CHILEKASI ADELE: IF IT’S WINTER IN CENTRAL NEW YORK – THAT MEANS IT’S COLD. IT’S WINDY – LAKES FROZEN LIKE GIANT ICE SHEETS…
ROBERT MATTESON: “The range goes down drastically in the cold weather.”
ADELE: AND FOR E-V DRIVERS… IT MEANS MORE TRIPS TO CHARGE THE CAR. ROBERT MATTESON IS AN UBER DRIVER FROM CAZENOVIA… HE’S DRIVES A TESLA — AND WHEN HE’S BEHIND THE WHEEL– THE RANGE DROPS – DRASTICALLY – THIS TIME OF YEAR.
MATTESON: “I’m more likely to charge up outside of home during the winter. During the summer, I almost never have to charge anywhere other than right here.”
ADELE: RESEARCH FROM TRIPLE A SHOWS COLD WEATHER – AND USING YOUR EV’S HEAT OR A-C – STRAINS THE BATTERY… IT COULD DROP THE DRIVING RANGE DOWN BY 41 PERCENT!
MATTESON: “Other people who do this full time – yeah that might be a problem for them. They may have to stop and charge more often than they do.”
ADELE: IF ROBERT WANTS TO CHARGE HIS CAR HERE IN CAZENOVIA, HE CAN DO IT AT HIS HOUSE, OR HE CAN DO IT HERE BY CAZENOVIA LAKE. THE PROBLEM IS, THESE CHARGERS – THEY’RE VERY SLOW. BUT, IF YOU WANT A FAST CHARGER, YOU’VE GOTTA GO 30 MINUTES AWAY TO SYRACUSE.”
MATTESON: “It just requires planning, that’s all. I wish there were more chargers, but there’s not yet.”
ADELE: AND WITH THE LACK OF FAST CHARGERS LIKE THE ONE AT DESTINY U-S-A MALL – EXPERTS SAY IT’S IMPORTANT TO NOT LET THOSE BATTERIES GET TOO LOW BEFORE YOU STEP ON THE GAS… PEOPLE LIKE TRIPLE A’S KORY HOWELL WANT TO HELP – BUT THEY *REALLY CAN’T*
KORY HOWELL: “There’s not much that we can do except for tow you to a local or closest EV charging station, dealerships, things of that nature.”
ADELE: ROBERT ISN’T FAZED, THOUGH – HE STILL LOVES WHAT HE DOES…
MATTESON: “I set my own hours – and half my job is driving pretty girls around Syracuse in my Tesla!”
ADELE: BUT FOR NOW, HE’S READY TO CHARGE UP FOR HIS NEXT PASSENGER. IN CAZENOVIA, CHILEKASI ADELE – NCC NEWS.
