Audio of a 911 call made when U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm’s staff were blocking an electric vehicle (EV) charger has been released.
This week, NPR reported that Granholm’s recent four-day road trip from North Carolina to Tennessee encountered an unforeseen problem when a member of her advance team used a gas-powered vehicle to block an EV charging station in fear that her caravan would not be able to recharge when they reached their destination. As a result, a couple with a baby called the police, claiming that the parked car was preventing people from charging their vehicles.
“I’m calling because I’m in the Grovetown Walmart at the charging station and there’s literally a non-electric car that is taking up a space and said they’re holding the space for somebody else,” the woman said to the 911 dispatcher. “And it’s holding up a whole bunch of people who need to charge their cars.”
“There are other people who are waiting to charge and they’re still here and they’re not in electric cars,” she continued. “The sign says you can’t park here unless you’re charging.”
A police officer did eventually respond to the call, but no police report was ever filed. NPR reporter Camila Domonoske, who accompanied the caravan, said the trip highlighted some of the issues faced by those who wish to take long trips in electric vehicles.
“I drive an electric vehicle myself, and I’ve test-driven many more as NPR’s auto reporter. I know how easy it can be to charge when everything goes well and how annoying it can be when things go poorly,” wrote Domonoske. “Riding along with Granholm, I came away with a major takeaway: EVs that aren’t Teslas have a road trip problem, and the White House knows it’s urgent to solve this issue.”
The NPR report further said that the entourage “at times had to grapple with the limitations of the present. Like when her caravan of EVs — including a luxury Cadillac Lyriq, a hefty Ford F-150 and an affordable Bolt electric utility vehicle — was planning to fast-charge in Grovetown, a suburb of Augusta, Georgia.”
“Her advance team realized there weren’t going to be enough plugs to go around. One of the station’s four chargers was broken, and others were occupied. So an Energy Department staffer tried parking a nonelectric vehicle by one of those working chargers to reserve a spot for the approaching secretary of energy,” it said.
Paul Roland Bois joined Breitbart News in 2021. He also directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. A high-quality, ad-free stream can also be purchased on Google Play or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.
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