Seems like you do care.
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It could also mean that the automakers miscalibrated and over-responded to initial demand. So they made too many vehicles. And now they are having to burn off their inventories. That doesn’t mean they aren’t doing as well as they should be, just that the automakers had unrealistic expectations, perhaps amplified by an overly simplistic read of initial interest and reservations, which may not mimic traditionsal ICE autos.
For example, I currently have reservations on 4 EVs. I will only buy one. And in my life I have never placed a reservation on any vehicle before the EVs.
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I needed to reserve a rental car for next March. EVs were so cheap I decided to give one a try.
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Rental car is in an unfamiliar area (e.g. where you need a car after air travel) is probably the worst case experience for recharging an EV, since you will be depending on fast charging stations in an unfamiliar area.
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The hotel we stay at has chargers in the garage, which is why I did it. Additionally, I’ll just pay the $35 to drop it off without being fully charged. I need it for the 2 hour drive from the airport to the hotel, some minor driving around town while there, then the 2 hour drive back.
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That sounds like a fun test. I’d allow a bit of time to get oriented with the car’s controls but other than that you should be in great shape with the hotel charging. (If you’re sure on the model you’ll get, you might check out a YouTube video before the trip to orient yourself in advance; hard to do if you don’t know which model you’ll have though).
Look at you. You’re turning into a “greenie” already.
What’s next? Installing solar panels and eating granola with flax seed. 
Move to “Cali”?
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Hope you enjoy it. I highly recommend Plugshare. You can go to it on the web at www.plugshare.com or download the app. It will show you where all the chargers are and what form of payment they take.
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Make sure that the hotel EVSEs (charging stations) have the correct plugs (Tesla versus J1772 – J1772 is used by non-Tesla EVs; CCS1 is J1772 plus an additional added part of the plug for fast charging).
- All non-Tesla level 2 EVSEs: plug into J1772 cars; Tesla cars should come with adapters to use J1772 plugs, though in a rental car, the adapter may be missing or not in an obvious place in the car.
- Tesla Wall Connectors: plug into Tesla cars only, but check if hotel has third party adapters for J1772 cars.
- Tesla J1772 Wall Connectors: like all non-Tesla EVSEs.
- Tesla Universal Wall Connectors: can be used with either Tesla or J1772 cars (see video). Since these are new, it is not likely that many hotels will have them.
- CCS1 fast chargers: non-Tesla vehicles with CCS1 inlets only. There is an adapter to charge Tesla vehicles, but is an extra cost item that is not expected to be included in rental cars.
- Tesla SuperChargers: Tesla vehicles only.
- Tesla SuperChargers with Magic Dock: Tesla or non-Tesla vehicles with CCS1 inlets.
Non-Tesla companies have mostly said that they will move to the Tesla plug / inlet in the US, but that is for near future cars, not current ones that you can rent (or buy).
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Hey now, you’re not allowed to say “Cali” here unless you’re LL Cool J 
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Let’s not get crazy now.
@politeperson I’m all about YouTube. It’s a Kia EV6.
@ucbalumnus @Sweetgum Luckily I’ve seen non-Teslas charging at the hotel. Getting from the airport to the hotel is about 130 miles. Charging at the hotel should be all I need.
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You should be fine. Just like in gas cars your efficiency will be affected by your speed and terrain. Weather can be a factor too. As long as you are not going straight up a mountain at 100 mph in -20F the EV6 should get you there fine. I’d still look at Plugshare though. Good to just know where chargers are.
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So many added considerations for such a short trip. It’s no wonder many aren’t yet interested in dipping their toe into this arena. If merely renting an electric car for a short duration can cause such a quandary its obviously potentially more of a problem on a full time basis. Another reason why I think the middle ground of a hybrid seems so much more appealing at this point.
Rental car in an unfamiliar area is kind of the worst case for charging logistics. Owning an EV with home charging is a much better case, and more convenient than having to go somewhere to refuel an ICEV.
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Sure, but it’s not really different than taking your own electric vehicle on a road trip. The same charging logistics apply. Many don’t want to have to deal with that either. I’m just showing that owners may face the same situation you are attributing to rentals.
I have a gas station a half mile away that I fuel up at about once a week or so. It takes about 4-5 minutes. It’s really convenient.
I would absolutely rent an EV and especially if I knew the hotel I was staying at had chargers. And it’s easy enough to look for additional chargers in the area.
Assuming enough…I would do it.
And maybe that’s how we will try a couple of these…if they are available for rental. And we have a place to charge where we are staying.
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I rented a Kia EV6. I’ll be interested to see how the weekend goes with it.
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Wow, did you not read anything I wrote?
This means they should have no problem. They should not anticipate any problems for the 130 mile trip. They should be fine.
This is noting that factors that affect gas vehicles such as speed, terrain, weather also affect EVs, but there should be no problem on this trip and the Kia EV6 should get them there fine.
Please let me know if you need any more help interpreting what I have written.
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What??? A 130 mile trip in most EVs, just like in most gas vehicles, should not be a problem. Nobody ever said there was a problem with this idea except you and you clearly have a bias against EVs and don’t have experience with them. I have been driving EVs for about 8 years now and am here to say that a 130 mile trip in an EV6 should be no more problem than the same trip in any gas or diesel vehicle except it will be more fun the drive because EVs overall are much more fun to drive with much quicker acceleration and more nimble handling and a much quieter drive.
I apologize for tagging you. I believe it was @ucbalumnus that brought up the issue with a rental. I just pointed out that any issues a renter faced could also affect an owner.
That being said I don’t believe @GKUnion will experience any issues either
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