To the Editor:
I had an incident that recently happened to me and I feel compelled to share so others are aware. This could happen to any of us, and maybe already has.

On Aug. 11, I was flying from California to Albany. There was a flight delay that caused me to miss my connecting flight.

In an attempt to still make it home, I picked a flight into Logan International in Boston. I rented a car from Dollar Rental Car (part of Hertz Rental) to drive from Logan Airport to Albany.

At 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 12, I picked up the rental to find it was an electric vehicle. I don’t own an EV and know nothing about them. I wasn’t happy about this being assigned to me and was told it was all they had.

It was only 3/4 charged and said it could go about 208 miles. Google maps told me it would be 189 miles to get home. When I went back to the counter to express my concern, I was told I would make it. It was a full electric car as well, with no gas generator back-up.

I didn’t make it. With the steep terrain on the interstate, the battery life quickly drained to less than I needed to complete my trip.

After only 40 minutes, I had to get off the interstate and attempt to find a charging station, which luckily I did. I had no idea where I was, it was 2 a.m., and I didn’t feel safe. After an hour charging, I still didn’t have enough but I needed to try to get closer to New York.

It said it would take about seven hours to fully charge. Within another 30 minutes of travel, I was at 20 miles of charge left with 60 miles left to get home.

I pulled into the rest area at Lee, Massachusetts where I was able to find a charging station that had a sign “Inoperable.” With the help of Siri, I found another off the next exit on a county road in Canaan, and that one too was inoperable.

Now I was below 20 miles of charge, the red light indicator was on, and I had no idea where to charge it. I made it back to a truck stop where I parked and called the rental roadside assistance.

I made them call for a tow and bring it to Albany Airport rental return. I had to call my father to drive an hour one way to get me and bring me home. What should have been an easy two hour, 45 minute trip took over seven stressful hours.

EVs might be great for daily commuting, persons who live in urban or residential areas, or those who don’t travel too far from home. But clearly for long trips it’s inconvenient, costly, and unsafe.

I was told yesterday afternoon by a Hertz representative that almost half of their rental fleet are EVs and consumers don’t really get a choice. I wish I knew that before I booked the reservation.

There was no screening when I made the reservation. I wasn’t asked how far I would be traveling at one time. The agent at Logan Airport didn’t explain anything about EVs, how to charge one, what level it needed to be at when I returned it, or how much it would cost if it was charged after I returned it.

And never once was I asked if I wanted additional insurance or roadside assistance. I’m now disputing the tow charge of $240 plus the whole rental cost. I am beyond furious with this whole incident.

I feel it’s important to let others know about what happened. What if it were winter and there had been no heat to stay warm? What if I were traveling with small children or an elderly parent that needed medication? There are too many “what-if’s” to even list.

I am aware of New York state;’s plan to switch to only EVs beginning in 2035. Why? What is the plan that is in place for charging along the interstates for longer trips? How are situations like mine going to be avoided?

What is going to happen when everyone realizes it was a terrible idea to force EVs on the consumers? How are trucks that tow or haul goods going to be able to “fuel” in a timely manner to continue deliveries? What exactly is the plan for the thought process that EVs are going to save the world?

I hope my incident can shed some light for those who really think that EVs should be the only solution for motor vehicles. If you plan on taking a trip in an EV or are renting a car for travel, be aware that this could be you -— stranded with no way to recharge. 

Tracy Mance 

Guilderland