When Kip Silverman bought his first electric car in early 2024 — a brand new Hyundai Kona EV — he was hoping to reduce his carbon footprint and save money on gas.
But Silverman, a resident of Portland’s St. Johns neighborhood, soon learned that filling up his battery was a much bigger challenge than filling up a gas tank. Fast chargers, which can get a battery up to 80% full in about 20 minutes as opposed to hours, can be hard to find.
Silverman recalls driving from charging station to charging station to find a spot, but they were all taken. Finally, he found an open charger in a New Seasons supermarket parking lot and was able to plug in…