Dave meets “Evy”

Renting a car at the airport used to be so hassle-free. You’d book the vehicle online, walk or bus to the parking lot, and bypass the counter by signing up for the company’s free membership program. All of that still happens, so what’s the difference today? You never know what vehicle you’re going to get, even if you choose the make/model ahead of time. And if you’ve never driven an electric vehicle (“Evy”) before, renting one is a real adventure.

Blame it on my laptop keyboard.  As I pecked my way through a recent Avis reservation, I inadvertently chose “Mystery Car” instead of “full-size sedan”.  Mystery car?  What the heck does that mean?  It means more flexibility for the rental car agency.  “Mystery car” means Avis gives you whatever it feels like giving you from its leftover inventory.  Maybe you get what you wanted.  Maybe you get a luxury vehicle for even less.  Or maybe you get Evy like I did.

I admit, I am not with the times of the latest vehicle technology.  I couldn’t tell you the first thing about operating Evy, let alone how she works under the hood.  So there I stood in the Avis parking lot, faced with the prospect of my first miles behind her wheel.  The rental companies should put a beginner’s guide on the driver’s seat for people like me.  I mean, imagine my hesitation (panic?) when I pushed Evy’s start button and nothing happened?  Something happened, of course.  The engine “started”; it just didn’t make any noise.  Yep, this was going to be a different kind of ride.

My first issue with Evy (or at least, the Genesis I rented) is the inexplicable need to make the dashboard wildly different than a conventional vehicle.  You don’t find the basic needs (ex. headlights, windshield wipers) where you expect to.  I actually considered talking to the vehicle instead of pushing random buttons, especially after my seat suddenly firmed up and vibrated when my I let my posture slip a little (“driver safety feature!”)  Seriously, all I’m asking for is dashboard buttons and levers where I expect them to be.

Once I found a modicum of comfort with Evy, the real challenge dawned on me: I have to recharge her before I go back to the airport.  And this, my friends, proved to be a challenge worthy of reality TV.  Those who already know Evy are welcome to say, “Oh c’mon Dave, it’s not that hard!” but truth be told, my charging station experience was just as daunting as the first time I pulled up to a gas pump as a teenager.

Credit Genesis, you can look up the nearest charging station right there on the dashboard.  The search gave me a choice of three.  The first station was in an Urgent Care clinic parking lot… and wasn’t working.  I’ve read that 15% of EV charging stations don’t work so now I’m a believer (EV Charging Flaw #1).

The next charging station option was in a McDonald’s parking lot.  When I arrived, both slots were occupied (EV Charging Flaw #2 – not enough to go around).  I have no problem waiting in line at gas stations but charging Evy takes a lot longer.  So I chose to drive another mile to the third option, a charger in a bank parking lot.  Nope.  No station to be found from one end of the lot to the other.  Genesis needs to update its locator software.

So back to McDonald’s I steamed went (and not for a Happy Meal, mind you).  The charging stations were still occupied, which begs the question, where do you form a line?  If I parked behind either car I’d be blocking their exit.  I’d also be blocking the McDonald’s drive-thru lane.  The only option was the parking space adjacent to the charging stations, with hopes of quickly maneuvering into an available charger before the next person pulls up (EV Charging Flaw #3).

This story only gets worse from here, so let’s keep it brief.  Once a station was finally available, I pulled in only to realize I had to face the car the other way for the charging cable to reach (EV Charging Flaw #4).  Then I tapped my credit card on the charger, only to find you have to download an app to make the station work; no cash or credit accepted (EV Charging Flaw #5).

Fifteen minutes later (because that’s what it takes when you only have one bar of wireless service – grrrrr) I got the app installed, the charging cable connected without electrocution (in pouring rain), and ta-dah… NOTHING!  Nada!  Zilch!  No “PRESS HERE TO CHARGE” or some other obvious way to get things started.  Instead, by the good graces of my EV-knowledgeable brother over the phone, I learned I had to zoom in on the tiny app map, identify the McDonald’s location of my charging station, and tap it (EV Charging Flaw #6).  Suddenly Evy’s gods smiled down on me through the thunderstorm and declared “Charge”.

To say I was giddy to make it back to the airport a day later without a dead Evy is an understatement.  To say I was the target of a sick joke when my very next Avis rental – same day, different airport – was a hybrid is undeniable.  But hey, at least a hybrid gives you the option of gasoline, so you get to fuel up the “old-fashioned way”.  Which brings me, humbly, to declare Dave Flaw #1:  Get to know Evy very, very well before your life – or at least your transportation – depends on her.

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Author: Dave

Five hundred posts would suggest I have something to say… This blog was born from a desire to elevate the English language, highlighting eloquent words from days gone by. The stories I share are snippets of life itself, and each comes with a bonus: a dusted-off word I hope you’ll go on to use more often. Read “Deutschland-ish Improvements” to learn about my backyard European wish list. Try “Slush Fun” for the throwback years of the 7-Eleven convenience store. Or drink in "Iced Coffee" to discover the plight of the rural French cafe. On the lighter side, read "Late Night Racquet Sports" for my adventures with our latest moth invasion. As Walt Whitman said, “That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.” Here then, my verse. Welcome to Life In A Word.

23 thoughts on “Dave meets “Evy””

  1. You just listed all the reasons I still use gas. I do remember that the last time I rented a car there was a problem with my drivers license — I’d applied for a renewal and instead of getting a new card, I got a slip of paper say that my license has been extended and I’ll get a new card in a few months (got to love California). Well, Avis didn’t want to accept that. Good thing my wife was with me and we were able to get a car.

    Yes, the the care we’d reserved, but at least one that ran on gas.

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    1. You’ve given me another reason to consider switching agencies, Andrew. My cousin uses Enterprise and said he’s experienced none of the surprises I’ve encountered with Avis. May be about time to shake up my loyalty. Been with them for decades.

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  2. I still remember my humiliation when I first encountered a keyless ignition at the rental lot. I needed help getting out of the airport. I could not get my car from hotel check-in to the parking lot without help from hotel staff. I can hardly wait for an electric vehicle.

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    1. So there’s another reason why my EV experience boosted my stress – so much of the vehicle’s operation is not intuitive. It took me forever to find the critical dashboard screen (buried in “Settings”) to give me some sense of the amount of charge left on the battery. A gas vehicle always has the easy-to-find fuel gauge left or right of center, even if it’s a digital display. You’d think EV’s would do the same. Nope.

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  3. I’ve driven a Hybrid before, but not an Evy. How long did it take for your car to charge? Did you just sit in the car for over an hour? I’m not looking forward to this. You certainly need to plan ahead to find charging stations! Glad your brother could help.

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    1. We needed about forty minutes to go from 35% to 85% of the battery charge (and that was after a good hour of the adventure I described in my post). The public chargers are notoriously slow so I can’t claim to be critical about the at-home chargers people have installed. Maybe an EV is a good experience if you own one. Renting one? Never again!

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  5. I have yet to drive an evy, maybe one day, but I don’t think I’ll ever pick “mystery vehicle” ha! Last time we rented a car they said Jon’s license was invalid or something even though he flew with it the day before… it is never easy to rent a car these days.

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    1. I’m glad I made the “Mystery Vehicle” mistake ahead of you, Lyssy. Don’t do it! I’m still trying to understand why anyone would take this approach to renting a vehicle. Pretty sure it was the first choice on the online list so maybe they catch a lot of renters by accident. But the person who makes this choice deliberately has a way different mindset than me. You can bet I’ll be double-checking my choices on future rentals!

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  6. Wow, what an ordeal Dave. I have not driven in an Evy, nor driven one. I like keeping things as simple as possible as to cars … well everything actually. 🙂 When I got my current car in 2009, driving home with the turn-by-turn navigation the car salesman had turned on so I could see how it worked, left me wanting my 18-year old car back. I couldn’t figure out how to turn it off. Live and learn!

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    1. You and me both, Linda. On my last vehicle purchase, in 2016, I asked if the in-dash GPS add-on could be removed (no). As far as I’m concerned, the simpler the dashboard the better. Bring back shifting on the steering wheel! Punch-in radio presets! Crank-down windows! 🙂

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      1. Even with a 15-year-old car, I had to deal with the car door buttons going up and down on their own and they had to be replaced. Now it appears the alarm works because it flashes on the dashboard, but if you try to open the door it doesn’t do anything. I had to have the buttons replaced at $400.00/button as they had to take off each door – it’s a four-door. It was just as easy to reach around and push the button down IMHO. In my Pacer, I opened the window on a bitter cold day at the drive-thru bank and the handle fell off – oops!

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      2. I love that you had a Pacer, Linda. You’re the only (former) owner of one I know. I was hooked on them before I was driving age, and by the time I could afford one they’d run their course.

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      3. I had my beige Pacer from 1977 to 1988. It had cream-colored seats with an American Indian tapestry design and it was like riding in a big bubble since the hatchback was all glass. It fishtailed in the snow – that was not a wonderful feature and I had to get two gas tanks as it rode low on the ground. 🙂

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  7. “seat suddenly firmed up and vibrated when my I let my posture slip a little” Okay, wow. That’s actually something I would appreciate. I wish my desk chair did that! But also, wow again. Controlling much, car?

    So, I’m glad to have read this to gain some knowledge because I haven’t the first clue about driving an “evy.” But also, now that I have read this, I have a sinking feeling that I will need this info someday–probably not someday soon enough for me to remember what all you’ve written here. I could search out your post, but I’ll probably have terrible service, and it will take 15 minutes to find. 😉

    Arg. I feel for you! Thank goodness for the hybrid next!

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    1. When the steering wheel vibrates because you drift a bit, I’m okay with it. When the seat starts to close in on my body, I’m not. Invasion of personal space! More importantly, scared the heck out of me (kind of like a giant blood pressure cuff). For heaven’s sake, at least warn me about these so-called safety features!

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      2. I’m not sure what the thinking is with seat compression but I’m not a fan of any function that just starts happening without the driver knowing about it. Been a long time since I’ve used the word “startled”.

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    1. I’m glad to hear the rental car companies are parting ways with Evy, Nancy. In all seriousness, unfamiliarity with the operation of an EV is a serious road hazard. As much as we renters should take 15-20 minutes to understand the vehicle’s operation before ever putting it in gear, we don’t. We have places to be, right?

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  9. Welcome to the new automotive world! They shouldn’t have sprung that on you with requesting it. Last summer I bought a plug-in hybrid, a great compromise. I can charge it overnight at home and only get gas every couple of months if I’m just local driving. I often don’t bother to charge on the road on road trips. It’s just easy enough to let the gas kick in and gas stations are much easier than charging stations… so far. Maybe it will all switch at some point.

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