THROUGH TWO STORES. POLICE DID NOT SAY IF THE DRIVER OR ANYBODY ELSE WAS HURT.
>> WHEN IT COMES TO BUYING A
CAR, THE TEMPTATION IS TO GO
ELECTRIC. IT’S GAINING IN
POPULARITY. IT’S BETTER FOR THE
ENVIRONMENT. YOU CAN EVEN GET
SOME TAX CREDITS IF YOU MAKE THE
SWITCH.
>> BUT BEFORE YOU MAKE THAT
PURCHASE, THERE’S A COUPLE OF
THINGS YOU SHOULD CONSIDER TO
TRY TO FIGURE IT OUT. I LOADED
MY FAMILY UP INSIDE OF A FORD F
150 LIGHTNING, TAKING IT TO
MACKINAW CITY TO SEE WHAT IT’S
ACTUALLY LIKE TO DRIVE AN
ELECTRIC VEHICLE ON A ROAD TRIP
. IN THE TIME WE SPENT WITH THE
F 150 LIGHTNING, THE NUMBER ONE
TAKEAWAY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH
THE TRUCK. IT’S ABOUT CHARGING
FOR ANY ELECTRIC VEHICLE AND HOW
YOU NEED TO PLAN AHEAD. IF YOU
BUY AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE. A
STANDARD OUTLET IN YOUR GARAGE
WON’T CUT IT. SO TO GIVE YOU AN
IDEA OF HOW SLOW THE STANDARD
PLUG CHARGING IS, IT IS
CURRENTLY 740 ON WEDNESDAY
MORNING. AND THE TRUCK IS SAYING
THAT WITH THE CURRENT CHARGE
RATE, IT WILL BE 100% AT 916 ON
SATURDAY NIGHT. IT IS 343 ON
THURSDAY MORNING AND I’M GETTING
A LITTLE NERVOUS. WE ARE DOWN TO
84 MILES AND YES, THAT WILL GET
ME TO WORK TO CHANNEL FOUR
DOWNTOWN. BUT IS AT AN ACTUAL 84
MILE RANGE. I MADE IT TO WORK.
MY DRIVE, THOUGH, IS ONLY 30
MILES, BUT IT TOOK ABOUT 50
MILES OFF THE RANGE. THAT’S
BECAUSE THERE ARE OTHER FACTORS
. FOR INSTANCE, HIGHWAY SPEEDS
AND AIR CONDITIONING USE MORE
ELECTRICITY, A FEW DAYS LATER,
THE REAL TEST OR A ROAD TRIP TO
MACKINAW CITY. I HAVE TO FIND A
CHARGING STATION, WHICH WE DID.
YOU CAN SEE RIGHT HERE. HOWEVER
IT IS SIX AND A HALF MILES AWAY.
THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. SO I
HAVE TO GO THERE TO CHARGE UP
QUICKLY. THEN COME BACK, LOAD UP
THE FAMILY AND THEN WE CAN HIT
THE ROAD. WE JUST FOUND OUT IS
THAT THIS CHARGING STATION RIGHT
HERE APPARENTLY IS NOT WORKING.
SO WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO WAIT
FOR ONE OF THESE GENTLEMEN TO BE
DONE AFTER KILLING TIME. AND
MEIJER, WE WERE FINALLY ABLE TO
HOOK UP AND CHARGE UP. SO THE
ENTIRE PROCESS TOOK ABOUT AN
HOUR AND A HALF, 30 MINUTES
ROUND TRIP, AND THEN AN HOUR AT
THE CHARGING STATION. SOMETHING
WE MIGHT HAVE TO GET USED TO.
IT’S A LOT LONGER THAN RUNNING
TO THE CORNER. GAS STATION, BUT
NOW WE HAVE 277 MILES. WE’RE
GOING TO STOP OFF IN FRANKENMUTH
FOR DINNER AND THEN CONTINUE ON
TO MACKINAW CITY. SO LET THE
ROAD TRIP BEGIN. JUST ARRIVED
HERE IN FRANKENMUTH, WHERE I
WANT TO CHARGE THE F-150
LIGHTNING FOR A LITTLE WHILE
WHILE WE’RE HAVING DINNER. SO
HOPEFULLY THIS GOES PRETTY
SMOOTHLY. WE’RE DONE CHARGING.
YOU CAN SEE HERE IT WAS PLUGGED
IN FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF AND I
GOT A TOTAL OF THREE WHOLE
MILES, THREE MILES. THE NEXT
STOP, THE FORCED STOP TO CHARGE
MORE WAS THE JERKY OUTLET NORTH
OF BAY CITY. WE’VE BEEN HERE FOR
38 MINUTES NOW AND WE’RE ALMOST
READY TO LEAVE. BUT THAT’S 40
MINUTES WE’VE BEEN SITTING AND
DOING NOTHING. IF THEY HAD A
BETTER CHARGING NETWORK, BETTER
CHARGERS IN FRANKENMUTH, IT
WOULD HAVE CHARGED WHILE WE WERE
EATING DINNER. FINALLY WE WERE
ABLE TO GET ON THE ROAD WITH
ENOUGH RANGE TO GET TO MACKINAW
CITY. GETTING TO OUR HOTEL WITH
JUST 32 MILES REMAINING, THE
NEXT DAY, WE BECAME TOYS. BUT AS
THEY WERE SPLASHING IN LAKE
HURON RANGE, ANXIETY WAS
CRASHING BACK INTO MY MIND. AND
THE ONLY FAST CHARGER IN TOWN IS
AT THE CASINO. HALF A MILE AWAY.
THE RATES HERE MUCH HIGHER THAN
DOWN IN DETROIT. IT’S A TOURIST
CITY. I PAID $5,756. I SHOULD
SAY, FOR ELECTRICITY. MORE THAN
20 BUCKS FOR THE PARKING FEE. SO
$76 TO GET TO 90. AND IT’S
ESSENTIALLY FULL. BUT IT’S NOT
GOING TO BE ENOUGH TO GET ME
HOME. AT LEAST I DON’T THINK SO.
BUT WE’LL FIND OUT IN THE
MORNING. TIME TO HIT THE ROAD ON
SUNDAY MORNING. 291 MILES OF
RANGE, BUT WE’RE NOT GOING TO
MAKE IT SO WE ARE GOING TO HIT
THE ROAD. BUT THAT MEANS WE WILL
HAVE TO CHARGE UP AT SOME POINT
BEFORE WE GET HOME. ON THE DRIVE
HOME, WE RAN INTO SOMETHING THAT
NEARLY GAVE ME A PANIC ATTACK. A
CRASH THAT CLOSED I-75, SENDING
ALL TRAFFIC ON TWO BACK ROADS
WITH ONLY 68 MILES OF RANGE. SO
ANOTHER SNAFU. WE ARE AT THIS
FIRE STATION IN BAY CITY, BUT
ONLY ONE OF THE FOUR CHARGERS
HERE ARE WORKING. SO WE’RE GOING
TO WAIT FOR THESE NICE FOLKS TO
FINISH ABOUT 30 MINUTES AND THEN
I CAN CHARGE THIS. WE WAITED
THAT 30 MINUTES AND CHARGED UP
FOR ANOTHER 30 MINUTES. IN ALL,
IT WAS AN HOUR LONG. STOP
CHARGING ENOUGH TO GET HOME. SO
WE MADE IT 144 MILES LEFT. ONCE
WE PARKED RIGHT HERE AT MY HOUSE
. YEAH. RANGE ANXIETY IS A REAL
THING. AND OBVIOUSLY
INFRASTRUCTURE IS THE MAJOR
ISSUE HERE. ONCE WE GET THAT
TAKEN CARE OF IN A FEW YEARS, I
THINK IT WILL BECOME MUCH, MUCH
MORE POPULAR NOW TO HELP WITH
CHARGING STATION ACCESS, FORD
HAS TEAMED UP WITH TESLA AND THE
CEO, JIM FARLEY SAYS WIDESPREAD
ACCESS TO FAST CHARGING IS
ABSOLUTELY VITAL TO OUR GROWTH
AS AN EV BRAND. AND THIS
BREAKTHROUGH AGREEMENT COMES AS
WE ARE RAMPING UP PRODUCTION OF
OUR POPULAR MUSTANG MACH-E AND
F-150 LIGHTNING AND PREPARING TO
LAUNCH A SERIES OF NEXT
GENERATION EVS STARTING IN 2025.
>> THAT WOULD HAVE CERTAINLY
CHANGED THINGS, I IMAGINE.
>> OH, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A GAME
CHANGER TO HAVE ACCESS TO MORE
CHARGING. I MEAN, EVEN AT THAT
MYERS STATION, WHERE ONE OF FOUR
WAS WORKING, THERE WERE, YOU
KNOW 6 OR 10 OTHER TESLA
CHARGERS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN
USED. SO YOU’RE JUST LOOKING AT
THEM LIKE, OH, IF ONLY REALLY.
>> THE RANGE ANXIETY, THOUGH, IS
REAL.
>> AND THEY TOLD ME WHEN THEY
DROPPED IT OFF LIKE THIS IS OUR
NUMBER ONE PROBLEM WHEN IT COMES
TO SELLING, PEOPLE SAY, I’M
AFRAID AND NOW I UNDERSTAND WHY.
AND IT REALLY IS A PROBLEM. BUT
AGAIN, IT’S NOT THE VEHICLES AT
ALL. IT WAS REALLY COOL AND
AMAZINGLY FAST. LIKE YOU HIT THE
GAS PEDAL, IT TAKES OFF SO QUICK
, IT THROWS IN THE BACK OF YOUR
SEAT. IT’S JUST FILLING IT UP.
>> RIGHT? UNRELATED THOUGH, HOW
WERE THE KIDS AT EACH OF THOSE
STOPS? OH, MY GOSH.
>> LIKE IT STARTED OFF OKAY, BUT
AS YOU GO THROUGH IT AND YOU’RE
SITTING THERE FOR 45 MINUTES,
RIGHT?
>> IT’S A LONG TIME.
>> I FOUND MYSELF GOING TO
CULVER’S AND BUYING THEM
MILKSHAKES JUST TO APPEASE THEM.
YOU KNOW, SO YOU SPEND EVEN MORE