Desert Messenger

May 18, 2022 www.DesertMessenger.com 17 Quartzsite Elementary School District #4 Students of the Month APRIL 2022 Asian Fusion ~ Downtown Parker LOCATE US! WEST 14TH STREET (1317 S Suite C Joshua Mall) Fresh Soups Vegan Choices Curries deescurry.com Mon-Fri 10am-7pm • Sat. 10am-2pm STUDENTS OF THE MONTH MOUNTAIN QUAIL C AFE 928-927-8890 & Gift Shop 500 N. Moon Mt. Ave., Quartzsite (corner of Moon Mt. & Quail Trail) B-10, Main St. Moon Mountain X Quail Trail N Hwy. 95, N. Central MOUNTAIN QUAIL NOW OPEN 7-7 EVERY DAY! Welcome Back Visitors! Kindergarten – Emma Ledesma 1st Grade – Maddison Moraga 2nd Grade – Cayson Valencia 3rd Grade –Jaylynn Brown 4th Grade – Emmah Morales 5th Grade – Lukus Sariano 6th Grade – Jacob Stewart 7th Grade – Ashley Kozak 8th Grade – Amalia Fabian Are there really enough electric vehicle chargers? (StatePoint) Electric vehicles (EV) are becoming commonplace. By now, you've probably seen a Tesla, the Ford Mustang Mach E, Chevy Bolt or Nissan Leaf on the road at least once. Maybe you've even heard about newer models like the Rivian R1T pickup and the Toyota bZ4X cross- over. And chargers? Yeah, you've probably seen them at highway rest stops or store parking lots. Now, you may be wondering if it's time to go electric. One big question you may have before trading in your gasoline-powered car is: how easy will it be to fi nd a charger? The answer will be based on your individual circumstances, needs and driving habits. But here are three things to keep in mind. No. 1: Most Charging is Done at Home. This may be the biggest change new EV owners experi- ence. Few, if any, have had a gasoline pump in their garage. But the vast majority of EV owners will install an electric charger for convenience and economy. It's one of the great opportunities of EV ownership, as well as a stumbling block. Installation is a major up-front expense, averag- ing around $1,200, according to some national surveys. But your true cost could be between $500 and $2,000, depending on hardware, permits, electrician fees and needed electrical upgrades. However, you'll be saving on energy costs. A good rule of thumb is you'll be spend- ing about half as much on electricity versus what you spend on gas now. A typical driver would save enough to cover the installation in two to three years. More carmakers are working home-charging so- lutions into EV purchases. For example, Toyota recently announced it's partnered with Charge- Point to allow purchase of its home charger at the dealership, and line-up of a qualifi ed electri- cian through Qmerit. No. 2: Charging Stations Are Not Gas Stations. Often consumers think commercial charging stations will eventually be as widespread as today's gas stations. But this assumes charging stations will be used the same way. The reality is that we may not need as many chargers as most charging will be done at home. Charging time is also important to consider. Today's public chargers might take 30 minutes or more to charge enough electricity for you to resume your trip, compared to the fi ve minutes or less at the gas station. While charging, vehicle owners will want something to do. That's why charging stations built around shopping or din- ing destinations, like malls and town centers, may become more common. You'll be able to take a break, eat or shop while your EV charges. No. 3: There's a National Network of Chargers, and More Are on the Way. According to the De- partment of Energy, there are currently more than 45,000 fast-charging stations nationwide, with multiple overlapping national networks under development, mostly funded by private companies. Tesla has by far the largest network with more than 1,200 U.S. charging stations (up from about 100 in 2014). Electrify America, a subsidiary of Volkswagen, is aggressively build- ing out its network, with 673 stations operating now and 136 in the planning stage. The best way to fi nd a nearby charger or plan a long-distance road trip is with an app like PlugShare, which calculates distance to stations and tells you if in- dividual chargers are currently in use. To help bolster EV owner confi dence, the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package passed by Con- gress in November includes $7.5 billion to ac- celerate building the charging network. It focus- es on building along highway corridors to ease long-distance travel. President Joe Biden has announced a goal of building 500,000 chargers to accelerate the transition.

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