I learned firsthand yesterday why rental car companies are abandoning their electric vehicle fleets. I arrived at an airport with a rental car reservation -- for the wrong date (my fault). No problem -- there is an EV car available, a Tesla.

I've driven a couple Teslas before, and -- after struggling to start the thing -- I really enjoyed this one. But when I got to where I was going... I could not find a place to charge it. (This was in a major city known for its "progressive" policies.)

I found one garage, which told me it only allowed people with monthly parking passes to charge. I found another, which seemed to have reserved its chargers for their own rental cars (other chargers existed but were hard to reach).

I found another garage with a charger, but it did not fit my Tesla. Eventually I realized there was an adapter in the glove compartment, but that didn't work, either -- or, quite possibly, I didn't know how to connect the thing properly.

I called a friend with a Tesla for advice. He told me there were Tesla chargers in another nearby garage. I went to that garage and could not find the chargers. I began to panic about running out of charge as I was looking for a way to charge.

I called the rental car company, and spoke to a sympathetic guy who said that he has spoken to many frustrated customers with the same problem, and that this is why the rental car companies are selling their large, pricey EV fleets.

I finally returned to my hotel, where I promised the concierge a hefty tip if she could figure out the problem for me (she had initially recommended several of the original places I had tried). She also went on a wild chase -- for hours.

I could have deferred charging until the following morning, but then I would have been taking a risk, and I would have had to carve out at least an additional half hour from my day to allow the car to charge enough before returning it.

We have two problems here. One is an infrastructure problem: there are not enough chargers. The "Inflation Reduction Act" spent billions on building a national EV charging network; after two years, it has built EIGHT stations.

The other problem is an engineering problem. Charging takes a lot longer than filling your tank with fuel. Time is money. Time is also stress. I missed out on an hour of socializing with friends while I ran around looking for a Tesla charger.

EVs are for people with chargers installed in their own homes, and regular commuting routes that will not require unexpected detours. It is not for long-distance drives, or fun trips through the country without a specific plan.

Cars represent freedom. Driving an EV feels like the opposite, after the first few minutes of fun. You are totally reliant on a network, which means, in effect, relying on government. Some people are OK with that. Most will not be.

Update: a friend points out that the "relying on government" argument is a bit flawed. Maybe I just lacked access to adequate private charging stations. (The argument about the long time to charge, and the short range, stands.)

I think he's right -- and I am reminded of another friend who uses his Tesla to stay completely off the grid, because he installed his own solar panels and batteries at his home, so he doesn't need to rely on gas stations, either.

That's great -- if you can afford it, and if the government or the utilities don't charge you to generate your own power. I really can see a Tesla as the ultimate libertarian system -- but perhaps only for the wealthy.