By Steve Dinnen
So maybe you just bought an electric vehicle. Now where do you “fill it up” with enough electrons to get around town or hit the road for a vacation?
Gasoline stations and electric charging stations don’t seem to come together. While there are nearly 3,000 gasoline stations in Iowa, the Iowa Department of Transportation estimates there are only 270 public stations for EVs. So you might have to hunt a bit, especially if you drive a Tesla, which uses a proprietary charging plug.
Luckily, most EVs come with onboard computer packages that map where to find stations. Chargehub.com shows the locations for Level 1, 2 and 3 stations for EVs, including Teslas, along with details about which nearby charging plugs are busy or available.
If it’s range you want, the California-built Lucid tops the charts by lasting up to 516 miles on a single charge, but its base price is $139,560. The second-best range goes to the Tesla S, at 405 miles. Other cars that can last 350 miles or more include the Tesla X, Hyundai Ionic and Mustang Mach E.
Charging at home is sloooow if you just plug it into your nearest outlet. But you can get an overnight charge with the Level 2 charger; most dealers will install them if you buy their car.
