U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm's four-day road trip to tout the benefits of electric vehicles took an unexpected turn when a Georgia family called the police on a gas-powered car in the secretary's entourage that was blocking an EV charging station.
According to the Washington Examiner, the Energy Department's caravan was going to charge their electric vehicles outside a Walmart in Grovetown, Georgia, but there weren't enough charging stations to go around.
NPR reported that one of the four chargers was broken and the others were occupied. To reserve a spot, a staff member parked a gas-powered vehicle by one of the EV charging stations.
Shortly after, a family came to charge their vehicle but was unable to due to the gas-powered vehicle being in the way. Angered that they were forced to wait for the charger on a sweltering day with a baby in the car, the family called the police to report the incident.
"I'm calling because I'm in the Grovetown Walmart at the charging station and there's literally a non-electric car that is taking up a space and said they're holding the space for somebody else," the woman who made the 911 call told the dispatcher in the recording, which was obtained by Fox News on Tuesday. "And it's holding up a whole bunch of people who need to charge their cars."
"There are other people who are waiting to charge and they're still here and they're not in electric cars," the caller continued. "The sign says you can't park here unless you're charging."
The dispatcher then told the woman that a deputy was on the way to handle the situation.
Regardless of the sign, the Examiner reported that it's not illegal for nonelectric vehicles to park at EV charging stations in Georgia. Energy Department staffers were ultimately able to smooth over the situation after they sent other vehicles to slower chargers to make space for both the frustrated family and Granholm.
"It's just par for the course," electric BMW driver John Ryan reportedly said, as he was waiting to charge his vehicle. "They'll get it together at some point."
Granholm's June trip from North Carolina to Tennessee comes as the Biden administration continues to prod the auto industry toward increased production of electric vehicles. In August, the Energy Department announced $2 billion in grants and $10 billion in loans to support automakers and part suppliers as they transition to electric vehicles and components.
Similarly, Ford CEO Jim Farley said he received a "reality check" last month when he took a road trip and tried to charge his electric vehicle at a rest stop in California. According to a video posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Farley said he charged his vehicle for 40 minutes and was only able to get it up to 40%.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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