Category: Cars, Planes, Bikes and Trains

On my last visit to Los Angeles when gas prices were spiking, Hertz was offering a nice promotion for renting an EV. Being the savvy shopper I am and as a former EV owner, I jumped on it, knowing the special needs of renting an EV. I planned my trip accordingly, staying at hotels that have either free EV Level 1 or paid Level 2 charging stations. Many of the errands I was running that weekend also had EV charging stations available where I wound up going. My Chargepoint and EVgo accounts were current (pun!) so range anxiety would not be an issue. I wound up with a black Polestar 2 and had to watch the special video that Hertz had about how to start the car and to do other things (it’s automatically on when you sit in the driver’s seat. No start button required).

The first leg of my trip was going from LAX to Anaheim in the Friday rush hour. Since we either sat in traffic or went really slow, this is an advantage for the EV. When you’re not moving, you are not using energy, unlike a normal car because when you’re not moving, you’re still using gasoline cos the car is idling (unless you have one of those stop start things).

I spent the weekend at the Anaheim Marriott where they have Tesla superchargers for a large fee and assigned EV parking spots with a free 110v wall socket (Level 1 charging). Since it’s Level 1 charging, it took 2 days to charge the battery up to full from 60%. But it was free!! While in the OC, I met up with my former SC roommate and we caught up on things. The restaurant was in a shopping center with EV charging available so if I needed to, I could top up here.

The second part of my trip had me heading back to Los Angeles where I stayed at the Hyatt House at the USC Health Sciences campus on a Free Night certificate. In the adjacent parking structure, there was free Level 2 charging during off peak hours. That was very convenient and a welcome surprise. Errands included picking up pastries at Porto’s and indulging in my annual Tommy’s fix (previous post) on the way back to LAX.

The thing I’ve always appreciated about EVs is that they usually drive well and they have the latest technology inside. They’ve come a long way from my $100/month Volkswagen E-Golf. Polestar is positioned in the market as a Tesla competitor because of it’s swish design and high tech features. The android based infotainment system worked well, especially its integration with Google Maps. It also has Apple CarPlay and that worked flawlessly as well. The seats were comfortable and the driving position felt like a cockpit, a neat trick considering this is a physically large crossover. Storage in the rear was fine and the frunk was a nice touch. The Polestar 2 is fast off the line but the handling was tuned for comfort more than performance, being a bit more splashy than I’d like.

Despite all these positives that enrich the driving experience, I don’t see myself throwing down $60 grand for one. Why not? First, the range was about 290 miles. Considering the price segment that this car lives in, it’s lacking. Second, because of this limited range, it’s a perfect car if you live in San Francisco or Los Angeles which are both built up cities with suburbs on the fringes. Generally, it’s not an issue to find a charger (but finding a working one is a different issue). Try doing a road trip further afield, and you will still run into our old adversary, range anxiety, and the time that it takes to reach an 80% charge using a Level 3 fast charger. Lastly, the Polestar 2 won’t fit in my garage.

Having an EV for a weekend trip makes sense, especially with the price of gas. I spent $9 for charging for going about 250 miles over the weekend. That’s 2 gallons of gas that would have probably gotten me 60 miles at most. I still can’t justify buying an EV over a PHEV…and they’ve gotten better since I had the C-Max Energi almost 10 years ago. Right now, I’m still rolling with my E90 diesel, slicing and dicing Bay Area roads and for now that’s just fine…

However, the new Prius Prime looks interesting. 40 miles on EV mode and about 500 in hybrid mode. How does it drive? Does it have a soul now?