Iraan Energy House was a worthwhile detour. We had fun exploring a tiny town that had a charger. We were approached by a 10 year old boy wanting to talk Tesla with us. Takeaway: younger generations (even in remote towns) are already interested in EVs and think they’re cool.

Visiting with Tony Reyes, an engineer at El Paso Electric (giving us a tour here). He talked to us about EPE’s plan to expand their fleet of EVs and the electric motors on their crews’ bucket trucks. Takeaway: Utilities can think outside the box when it comes to vehicle electrification. The electrified bucket trucks help create a safer working environment by reducing noise.

Realizing we needed to turn around 20 minutes (see here) outside of Midland to go back to charge. We probably could have made it to the next charger, but reached our comfort threshold and didn’t want to risk being stranded. Takeaway: Range awareness played a key role in our trip, but even with extensive planning, you will likely experience range anxiety at some point.

Electric pickup trucks will be a game changer! Almost everyone we spoke to mentioned this as a factor for increasing adoption in Texas. Right now, the model pickings are slim (Rivian anyone?). We expect when there are models with more utility function available, EVs will be more attractive to Texas drivers. Oh, and one more thing, so maybe top 6? The trip would have been much more difficult and taken longer in any other type of EV. Tesla has the most robust infrastructure network in place, and the supercharger network is extremely convenient. Thanks for joining the ride! 💗