Efficiency Maine is working to make ‘range anxiety’ a thing of the past

BANGOR, Maine (WABI) - Maine hits another milestone for electric vehicles.

Although more car manufacturers are making electric vehicles, some people are still hesitant to buy one.

One big reason is range anxiety.

Folks are concerned their vehicles don’t enough battery power or there aren’t enough charging stations to get them to their destination and back home.

Efficiency Maine is working to ease those fears.

New, fast charging stations are open to the public at the Irving Oil station on Odlin Road in Bangor.

This celebrates the continued progress on Maine’s charging infrastructure, helping Mainers choose electric.

“I think people think range anxiety is they make more of it than what it really is. Personally, I personally drive an EV every day, and I had range anxiety for a couple weeks, and I quickly got over it. It’s really not that much of an issue. I would highly recommend anyone that’s even a little bit curious about EVs to just go drive one. I mean, every dealership, every brand has one available now. There’s tons of different makes and models all the way from pick-up truck to compact vehicle, SUV, everything in between,” said Kim Cotta, Darling’s Automotive Group Fixed Operations Talent Development manager.

Instead of charging vehicles in two to three hours, these stations will charge vehicles in 20 to 30 minutes.

And, they’ll charge different brands.

“I think when people are planning their trips, they might be taking into consideration where they’re going to eat, where they’re going to shop, what hotel they’re gonna stay at. They might be basing those decisions on the availability of chargers. So, I think the more we can add here in Maine is it’s just that much better not only for the people in Maine but for tourism as well,” Cotta added.

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