An Electric Adventure
By Matthew Godfrey
I was looking for a new adventure. I had my routine down and my movements seemed flawless when the associate made the statement, “Oh that is electric, you don’t want that,” it perked my curiosity. I had just landed from an easy flight and the warm Raleigh air fueled my confidence. Or, it could have been the sleep deprivation. I forgot to mention it was 11:45 pm. Before I could tell myself to hush and stay on course, I said “Sure, I will take it.” I asked a few questions that my foggy mind could form up, quickly got in, adjusted the mirrors, and started on my adventure.
The fun began immediately when I saw my range was 120 miles and I had 150 to go round trip. I should have not even left the parking lot, but the 20 additional minutes of paperwork deterred me and off to the hotel I went, hoping I could plug in for 4 hours while I rested before hitting the highway. If it were that easy, everyone would have electric cars! I would have needed to buy a 100-foot extension cord and run it from the 2nd floor of my room to the car. I choose to sleep on it and kick the can.
After my rest, I was off and rolling. As I drove south, the search for charging stations was frantic. I left the hotel with enough time to deviate for about 90 minutes and still make my appointment time. The first station I attempted was not in service, the second was offline, and the third was the charm. I was fortunate enough to find a BMW dealership with a stage -3 (the fastest of the charging systems) charger and they allowed me to plug in. I had not thought about it, but this was a time-consuming event. A super-fast charger will take 45 minutes to charge up a range of 450-600 miles. Unfortunately, I was down to 30 minutes till my appointment and only had time to get charged enough to not miss it. I had to hold off on the next solution, how to get back to the airport in 5 hours and have lunch with my mom! I gave my thanks, unplugged, and zipped off to the Fort Bragg Soldier Center. I made my appointment in time and found my next voyage plan. I planned the best path to lunch while finding an elusive charging spot. It was a small route change; a panicked call and the Mercedes dealership lent a hand. I could have stayed all day it was so nice. Instead, I took only what I needed, charging to a range of 95 miles, 40 more than I needed. And with only 15 minutes to meet my mom it was time to go.
Lunch was good, and I was recharged as well as my car. On my way back to the airport I was thinking about all the self-imposed stress I put myself through. I was frustrated that I let myself not choose the smoothest options. That was my scared side talking. In retrospect, that rapid processing and problem solving was just what I needed. I had been leaking confidence and this patched me up. I accepted the challenge of something new and I am glad I did. I now am completely confident that I love adventures and will not get an electric car. Yet!
