EV excursion from Chicago to New York in a Tesla tests charging effectiveness
Jeff Flock's trip spans 808 miles from Chicago to New York with a nearly a 16-hour duration
What is it like to take a road trip in an electric vehicle?
Fox Business’ Jeff Flock put Biden’s electric vehicle hype to the test, embarking on an 800-mile trip in a Tesla on Tuesday from Chicago to New York, documenting each charge along the way.
His expedition comes as the White House and more than a dozen Democrat-run states push to accelerate America’s clean transportation future. However, the initiative has sparked concerns for long-distance drivers.
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Flock rented a Tesla Model Y, which boasts a range of 260–310 miles, depending on the trim, on a full charge and can be recharged at over 50,000 global Superchargers, according to the carmaker.
As the Biden administration and Democrat-leaning states pivot to clean energy and mandate the use of electric vehicles, drivers are sharing their concerns over the range, battery duration, and availability of charging stations during long-distance trips.
After a day of driving, Flock provided an update on his journey to Stuart Varney, noting that he had charged the Tesla four times.
He used the Tesla navigation system, which routes to Tesla Supercharger stations.
Flock said this "is good because it's a quicker charge" than other charging stations, but noted "it sometimes takes you on a more circuitous route."
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Jeff Flock breaks down charging situation on EV road trip
Fox Business' Jeff Flock provides an update from his EV trip from Chicago to New York and details the charging process.
He also shared his experience when the car nearly ran out of juice as he searched for a charging station. He warned, "you got to be careful," and plan to factor in charging during long-distance travel.
"You know, I have a little bit of a bias. I like electric cars. It's been a fun drive, but that white-knuckle situation with knowing if you were going to run out of charge or not," Flock stressed.
Flock also addressed the "reality" of charging on a long-distance haul on Wednesday night's "The Bottom Line."
"We thought it would be a good idea to just, you know, test this ourselves. A lot of debate, obviously, about [an] electric cars' range and, you know, what's the reality of it? [The] reality of it is taking longer. I mean, it's no question that it's taking longer because you've got to go to the places to charge. And then the charge, of course, takes a while," he explained.
Jeff Flock reaches final destination in EV road trip
Fox Business' Jeff Flock joins 'Mornings with Maria' to break down the highlights and takeaways of his EV road trip.
The Fox Business reporter hit his Friday arrival deadline and shared his overall experience on "Morning with Maria."
"Do your homework" was Flock's major takeaway from the journey.
"The technology is cool, but you better figure it out and don't trust the range estimates," he noted.
According to Tesla's navigation, the trip from Chicago to New York would be about 16 hours compared to the 13-hour trip for a gas-powered vehicle.
Throughout the trip, he made eight stops to charge the car and watched the efficiency drop after each stop.
Cost-wise, Flock explained that charging was similar to getting fuel, "so you're not saving money, you're saving the planet."
"That was a ride, as Jim Farley put it. It's a very valuable reality check," Flock concluded.
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