles. We felt\u2063 compelled\u2063 to\u200d recharge after going just 150 miles versus refueling\u2064 after \u200cabout 450 miles in our Honda Accord. The \u200dbattery even drained 10 percent just sitting in the driveway for about a day. Granted, we covered some distances in Washington state during our travels. But\u200d that \u2064confirms EVs are a poor choice for \u200droad trips unless you enjoy the risk of \u2062being stranded.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Few Charging Station \u2063Locations and Length of Time There<\/h3>\n<p>Yes, there are now more than 1,500 \u201csupercharger\u201d stations across \u2063the U.S. Regular \u2064chargers\u2062 can be found at hotels, where guests at least have a room to stay \u200din\u200d while charging for three to six hours. We plugged into a Tesla charger at \u200da hotel for \u200bnearly three \u2062hours\u2063 to get the battery up to 85 \u2062percent from about 30. Compare that\u200b with about 150,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gretchen-whitmer-orders-canadian-pipeline-to-shut-down-amid-gas-shortage\/\" title=\"Gretchen Whitmer Orders Canadian Pipeline To Shut Down Amid Gas Shortage\">000 gas stations<\/a> where we could fill up in less\u2062 than five minutes and be on our way,\u200c ready for \u2064the next 500 miles. Even\u200c at a supercharger, we had\u200b to wait about 30 minutes to up the battery charge by 50 percent. And\u200c it\u2019s all a matter of luck if\u2063 there are amenities close by, especially if\u200d you need a charge when it\u2019s late \u2064at night.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Personal Safety at Charging Locations Can Feel Dicey<\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s\u200c a good idea to \u200b <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/maddiemoate\/status\/1297206619592364033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1297206619592364033%7Ctwgr%5E5d7e627736f4e2fab34cd17ba5e9b0d141167a78%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&#038;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcleantechnica.com%2F2022%2F02%2F02%2Fev-charging-operators-need-to-take-womens-safety-seriously%2F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">plan\u200c the times<\/a> at which you charge your vehicle. We had to\u2062 stop on a Sunday evening at a\u200d supercharger located in an Ikea parking lot.\u2062 Ikea was closed, and there were no walkable amenities around it. \u2062Ditto for \u200dour\u2063 visit to another Tesla supercharger located across from a pawn shop. I got the uneasy feeling that many of these \u200bunsupervised \u2064locations \u2014 and the length of time required to be there \u2014 were\u2062 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/money\/cars\/2021\/12\/11\/ev-charger-stations-location-night-drivers-unsafe\/6476198001\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">crime \u200dscenes waiting \u200bto happen<\/a>. Sure you can stop charging and be on your way. But on your \u200cway to where? To <a href=\"https:\/\/electrek.co\/2022\/02\/07\/tesla-supercharger-cables-stolen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">another supercharger<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>4. Texting While Driving Is <em>Required<\/em><\/h3>\n<p>Texting while driving is considered\u200d dangerous and \u2063mostly illegal. How\u200b ironic \u200bthat in a Tesla, you are dependent \u2064upon the touch screen that \u200csits between the driver and passenger\u200d seat like a \u2064big laptop. The interface \u200bis\u200c not \u200cintuitive, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=XMdBA8KkQiY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">autopilot is\u2063 too new and unpredictable to use safely.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Luckily for us, there was always a passenger available to cope with\u2064 the screen. We had to be in motion in order to check for a charging station nearby. There\u2019s\u200b nothing intuitive\u2064 about the air conditioning. Ditto for the \u2063radio,\u2063 which we could only \u201cturn \u200doff\u201d by reducing the volume. The windshield wipers are supposed to be automatic, but when it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=SucPWSrsG_k\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">started raining,<\/a> we realized\u2064 they were \u200b\u201cturned off.\u201d After fishing \u2062around the screen, we finally pulled over \u2064to\u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ml5lHxl3tjM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">consult YouTube<\/a> to get them working again.<\/p>\n<h3>5. No Convenient\u200d Manual to Consult While Renting<\/h3>\n<p>Our Tesla\u200b rental was proudly \u201cpaperless.\u201d It \u200dwould \u200bhave been worthwhile \u200bto have a hard \u200ccopy manual on hand that didn\u2019t put us at the mercy of a satellite signal. Hertz at the Seattle airport could provide no\u200b support in answering our questions about\u200b the vehicle. When I was \u2064able to flag employees down (twice), they \u2063were \u200dunable to help. We \u2062hoped to get a clue \u2062from a manual \u200cin the \u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teslamodel3wiki.com\/how-to-manually-open-the-tesla-model-3-glove-box\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">glove compartment<\/a>, \u2062but what glove compartment? The employee at \u200dthe checkout kiosk \u200cexplained\u200b that the glove\u2063 compartment\u200b was permanently locked shut. There\u2019s no spare \u2063tire either, by the way.<\/p>\n<h3>6. \u200dHow to Lock the Car?<\/h3>\n<p>This was not clear, not \u2063even\u200c with the Hertz tutorials on renting a Tesla. The key card\u200d operates like a hotel-room \u201csmart\u201d key, but (per YouTube) we\u2063 discovered we\u200b needed to find the \u201csweet spot\u201d by the window on the \u200cdriver\u2019s side, apparently the only \u200dplace to lock the car. \u200dThere are ways to lock from the inside as well, but\u2064 it all depends on your tech-savviness,\u2064 and willingness to risk locking yourself in, I suppose.<\/p>\n<h3>7. Don\u2019t Expect the Cost of a Battery\u200b Charge to \u200bAlways Be Lower than Gasoline<\/h3>\n<p>There are so many variables in fuel\/charging costs, it\u2019s hard to \u2064know if you\u2019re getting a deal. When we tapped the \u200b\u201clightning bolt\u201d image on the Tesla\u2019s touch screen, we got a\u2062 list\u200b of superchargers in the region as well as the cost per kilowatt hour, which varied from about 18 cents to about 50 cents. \u2062Our cheapest total charge was around $7 and\u200d ranged up\u200c to $25. We generally didn\u2019t put more \u200bthan \u2063a 50 percent charge into the car at any one time, and given the miles driven, \u2062the $25 charge was \u2064about the \u200csame as we would have paid for gas. Since there are government <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/statements-releases\/2021\/12\/13\/fact-sheet-the-biden-harris-electric-vehicle-charging-action-plan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">subsidies<\/a> both for purchasing an\u2063 EV and for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kiplinger.com\/taxes\/605201\/federal-tax-credit-for-electric-vehicle-chargers\">charging<\/a>, I would expect those prices to rise if everyone\u200b gets with \u200cthe program and demand is up.<\/p>\n<p>But pigs will \u200dfly before I buy an\u2063 EV\u2062 based on my Tesla\u2064 experience\/experiment. This conclusion is not based on a one-hour test drive but on an\u200d entire week of driving in an EV-friendly part of the\u200c country.<\/p>\n<p>Granted, there\u200b are some moments of fun when driving a Tesla. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/evehiclepro.com\/regenerative-braking-explained\/?expand_article=1\">Regenerative braking<\/a>\u201d is a system that \u200brecharges the \u2063battery. So once your foot is off the accelerator, the car slows\u200d down quickly. We rarely\u200d needed to use the brake at\u200c all, even at red lights. And once you \u2062accelerate, expect a \u2064fast pick-up!\u200c The tinted\u2063 glass roof was\u2062 kind of\u200c cool. \u2062The seats were comfortable \u200benough. But all in all, it was too much hassle and too much anxiety. I\u2019m now totally sold on gas-powered vehicles.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While planning a trip to Seattle, we considered renting a Tesla for the first time. The price difference between the long-range Model 3 and a regular gas car was minimal. We both agreed it would be a great opportunity to experience an electric vehicle during our week-long stay.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":568,"featured_media":2006680,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2006679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2006679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/568"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2006679"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2006679\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2006680"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2006679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2006679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2006679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}