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Electric cars are the future. Literally.

Whether you want to go green or not, most of us are going to be driving an EV in the next two decades. Automakers are spending billions retooling factories and revamping their fleets to go most or all-electric in the next ten to 15 years, plans fully endorsed by President Joe Biden who wants half of all U.S. auto sales to be electric vehicles by 2030. That’s a massive goal considering the market, including plug-in hybrids, currently stands at about 3%.

One of the biggest barriers to EV adoption is America’s charging network. There are roughly 136,400 gas stations in the U.S., but just 43,800 EV charging stations, according to the Department of Energy. And it takes about 10 minutes to fill your car with a tank of gas but about 45 minutes to fully charge an EV, sometimes longer.

While Biden has pledged to build out 500,000 charging stations across the U.S. by 2030 as part of his $2 trillion infrastructure plan, we are still a long way from there.

So my producer Harriet Taylor and I decided to put California’s charging infrastructure to the test on an 8-hour road trip from Southern California to San Francisco. California accounted for 9% of EV sales in the first quarter and has the largest charging network in America, so it made sense to start there.

We specifically wanted to test anything other than a Tesla, which has the single-largest charging network in the world with 25,000 global charging stations. You need an adapter to use it, but the benefits and wide availability of Tesla’s charging network are generally well known. 

Charging on the road with any car brand other than Tesla is something you don’t hear much about. 

I admit that even as a “car guy” I had a lot of questions about charging, the new terminology, the speed, potential costs and more. 

We rented a brand new Polestar 2, Volvo’s recent entry into the electric car market, from Enterprise. Most EVs have a range, how far it can drive on a single full charge, of between 100 and 300 miles. The Polestar’s range was advertised at 265 miles, but that can change depending on a variety of things: cold weather, driving up or down hills or using the AC, for instance.

I had driven the Polestar 2 on a brief test a few months earlier so was familiar with it enough to feel comfortable on a long drive.  

CNBC

We drove about 60 miles from Enterprise to our first stop at Mountain Pass, Calif., about 15 miles from the Nevada border in the “high desert” at around 5 p.m. on a Tuesday night at 105 degrees.

We had to remove a metal cover from a power outlet at the mine but then we were able to plug in and get to 100% before setting off.

Two initial takes after just a few miles: One, its easy to get anxious by staring at the giant “percent charged” screen (so we turned it off) and two, we had to download a bunch of apps as we learned to navigate the new “range world.”

Source: CNBC

Our go-to became PlugShare, which shows you where charging stations are regardless of who owns them, which network it was on, how fast it took to charge, whether its currently available and, hopefully, a picture so you can see what you’re getting into. 

PlugShare became a favorite because it was brand-agnostic and customers left reviews of their experience. Those reviews were valuable, because we found that many chargers weren’t nearly as fast as advertised and some just didn’t work or were in weird locations.  

The Polestar also has Google map integration that shows charging stations along the route as well as your projected percent charge when you arrived.  We found the charging forecast very accurate, but we think Google could improve the experience by filtering by types of chargers (we had Tesla envy as their stations popped up everywhere).

Stop 1: Electrify America at a Walmart

We rolled into our first stop at a Walmart in Barstow, Calif. It was an Electrify America location, and they had about eight chargers. Only one was occupied — by an Audi eTron — and so we plugged in, hitting the store for the facilities and, honestly, just to walk around in the air conditioning (did we mention it was hot, hot, hot?!). 

Charging took 37 minutes and cost us $13.33.

Brian Sullivan using a charging station in Sunnyvale
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Now, off to Bakersfield.

The drive along Route 58 was fascinating. We passed one of the airplane storage fields along with the Alta Wind Energy Center, one of the biggest wind energy facilities in the world.   It was a gorgeous drive at sunset coming down the mountain with lots of hills along this route. 

Hills matter for the Polestar 2 in two ways: first, up hill seems to burn more charge as the car is under load pulling its own weight up hill, but going down is a win because the car has a system that generates power by slowing the car without braking. So once you get the hang of it, you almost never touch the brake pedal and produce some power while you do it.

Stop 2: The Hampton Inn

We rolled into Bakersfield at 18% charge after covering 135 miles and plugged into Chargepoint system at the Hampton Inn. It only had two plugs but we were the only car there and the night manager said he’s actually never seen anyone use it. It was slow, but free, and we left with an 89% charge about 10 hours later.

The long, boring and hot (did we mention it was hot?) drive straight up I-5 through the breadbasket of California was next.  Harriet had a 4 p.m. flight out of San Francisco airport so we were on a bit of a tight schedule and had to leave time to charge.

Pro tip: when planning a trip, it helps to be relatively good at math to help calculate various charging time scenarios.

Source: CNBC

Stop 3: Electrify America at Shell gas station

The various apps showed us the best possible stop was in Firebaugh, about 140 miles up the road.  There looked to be a few fast food joints and places to get a coffee. And that’s pretty much all it was.  Our Electrify America plug was at a Shell gas station (as many seem to be) with a small convenience store.

Source: CNBC

We grabbed some water and just, well, stood around. It took us 41 minutes and cost $21.93 to get to an 87% charge, and we enviously eyed the Tesla network across the road, where drivers charged more quickly and had shade from the stations’ roof (did we mention how hot it was?).  We went back in to buy sunscreen.

Now, the final leg.  Firebaugh to the San Francisco International airport. Or not. The car’s software indicated we would hit SFO with a meager 5% charge. And since I was continuing on to the city, it wouldn’t be enough. We would have to stop again.  Annoying, but not the end of the world given that we were going to be hungry and we were rolling into Silicon Valley, where charging stations are as plentiful as garlic in Gilroy.  We found a charger near a ramen joint and powered up both ourselves and the car.

I dropped Harriet off at the airport and finished the short ride into the city, arriving near the CNBC studio with a solid 42% charge and a lot of curious looks from drivers wondering what kind of car it was.

Pro tip #2: Because of the hills, SF is the perfect place for the Polestar 2 and its regenerative braking!  

Final thoughts

A long road trip in an EV right now is not impossible, but it’s not ideal. Yes, we know that something like 95% of trips by car are short hops along the same routes: Work, school, store, repeat. 

Electric cars may be the future, but the future needs to speed up. And by that, we mean charging speeds have got to accelerate as quickly as the Polestar 2 at a green light: 45 minutes every 200 miles or so won’t cut it for any family looking to make a longer road trip.

We didn’t see a shortage of charger. Even in the desert we found chargers to use.  There is, however, a shortage of chargers in places you really want to stop. Ultimately, I think the EV play is less about cars and more about real estate.

The more EVs on the road, the more charging stations that will be needed. There’s not a lot of demand for them right now, so charging ports were plentiful on our trip. But just think of 20 cars sitting for 45 minutes or more at a time at a single charging station. That takes up a lot of time and space.

For most people, a new car needs to have utility 100% of the time. Based on this trip, it’s not clear we are there yet. 

CNBC’s Michael Wayland contributed to this article.

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State treasurers ask Tesla’s board (TSLA) to do its job and Rein in Elon Musk

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2 hours ago

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April 22, 2025

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State treasurers ask Tesla's board (TSLA) to do its job and Rein in Elon Musk

Tesla (TSLA) board members have received a wake-up call letter from eight state treasurers, asking them to fulfill their duties and supervise the company’s CEO, Elon Musk.

Will they ignore this warning as well?

There have been concerns about Tesla’s board sleeping at the wheel for a while now.

Their job is to oversee Tesla’s management for the benefit of shareholders, but Tesla’s stock is down almost 40% this year while the CEO is splitting his time between 6 different companies and projects while alienating most of Tesla’s consumer base.

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Yet, the board hasn’t said a word about it.

The situation lends weight to the argument that the board is entirely under Musk’s control, which is the main point of contention in Tesla’s $55 billion CEO compensation case.

Now, eight state treasurers have joined forces to raise their concerns with the board. They wrote in a letter addressed to Robyn Denholm, chair of Tesla’s board:

We are increasingly concerned that Tesla’s recent performance signals deeper governance and leadership challenges that, if left unaddressed, could have serious consequences for the company and its stakeholders. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, Tesla’s stock declined by 36%. The company missed delivery targets, recalled a substantial number of vehicles, and experienced a surge in trade-ins for competing brands. Meanwhile, CEO Elon Musk continues to divide his attention across multiple companies and a high-profile advisory role within the federal government. These external commitments raise serious questions about whether Tesla’s leadership is fully engaged in addressing the company’s core challenges.

In the letter, the treasurers remind Tesla’s board of its duty “to provide strong oversight, uphold fiduciary standards, and ensure that the company’s leadership is aligned with the long-term best interests of the company.”

They are directly asking the board three questions:

  1. How is the Board ensuring that Mr. Musk and Tesla’s leadership team are devoting adequate time and focus to resolving recent performance issues and guiding the company’s future direction?
  2. In light of the company’s underperformance, how is the Board evaluating whether executive compensation remains aligned with shareholder value and corporate accountability?
  3. How does the Board plan to communicate its strategy for navigating this period of uncertainty and restoring investor and public confidence in Tesla’s leadership?

Tesla is going to release its Q1 2025 financial results today, hold its earnings conference call, and have a “live company update.’ Maybe some of these questions will be answered.

Here’s the letter in full:

2025-04-17 Letter to Tesla Board Chair

April 17, 2025

Robyn Denholm

Chair of the Board

Tesla, Inc.

1 Tesla Road

Austin, TX 78725

Dear Chair Denholm,

We are entrusted with promoting the long-term economic health and financial stability of our states and the people we serve. Tesla, Inc. is not just one of the world’s most valuable companies—it is a major player in the clean energy economy and a leading force in emerging technologies such as robotics and autonomous driving. The company’s success or setbacks have significant implications for workers, regional industries, and innovation ecosystems in our states.

We are increasingly concerned that Tesla’s recent performance signals deeper governance and leadership challenges that, if left unaddressed, could have serious consequences for the company and its stakeholders. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, Tesla’s stock declined by 36%. The company missed delivery targets, recalled a substantial number of vehicles, and experienced a surge in trade-ins for competing brands. Meanwhile, CEO Elon Musk continues to divide his attention across multiple companies and a high-profile advisory role within the federal government. These external commitments raise serious questions about whether Tesla’s leadership is fully engaged in addressing the company’s core challenges.

We regularly interact with stakeholders across our states, including institutional investors, industry leaders, workers, and small businesses. We are hearing increasing concern about Tesla’s direction, not only from financial professionals but from those who have looked to Tesla as a leader in clean energy innovation and American industrial renewal. If Tesla falters, the effects won’t be confined to shareholders—they will ripple through regional economies, workforce pipelines, and public confidence in the energy transition.

At a moment when American industrial leadership is facing stiff global competition, it is essential that companies like Tesla are governed with focus, discipline, and clarity of mission. The Board’s role is especially critical now—to provide strong oversight, uphold fiduciary standards, and ensure that the company’s leadership is aligned with the long-term best interests of the company. Public officials like us do not take the step of raising these concerns lightly except when the obvious risks demand it.

We believe the Tesla Board has a responsibility to act decisively to ensure the company returns to a stable and focused trajectory.

We respectfully request the Board provide clarity on the following:

  1. How is the Board ensuring that Mr. Musk and Tesla’s leadership team are devoting adequate time and focus to resolving recent performance issues and guiding the company’s future direction?
  2. In light of the company’s underperformance, how is the Board evaluating whether executive compensation remains aligned with shareholder value and corporate accountability?
  3. How does the Board plan to communicate its strategy for navigating this period of uncertainty and restoring investor and public confidence in Tesla’s leadership?

Finally, we strongly believe Tesla’s Board would benefit from engaging with public sector stakeholders who share an interest in the company’s long-term value and societal impact. We welcome the opportunity to speak further about these concerns and discuss how the Board can take swift and transparent action to restore investor confidence and public trust in Tesla’s leadership and the company’s future.

We welcome a response and the opportunity for continued dialogue.

Signed,

Mike Pellicciotti, Washington State Treasurer
Deborah B. Goldberg, Massachusetts State Treasurer and Receiver-General
Michael W. Frerichs, Illinois State Treasurer
Erick Russell, Connecticut Treasurer
Laura M. Montoya, New Mexico State Treasurer
David L. Young, Colorado State Treasurer
Mike Pieciak, Vermont State Treasurer
Malia M. Cohen, California State Controller

Electrek’s Take

Tesla is a $700 billion publicly traded company that is run like a family business by Musk, who owns just 13% of the float.

The board, which was so handsomely rewarded that it had to return almost $1 billion worth of compensation as part of a shareholder lawsuit, is letting Musk do whatever he wants without any objection.

It’s clear that they have a quid pro quo with Musk, whereby they receive compensation at a rate several times higher than any other similarly sized company in exchange for allowing Musk to run Tesla as if it were his private company.

While I am glad they sent this letter, I doubt that a group of state treasurers will convince Tesla’s board to do anything.

At this point, they are either completely fine with Musk destroying Tesla or they believe his claims about self-driving technology.

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Chevron sees no signs that U.S. is close to a recession, CEO says

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4 hours ago

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April 22, 2025

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Chevron sees no signs that U.S. is close to a recession, CEO says

Chevron CEO Mike Wirth: No signs that we're in or close to a recession at this point

Chevron is not seeing signs that the U.S. is close to a recession even as President Donald Trump’s tariffs weigh on expectations for oil demand, CEO Mike Wirth said Tuesday.

“There’s no signs that we see at this point that we are in or close to a recession,” Wirth told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “There are signs that growth may be slowing and we have to always be prepared for that.”

The International Monetary Fund on Monday cut its growth outlook for the U.S. this year to 1.8%, down from 2.7% previously.

The oil market is expecting reduced demand as a consequence of Trump’s tariffs and the decision by OPEC+ increase production faster than expected, Wirth said. Chevron isn’t changing its capital spending plans in response to drop in prices, the CEO said.

U.S. crude oil prices have fallen about 11% since Trump announced his tariffs on April 2. West Texas Intermediate was last up about 72 cents at $63.80 per barrel. OPEC and the International Energy Agency have cut their demand outlooks for this year.

Wirth said U.S. onshore oil production in patches like the Permian Basin is likely to pull back if prices hit $60 per barrel. Offshore production likely won’t be affected, he said.

“That’s an area where if we were to be at a $60 price or even lower you’re likely to see activity pull back in this sector and you’ll see the production response over a few months,” Wirth said. “That’s what we should watch, not so much the deep water activity.”

Chevron is not expecting a major direct impact on its business from Trump’s tariffs as energy has largely been exempt from the levies, Wirth said.

“The effects that we feel are likely to be more the macroeconomic effects as they flow through the economy,” Wirth said. “The bigger issues would be what would it mean for growth, and global trade and how does that evolve.”

Executives at oil and gas companies were scathing in their criticism of Trump’s tariffs in an anonymous March survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, warning that steel tariffs were raising their costs and low prices could impact their activity.

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Billionaire battle: Bezos’ $25K Slate EV breaks cover ahead of Tesla earnings call

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5 hours ago

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April 22, 2025

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Billionaire battle: Bezos' K Slate EV breaks cover ahead of Tesla earnings call

Slate $25,000 EV from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos

Little is known about super-secretive EV startup Slate, but the fledgling brand is rumored to be backed by Jeff Bezos and determined to shake up the existing electric order with an affordable lineup of compact SUVs and pickups with that golden $25,000 price tag.

Now, at least, we know what it’s gonna look like. The battle of the billionaires is on!

Redditor jonjopop over at the spotted subreddit spotted what looks like an early prototype of an unbranded SUV with bizarre “CryShare” wrap. CryShare, as a concept, seems to combine the functionality of a ride sharing app like Uber or Lyft with the familiar (to parent, anyway) idea that small babies will often sleep better in a moving car than in their own cribs … but that’s not what’s important here.

Instead, focus on the vehicle itself – parked on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Los Angeles without explanation or fanfare, this is our best look yet at the kind of vehicle(s) Slate is likely to reveal in the coming days.

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Stumbled upon the Bezosmobile [Slate Automotive…idk?] being revealed with an absolutely bizarre marketing campaign
byu/jonjopop inspotted

Other local automotive journalists caught wind of the public unveiling, too – and our friends at The Autopian (Hi, Matt!) sent their own David Tracy out on the streets of LA to check it out. Tracy took the following video and posted it to Instagram.

The Slate breaking cover and causing buzz just ahead of what’s sure to be a painful Q1 earnings call for Tesla is a masterstroke of marketing – especially as doubts surrounding the viability of a “less expensive” Tesla Model Y or Model 3 continue to mount amid the uncertainty of Trump’s tariffs and declining sales of the brand’s more profitable models both at home and abroad.

As with so much involving Slate, however, there is nothing here written in stone – or even cast in cheese. Nothing has been announced, nothing is promised, and for all we know this might have more to do with the affordable Rivian brand launch, a new BYD, or be a viral marketing bit from some local Art Center design student in (relatively) nearby Pasadena. In fact, about the only thing I think we can say about Bezos (?) new Slate project with confidence today is this: Elon could probably use that drink.

SOURCES | IMAGES: Reddit, The Autopian.

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