Year-long EV experiment: low costs, high fun
Plus: Risqué uptown billboard; Toppman reviews 'Ripcord' in Davidson; New Charlotte Checkers owner wants practice facility; Democratic N.C. delegates back Harris; Trump heading to Charlotte
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Column: I’m all-in on electric vehicles. How I conquered ‘range anxiety’ and made the switch from gas to electric
After one year owning an EV, Marc Gustafson counts himself among those who would never return to a gas-powered vehicle. (Photo courtesy of Marc Gustafson)
By Marc Gustafson
Last year, I bought a new Ford Mach-E electric vehicle and embarked on a completely unscientific experiment to test “range anxiety” and public charging stations.
After 12 months, here are the stats:
9,835 miles driven
1 reservoir of windshield washer fluid (the light came on last week)
A grand total of $34.24 in charging costs
Oh, and a whole lot of fun — and I’m not talking about the chuckle I got from the email Ford sent reminding me of my upcoming 10,000-mile service to … rotate my tires.
Sure, I have had to borrow my wife’s Toyota Highlander to drive deep into South Carolina or to the middle of Florida, but the 250-mile (and growing, thanks to some recent updates) range on my Mach-E is more than plenty for what I calculated to be about 90% of my driving. That last 10% does mean we are definitely not giving up at least one internal combustion engine in our household for the foreseeable future.
But the main thing I have learned over this year-long experiment is that I’ve never met a single person who drives an EV that has any intention of ever going back to an internal combustion engine.
Consider the whopping $34.24 to charge “Pearl,” my wife’s name for our Mach-E because of its pearl white paint job. How do I know this? Because I used the ChargePoint app, which helps users find and use charging stations. It shows six charges from June 2023 to March 2024.
Sure, I was aided by the fact that my work parking deck in the Carillon Tower has six chargers that allow me four hours of free charging time every day. But many of uptown Charlotte’s parking decks have the same arrangement. Of course, you must pay for parking for this privilege.
I also charged my car for free at a real estate office at Sunset Beach; a parking deck on UNC’s campus; the Blowing Rock town park; the police station in Granite Falls, North Carolina; an apartment complex in Aiken, South Carolina; SouthPark Mall; Providence Country Club and a power company in Lenoir. And only once on the coldest, windiest day of the year when we made a last-minute unplanned trip up to the High Country did I have a single twinge of range anxiety.
The farthest I ever strayed from my Waze directions in search of chargers was a whopping 4/10 of a mile.
Did I mention the Mach-E — like every other electric vehicle — is fast? Zero to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds to be exact. Fast enough that my 9- and 11-year-old boys egg me on to make my rear-wheel drive drift at certain intersections they know to be a little “slippery.”
I’ve noticed a few other things about driving an electric vehicle. Despite previously having nice cars, I had never had someone roll up to me at a traffic light to admire my car and to swap EV performance stories.
On the other hand, people will literally walk across a parking lot to let me know they drive an “old school gas guzzler,” as if I’m keeping score. I tell them I am not smart enough to figure out the environmental impact of my new vehicle and that I mostly like it because it is fun to drive and never have to stop at a gas station, except to buy Combos or a lottery ticket.
Which brings us to price. A month or so before my Mach-E was delivered, Tesla dropped its prices, and Ford emailed me that mine would now cost $5,000 less than when I had purchased it six months before. And just a few weeks ago, I got an email from Ford that the price on an equally equipped 2024 Mach-E dropped another $7,500. You, too, can embark on your own EV experiment for right around $45,000 (not including any tax rebates).
Factor in the cost of gas to go 10,000 miles at $3.50 per gallon and an oil change, and they are practically paying me to drive this car.
Buying my EV also got me out of the deplorable process of buying a car.
I selected my options, paid the deposit, and wired the balance to Ford. All that was left was to stop by the dealership to pick up the keys. I drove off the lot without the sales pressure of buying an extended warranty. Avoiding that process alone may have been the biggest charge of all.
Marc Gustafson is a full-time employment lawyer and wannabe writer. Reach him at marcgustafson@hotmail.com.
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🎧 Car talk: 2 EV enthusiasts discuss what it’s like to own one
On the latest episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Marc Gustafson talks with Ledger podcast host Steve Dunn — who also drives an EV — to bust some EV myths and talk about the advantages and disadvantages of electric vehicles. They also discuss:
The cost savings on fuel and lower maintenance costs
Charging the car and how they plan trips around charging stations
The driving experience compared with a transmission vehicle
EVs’ high-tech features and enhanced safety
The Charlotte Ledger Podcast features conversations on local topics including business, nonprofits, education and more. It’s available on major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Check it out!
Today’s supporting sponsor is Landon A. Dunn, attorney-at-law in Matthews:
You Ask, We Answer: In light of an eyebrow-raising slogan, who approves billboard messaging in North Carolina?
It’s time for another installment of “You Ask, We Answer” — the appropriately named occasional feature in which you (the reader) asks a question, and we (The Ledger) do our best to supply an answer.
Today’s question comes from Tanya B. about a certain billboard located on I-85 in Charlotte headed south between exits 36 and 35 (near uptown). It’s for a Swedish-style, no-added-sugar ice cream company called N!CK’S and includes what one could reasonably interpret as a risqué slogan.
Here’s a photo for reference:
Tanya’s question:
How did that slogan get approved? Who approves billboard messaging in North Carolina?
Tanya, thanks for the question. Contrary to your possible first thought, the N.C. Department of Transportation does not control messaging on billboards, according to communications officer Jen Goodwin.
However, NCDOT does regulate billboard size, which cannot exceed 1,200 s.f. with a maximum height of 30 feet and maximum length of 60 feet. That doesn’t include any embellishments, like a protruding ice cream popsicle (or those fake people sitting on top of a Coca-Cola billboard that may have stopped your heart while driving along I-277 near uptown).
Billboard content regulation is the responsibility of advertising companies that own the billboard, according to the North Carolina Outdoor Advertising Association website, which represents billboard and advertising agencies across the state, including Adams Outdoor, which owns the billboard in question.
The Ledger reached out to N!CK’s to ask what inspired the slogan and if the company has received any feedback. Brittany O’Brien, senior brand manager, said in an email:
We’re talking about ice cream, of course. We recently sampled our protein bars and ice cream on a cross country truck tour, and ‘Lick me ’til ice cream’ got an overwhelmingly positive response from folks who encountered the truck and got to sample some ice cream pops. Whenever people can get a hold of a T-shirt or swag item with one of our taglines on it, they’re over the moon.
Whether an innuendo is implied or not, the billboard definitely accomplishes its goal of catching your eye. —LB
Review: With ‘Ripcord,’ a serious little comedy livens the summer in Davidson
Ledger arts critic Lawrence Toppman attended Sunday night’s performance of “Ripcord” by Davidson Community Players, which runs through July 28 at the Duke Family Performance Hall on the Davidson College campus. In his review for The Ledger, Toppman writes:
Followers of David Lindsay-Abaire, who won 2023 Tony Awards for his book and lyrics to the musical “Kimberly Akimbo,” would consider “Ripcord” a minor entry in his canon. It has never been to Broadway, like his Tony-nominated “Rabbit Hole” and “Good People.” It’s had no national tour. Wikipedia doesn’t give “Ripcord” a page, as it does for nine of his 10 other plays.
Yet it contains plum roles for two older actresses and carries on a theme that runs through much of Lindsay-Abaire’s work: How people deal with the prospect, approach or aftermath of death. In this case, it’s creeping up extremely slowly — if we are to believe what we’re told — on Marilyn (Pat Langille) and Abby (Karen Lico) in an assisted living center. But it’s omnipresent: As amiable attendant Scotty (Lowell Lark) reminds them, this is the kind of place where not everybody wakes up on any given morning.
Check out Toppman’s full review, with information if you want to go:
Quotable: the Charlotte Checkers’ new owner is ‘open to discussions’ on having government help pay for a practice facility
The Charlotte Hornets are building a new practice facility. So are the Carolina Panthers. Now, the Charlotte Checkers’ new owners say they might like one, too.
From remarks to the media last Monday by Andy Kaufmann, CEO of Zawyer Sports + Entertainment, the team’s new owner, as quoted in the Charlotte Business Journal:
On a Checkers practice facility: We’re not real estate people but we are community center people. …
We’re breaking ground next month in the city of Port Wentworth right outside of Savannah to build a facility for the Ghost Pirates in that community. Can I wink, does that work? You’re recording, I’m winking, so we’ll see what happens here.
But, again, that’s 365-day-a-year opportunity to make an impact, get kids on the ice who otherwise can’t afford it, get them equipped, get special needs folks (access). That’s, for us, what’s most important. This is what matters to us, making a difference, making you all proud. We are committed to doing that.
On possible public-private ownership/funding: We’re wide open, so it’s about making the facility happen. We’re wide open to how that happens as long as we get it to the community, that’s what matters to us. It’s not a get-rich-quick scheme. So, if you’re listening, local government-city leaders: We’re open to discussions.
We think north Charlotte could be a good spot (for the practice ice center).
You might be interested in these Charlotte events
Events submitted by readers to The Ledger’s events board:
THROUGH JULY 28: Queen’s Feast: Charlotte Restaurant Week. Find fresh flavors during Queen’s Feast, July 19-28, 2024. Discover new favorites as 100+ restaurants in 8 metro-area counties showcase their cuisine with 3-course, prix fixe dining deals. Meals $30-$50 per person.
FRIDAY-SATURDAY: 24 Hours of Booty. 7 p.m. - 7 p.m. Queens University of Charlotte/Myers Park Traditional School. 24 Hours of Booty isn’t a race or an endurance event. Riders and walkers can set their own mileage goals and get on and off the police-secured course as much as they would like throughout the 24 hours. Set up a tent in Bootyville to relax in between your trips around the beautiful Myers Park Booty Loop and enjoy catered meals, snacks and drinks in our food tent, including a midnight pizza party. We are one team with one goal, and that is having an immediate impact on the lives of those affected by cancer. Price varies.
➡️ List your event on the Ledger events board.
In brief:
N.C. Democrats back Harris candidacy for president: All 168 North Carolina delegates to the Democratic National Convention voted Sunday to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid to run for president, the state Democratic Party chair said. The move came after President Joe Biden said on Sunday afternoon that he is dropping out of the race. N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper, widely seen as a possible vice presidential pick by Harris, also released a statement supporting her candidacy. (Raleigh News & Observer)
Trump to visit Charlotte on Wednesday: Former President Donald Trump is planning to hold a campaign rally at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte on Wednesday, his first one since the news broke Sunday that President Joe Biden is not running for re-election. Doors open at 2, and Trump’s remarks are scheduled to start at 6. (WCNC)
Brewery closures: Devil’s Logic Brewing in Midtown and Frothy Beard Brewing in South End are closing this weekend, an indication that “Charlotte may have hit its craft beer ceiling,” Axios Charlotte reports.
UNC Charlotte to close DEI office: UNC Charlotte is closing its office on diversity, equity and inclusion and plans to shift its eight employees to other areas at the university, in response to a directive from the UNC Board of Governors. Other public universities in North Carolina are taking similar steps following an order to rein in DEI programs. (WUNC)
School bus staffing shortage: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools faces a shortage of mechanics who inspect and maintain school buses. The technicians needed for inspection are only 56% staffed, a district official told a school board committee last week. School starts Aug. 26. (WFAE)
American flight attendant labor deal: American Airlines reached a tentative labor agreement with the union that represents 28,000 flight attendants, the union said Friday. Members will vote on ratifying the deal after the union’s board votes to approve it. Contract details are unclear. The two sides had been negotiating since 2020. (CNN)
Sex charges for dance instructor: A woman who was once a guest instructor at a Matthews dance studio is facing child sex charges in Wilmington. Elissa Susan Edwards, 41, was charged with indecent liberties with a child and statutory rape. She used to teach at Havilah Dance Co. in Matthews. (WCNC)
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Business manager: Brie Chrisman, BC Creative
Marc Gustafson does not point out that the $7500 price break is due to a federal tax incentive that encourages affluent people such as him to buy a second car. Nor does he realize the near zero cost to him of electricity to recharge is not free, it is paid by someone else.
He has every right to take advantage of these policies but he should also be aware that this is called “rent seeking” and is not something to be proud of.