The (R)EV Diaries - EVs in Rural America Electric Cars - Electric Vehicles-logo

The (R)EV Diaries - EVs in Rural America Electric Cars - Electric Vehicles

Technology Podcasts

Electric Vehicles are everywhere. All major car manufacturers, from the highest-end performance brands to the lowest-end utilitarian family wagons, are working to produce an EV option for the marketplace. Battery capacity breakthroughs and concept cars shrouded in secrecy dominate the news. Here in America, public charging infrastructure is popping up… in big cities where consumers are realizing they can electrify their commute and save 70% on fuel costs. But what about small-town America? Ben Jones, an electrical engineer for an distribution cooperative in southeastern Kentucky believes so. He’s been exposed to EVs and charging infrastructure projects for his utility. Ben believes that EVs need to be in every town and the right combination of battery range and charging options make electric cars very attractive to rural inhabitants. But that was not always the case. The EV Diaries chronicle Ben’s conversion from skeptic to being a self-appointed EV ambassador. He talks about h

Location:

United States

Description:

Electric Vehicles are everywhere. All major car manufacturers, from the highest-end performance brands to the lowest-end utilitarian family wagons, are working to produce an EV option for the marketplace. Battery capacity breakthroughs and concept cars shrouded in secrecy dominate the news. Here in America, public charging infrastructure is popping up… in big cities where consumers are realizing they can electrify their commute and save 70% on fuel costs. But what about small-town America? Ben Jones, an electrical engineer for an distribution cooperative in southeastern Kentucky believes so. He’s been exposed to EVs and charging infrastructure projects for his utility. Ben believes that EVs need to be in every town and the right combination of battery range and charging options make electric cars very attractive to rural inhabitants. But that was not always the case. The EV Diaries chronicle Ben’s conversion from skeptic to being a self-appointed EV ambassador. He talks about h

Twitter:

@evdiaries

Language:

English


Episodes

Carmathema

2/9/2024
a·nath·e·ma /əˈnaTHəmə/ noun Something or someone that one vehemently dislikes. car·math·e·ma /car MATH amuh/ noun The reluctance of people to do basic math regarding EV ownership (which is anathema to me). Kentucky now has an EV tax in place supposedly to offset waning revenue from the 26 cent per gallon gasoline tax. A spokesman for EvolveKY, an … Continue reading "Carmathema"

Duration:00:43:06

Pay Me No Mind… I’m Just Over Here Chillin’

1/31/2024
We are back. Welcome to 2024. We recorded this episode on January 22 in the middle of a polar vortex. As you can see, it took me (Ben) a while to get it posted. I do apologize and hope to do better. Every day is an adventure, huh? In mid-January, our part of the world … Continue reading "Pay Me No Mind… I’m Just Over Here Chillin’"

Duration:00:43:56

EV Diaries After Dark: The Electric Adventures of B

12/22/2023
Today, we have a cool episode. Brent had never been in my BMW i3. He had not driven an EV other than the Chevy Volt belonging to the co-op. We thought it was high time that he experienced something new. Join us as we cruise around town on a rainy day and do bad impressions … Continue reading "EV Diaries After Dark: The Electric Adventures of B"

Duration:00:56:31

CYBERTRUCK: Rise Of The Machine

12/10/2023
After years of waiting, the Tesla Cybertruck is here. The trucks are finally rolling of the production floor and into the garages of the people that made their reservations when it was first unveiled, assuming they still wanted it. It occurs to us that despite the long wait, people are still intrigued by the unusual … Continue reading "CYBERTRUCK: Rise Of The Machine"

Duration:01:00:20

WHAT THE TRUCK???

11/14/2023
Not going to lie- I’ve been a little discouraged about the EV news lately. Sure, new models are coming out every day. New breakthroughs in battery construction seem just over the horizon, but I have found myself inundated with seemingly bad new. First, I found myself in a conference where a very influential member of … Continue reading "WHAT THE TRUCK???"

Duration:00:39:09

Here We Are… Sell To Us…

10/25/2023
Last week, Kentucky announced the first round of National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure grant recipients. Sixteen projects submitted by six entities are now funded with $10.9 million in tax payer dollars. While I agree this is good for EV promotion and adoption, I was a little dismayed when a map of said projects showed an obvious … Continue reading "Here We Are… Sell To Us…"

Duration:00:50:57

Road Trip Problems Follow-Up: Playing Follow The Leader (Hint: Tesla Is The Leader… For Now)

10/6/2023
Is Tesla really that much better or just that far ahead? Elon Musk and his engineers did not invent the electric car. Steve Jobs and his engineers did not invent the cellular telephone. So why are Tesla and iPhone synonymous with EVs and cell phones? They’re not the only manufacturers, right? I think the biggest … Continue reading "Road Trip Problems Follow-Up: Playing Follow The Leader (Hint: Tesla Is The Leader… For Now)"

Duration:00:53:31

Road Trip Problems: Just Get Mad… That Helps. 🙄

9/28/2023
Patience is Cumbersome. That pretty much sums up this entire episode in three words. As we resume our discussion of the road trip recently taken by the Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, the author of the NPR article, Camila Domonoske, makes her arguments for why non-Tesla EVs have a “road trip problem”. First, she sees … Continue reading "Road Trip Problems: Just Get Mad… That Helps. 🙄"

Duration:00:45:06

Road Trip Problems: Don’t You Know Who I Am?

9/20/2023
Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, set out on a whistle stop tour of the south east to promote EVs and EV adoption recently. Embedded in her caravan was an NPR reporter, who, like Madame Secretary, is a long time EV owner. The four day trip covered several stops for town hall style meetings from Charlotte, … Continue reading "Road Trip Problems: Don’t You Know Who I Am?"

Duration:00:24:24

Those Taxing Questions That Keep Us Up at Night

9/11/2023
At 9:30 AM, the meeting started. Brent was attending in person and I remotely from my kitchen. Unbeknownst to me, Brent was supposed to be in the first half and I was supposed to be in the second half of the day long informational session. These things are typically conducted in a less than artful … Continue reading "Those Taxing Questions That Keep Us Up at Night"

Duration:00:52:30

“Biggest Scam of Modern Times”?

8/28/2023
This episode is based on a Canadian F-150 Lightning owner and his bad experience on a recent road trip. More accurately, it is a discussion of a “hit piece” put out by Fox Business trying to tarnish electric vehicles’ worthiness in the marketplace and dissuade readers from purchasing EVs. It’s not the first time Fox … Continue reading "“Biggest Scam of Modern Times”?"

Duration:00:50:28

So, What Is Your Reason?

8/18/2023
Last week we discussed the BMW tweet where they called everyone “boomers”. We found out after the fact that the article was almost two years old but we thought the question they asked was still valid and relevant- “What’s your reason not to change?” After much thought, the answers to such a question are varied. … Continue reading "So, What Is Your Reason?"

Duration:00:33:20

Screw It! Let’s Go To Buc-ee’s.

8/14/2023
An article came to our attention that we thought was recent only to find out that it was from Fall 2020. That being said, it was a good article regarding a marketing campaign that BMW launched to showcase their new EV line up, replacing their previous offerings of the i8 performance hybrid and the i3; … Continue reading "Screw It! Let’s Go To Buc-ee’s."

Duration:00:32:17

At 6 Years Old, My BMW is Still A Head Turner…

8/2/2023
This episode is just a wrap up of EVolveKY’s EV education event hosted in conjunction with the Laurel County Kiwanis Club. There was a bevy of EVs from A to Z (Nissan Ariya to many other Zero emission vehicles.) Ben and Brent discuss their impressions and take aways from the event.

Duration:00:39:12

Don’t Say “Lambo” If You’re Not From Wisconsin

7/18/2023
It’s the end of an era. Lamborghini, one of the most iconic sports car companies ever, after 60 years of business, has announced they will no longer be making strictly internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Instead, they will focus on electrifying their fleet starting with the Revuelto plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). Interestingly enough, Revuelto … Continue reading "Don’t Say “Lambo” If You’re Not From Wisconsin"

Duration:00:38:46

Are Electric Vehicles Going The Way of the Dinosaur?

7/7/2023
EVs are the “in” thing. Most manufacturers are scrambling to get electric models to market. Some are dipping their toe into the water. Some are going full-blown cannonball from the 10 meter platform into the EV pool. Five or six years ago when I (Ben) began educating myself on EVs, I was part of a … Continue reading "Are Electric Vehicles Going The Way of the Dinosaur?"

Duration:00:49:12

Tweet Others As You Would Like to be Tweeted

7/3/2023
Today, we are discussing Elon Musk. The guy is a freaky genius and looks at the world differently than most. His contribution to the EV world is his legacy (that, and PayPal… SpaceX… etc.), however his controversial take over of Twitter may tarnish the way history will forever look at him. Like him or hate … Continue reading "Tweet Others As You Would Like to be Tweeted"

Duration:00:29:25

What If The World Was Made of Legos?

6/24/2023
A startup called Ample is working with Fisker to create battery exchange stations for EVs that would rival traditional gas stations in speed and convenience. They can be constructed quickly and may be a better use of taxpayer dollars going toward infrastructure were it not for one thing: A lack of standardization in the EV … Continue reading "What If The World Was Made of Legos?"

Duration:00:37:07

Is an Asian Witch Hunt Costing Us Better Batteries?

6/10/2023
The United States Department of Energy awarded 20 companies government loans totaling $2.8 billion to boost battery production in the United States. Texas-based Microvast was one of those companies and they announced plans to build a $500+ million dollar facility here in Kentucky which would create more than 500 jobs. Kentucky joined the cause offering … Continue reading "Is an Asian Witch Hunt Costing Us Better Batteries?"

Duration:00:27:02

A Tale of Two Hummers: It Was the Worst of EVs, It Was the Best of EVs…

6/2/2023
If I told you the Hummer EV was less efficient and produced more greenhouse emissions than a Tesla Model 3, would you be surprised? If I told you the Hummer EV was less efficient and produced more greenhouse emissions than a gasoline powered Chevy Malibu, would you be surprised? Today, we look at what probably … Continue reading "A Tale of Two Hummers: It Was the Worst of EVs, It Was the Best of EVs…"

Duration:00:42:43