The Sad Reality of owning an EV *Except Tesla’s 

As a fellow EV owner I agree with Strad, the price of these fast chargers make owning them not financially beneficial anymore and the time wasted is ludicrous

I'm feeling your pain on this one! Sophia is a trooper for sticking through it, so sorry for you guys and the nightmare experience. Pricing of charging, the time it takes, the likelihood it doesn't work... the chances that this can be made to work for everyone in only a decade from now; almost zero.

A 22 minute video!? Props to you Strad for getting the good content man. 👏

Looked at all the EV’s and went with Tesla because of their charging network. Glad you guys are safe!

I don't think Sophie stopped smiling the entire time. Way to go!

Shoutout to Soph for flying to take those shots, true determination

A 22 MIN VIDEO?!? it is our lucky day for sure. I don't know if it is just me but everytime James is with Sophia they both look really happy which in turn makes me happy, best channel on youtube in my opinion, just positivity from these videos and just brings me a lot more joy! Always a good day when James uploads. Lots of love to you both, love yall!

If i went through anything like what you experienced with an EV I would be putting it up for sale the next day! That was pure 100% b.s.

haven’t seen a 20+ min vid from James in times, you should make your vlogs a bit longer like this one!

Strad, imma be honest with you. 1) this was probably one of the better videos I’ve seen. Maybe because I feel like I can relate to having crappy luck. And 2) you gotta keep a women who will walk 2 miles in the literal freezing cold and seem to enjoy it. Well done my man! Keep it up! 🙌🏼👍🏼

I'm trying happy for Stradman. The long waited Stradgirl is just perfect for him! Kudos James.

I have found Tesla Superchargers consistently reliable. I might encounter a single stall that did not work, but I could just pull over to the next one, and it worked fine. However, third party charging stations have been extremely hit-and-miss, with almost a 50% failure rate. I am really thinking Tesla's opening of their Supercharger network to other EVs will be what it takes for electric cars in general to go mainstream.

I love how happy and supportive Sophie seemed through this whole thing, I’m so happy for both of them

You and Sophie genuinely look happy together and that makes me happy

I guess you could be thankful for all the bonding time you got with Sophia haha that’s definitely a trip y’all won’t forget fs 😂

You're not the only one who's had issues with the Hummer EV. Watch TFL's sad saga and all the issues they've had with it. I think it had to be towed twice and the 4WD system stopped working in Moab.

Shoutout to Sophia for the adorable bubbly attitude. She seems like a real trooper. My ex got grouchy and terrible from a simple hotel issue after a 6 hour car trip. Her attitude made the whole issue worse for everyone.

Every decision in James life led him to this moment…Sophia has made this channel that much better! Also, next video prediction, James will be selling the Hummer EV 🤣

I love how positive Sophia is! Strad she’s a keeper!

It’s crazy how different of an experience you can get just by not having access to the supercharger network. I just completed a 5000 mile road trip to Wisconsin and back in my Model Y with zero charging issues at all. Didn’t matter that I drove through a blizzard with 35 mph winds in near sub zero temperatures, pulling into each charging station with 5% or less each time for the fastest charging. I was able to be 100% confident in the supercharger network, and in the ability of my Tesla to charge. An average stop for me during this trip was 15 minutes, and it cost me half of what a gas car would’ve cost. Other EV manufacturers are just so far behind on so many fronts it’s crazy.

As a Tesla owner, this video made me appreciate the supercharger network so much more. It's nuts that other manufactures are spending all this time building EVs but not the chargers in order to support them.

Thank you for being the only automotive RU-vidr that does what you should do with a truck and give it smaller wheels and bigger tires instead of the other way around.

22 minute vid?!!!! God blessed me today🙏😇😇thank you stradman for uploading when you do, you really bring a genuine smile to my face and I absolutely love the videos:)❤️❤️🙏🙏

I feel your pain Stradman. Ran into the same situation with my mach-e. Quickest trade in for a Tesla.

This is one of my favorite vlogs of yours to date. The scenery is unbelievable, and the camera work and editing are outstanding. Also, the wrap on the hummer looks amazing. To be honest, I'm amazed you titled this video as you did because there was so much more in this video than I expected.

I was not expecting you to do that in a Hummer EV LOL

Stradman is such a character I love it! “If I roll don’t hit stop, just keep recording!” 😂😂😂

Thank you for sharing this experience with people. I owned an EV for 2 years (in a very EV friendly city) and found that over the years the charger eco system actually got worse, not better. A lot of the chargers around my city began to stop working and with more people now own EV's, the chargers that do work are always occupied. I cut my losses and went back to a gas engine.

The editing is amazing and this vlog is so raw and in the moment I love it, its also one that thousands of us can relate to with shitty days bad string of luck. One of my favorite vlogs ever.

Just realised that this video is longer than usual due to the EV madness. 100% love the longer videos!!👍🏽

Sucks to see this happened, but was awesome to see how Sophia kept her spirits up and was able to keep a smile on about it all! You guys made the best of a shit situation!

There’s a lot of cool other EVs out there, but you cannot convince me to give up my 10 year old model S for any of them. The supercharger network is amazing and it saved me so many times.

I'm usually indifferent to the new wraps, but this one looks incredible!

The way Sophie looks at Strad and just smiles. God bless them.

I don’t ever comment on your vlogs but this is probably your best one thus far, we need more like this… it’s honest and doesn’t feel the least dramatized like your other ones, PLEASE GIVE US MORE OF SUCH!!!

This was the best vlog of yours I've seen in years. Beautiful shots of Moab, interesting insights on EV power networks/ vehicle compatibility, less dramatized shouting and an upside/exploratory attitude about a clearly aggravating ordeal. Others have already said it but more of this would be amazing.

These are the days you look back in your relationship and laugh!! Looks like Sophie is a keeper!!

Glad it's finally official to public. I have loved seeing you guys together so far and I hope your relationship is prosperous.

Ending a Saturday with a Stradman video is always a delight

I’ll stick with gasoline

This trip is the type of trip that is absolutely miserable at the moment. But when you look back at it, it will be a great story and fun memory. Thats exactly what life is all about

Stradman "I am terrified right now.." Sophia "I can hear you." 😂

I honestly love the way it looks, now they just need to put a Duramax in it and they will actually sell a bunch of them 😂

Feel sorry for electric car drivers and future owners. They will simply have to learn the hard way .. as I did. These things are a huge hassle, all those lost hours sitting in those charging stations, huge anxiety, plus a outrageous expense in the long run. Good luck trying to sell a used Electric car with wore out battery modules. You'll find out nobody wants to pay the ridiculous price of batteries ... Batteries are very ... very expensive to replace ( thousands and thousands of dollars) ... and make no mistake, you will be replacing them. These batteries are highly toxic to our environment and a constant concern for fire, also a high potential for disaster to our surroundings. These new specialized automotive grade batteries ... are not green clean energy by any means... Don't fool yourself and certain don't listen to a manufacturer or salesperson, ... they will say anything, do anything to make a sale . I wish I knew all this before I bought my car . For some of you younger people, you probably already made the mistake, but that's how you learn in life !

haven’t seen a 20+ min vid from James in times, you should make your vlogs a bit longer like this one!

Love the fact Sophia is in more videos- y’all are awesome together

Insane! This is why Tesla currently has a stranglehold on the EV market. Crazy that the major manufacturers havent collaborated to solve this problem. Also, Hummer is super sweet, but a 200+kWh battery has its drawbacks. This new model also has a crazy amount of first gen problems.

Who are you yelling at bro?

As the owner of 2 Teslas the idea of getting so excited just to see your vehicle charging is literally unbelievable. Vids like this will sell more Cybertrucks than any advertising.

Thank you Stradman for being honest about how horrible the electric car issues are. We are not there yet.

One of my favorite Strad Videos I’ve seen. I love the raw/problematic footage and just watching him go through it and put it to the test was very entertaining

You have a real one in Sophia, 90% of women would have been visibly annoyed or at least vocal about how shit the situation was. She just took it like a champ man, wife her up lol

Well this definitely made for an incredible story, that James is going to tell his grandkids every Christmas.

easily one of the best vlogs to date. I live the wrap color, Moab is beautiful, and i love that you kept it real throughout. as a bonus, props for making it official and going public with sophia! you guys are both a lot happier around each other, she stayed happy and supportive through that whole experience, she a keeper strad👏

It's not the destination, it's the journey that makes the memories. The fact Sophie still smiling means you found a keeper... Would've been a boring video if you just drove there and back with no issues anyway haha

And...this is exactly the reason why I, personally, will wait another 10-15 more years before contemplating going electric. Good luck to you all going through these nightmares. Hopefully in the next 10-15 years these things will be worked out and range improved.

Hopefully Strad gives an update on why his Hummer was showing the high charge error (hopefully not caused by low coolant for the battery) , crazy time 23 hours to get home, would be interesting to know the mileage in 23 hours.

Excellent video!!! Actually showing people the truth about ev anxiety and the pain and expense you sometimes have to deal with. Of course you have a smile on your face through it all. You have a beautiful girlfriend with you and a great career as an exceptional RU-vidr.

After using 3 different charging stations that aren't working, I think the problem has to be the hummer. It seems so unlikely that many stations have failed in a row. The odds are astronomical. It's as though nobody has serviced them in years.

I believe You have to go to a dealership to program the Hummer to work with new size tires, TFL Channel Hummer EV also keeps breaking everytime.

Such an amazing video made from such unfortunate circumstances. Sophia is a keeper for sure, the whole video was just so beautiful and made my bad day feel so much better. Thank you for that. Girlfriend confirmed! So happy for you both

$771 for a tow?!? 😳 How do you own like a dozen cars and not have a AAA tow card? That’s an essential part of being a car guy!

When the CyberTruck hits the road, it will certainly put all these other EV SUV's/Trucks to bed with " HOLD MY BEER!!!"

Wow! Beautiful video by both of you! You saved me $150k, because your prior Hummer EV vids won me. But without consistent and predictable charging, the Hummer EV turns into a nightmare. GM should pay your tow bill and hotel. So glad you made it back safe!

When you walked up to the hotel in the snow, tired and cold, and all those Tesla superchargers were lit up like Christmas…. 😂 That’s good content right there!

You’re raising a lot of good points about the EV “life”. This video should be shared so that weaknesses with the underlying infrastructure are a) acknowledged and b) addressed

Good to see Hummer keeping true to their legacy. That being inefficiencies & high maintenance. It may had been cheaper to modify a Tesla. Would you please repeat this test with the CT?

I like how Sophie was so supportive of the situation, you 2 are perfect for eachother

God blessed us with a 22 minutes video from Stradman! enjoyed every minute of it

The way you kept a good attitude throughout this experience is phenomenal.. I would've had it towed back to the dealership and traded it in right there on the spot haha

Yea, sadly nothing but Tesla has a good charging network and even then, so many downsides of EV's. I feel like EV's are the old tech and Gas is the new and better tech.

I have a feeling that a simple hard reset of the vehicle could have saved them. You'd be surprised how many EVs I've done a hard reset to clear error and get them running again.

I felt their pain in this one. Once or twice a week, I go through this this with my ID.4 as well. The infrastructure is just not ready. Right now there are only a few EVs on the road compared to other cars, and yet the infrastructure is already not coping. To think that carmakers are about to start rolling out multiple new EV models each from this year onwards just fills me with unbearable dread! Things are about to get insanely worse.

as horrible of an experience that might have been for you guys, its one of those things that sticks to your memory and you never forget about it and down the road you look back on it fondly and laugh. luckily everything turned out fine in the end but damn what a wild adventure that mustve been 😂

It takes me 3 minutes to fill up my truck 😊 and there are gas stations everywhere. Imagine buying an EV… what a nightmare

You cannot convince me to go electric 😫. This is wild. Glad you made it back home safe!

Check your Instagram DMs! Also, the discrepancy between mileage shown on the screen, and the distance you're able to drive actually is because of the larger tires (In addition to the ride height). Larger tires increase braking and off-road performance, but they're heavier and they increase drag. For an EV with the spec differences you mentioned, the difference in efficiency could be 10-15% less.

I bet that TRX is looking quite smug right now! Don't sell it yet!

Hummer efficiency is crazy low. 41 kilowatt can only do 60 miles? That is more than 160 on my model 3. Guess it only get 1.5 miles per kW vs 4.2 miles on my model 3. That car will cost more than gas for sure.

Thanks for bringing this to light. It is sad that the government will boast about how many charging stations there are but as we see from your experience that's not the whole story. Great video

Strad never disappoints, He is living life and inspiring others as he started from just an Audi TT.

There should be a class action lawsuit against GMC

I'll take an E-Ray Corvette with an electric AND a gas engine. Sophia is such a good sport 😂.Does the dealer have a 30 day return policy? 🤣🤣🤣

HE SAID IT! It’s official. Way to go strad! Y’all are a great couple. Love the Hummer!!

that hummer looks sick. love the combo of the wrap and wheels 🔥

This was a fantastic video, love this longer vlog style. Your videos always lighten up my days and seeing you happy with Sofia is just awesome. You deserve all of the success more than anybody.

On ICE trucks, bigger tires will impact your range, so im sure the same applies to EVs. Your chick is a REAL trooper, Dude youre winning

Sad you went through this. I like this video. It encapsulates my former experience with an EV, almost on a daily basis. Most of the time, the problem was the charger (I think). It’s a slim chance finding one that works. Usually not having enough range to find another charging station is another issue. Then you add up the hours of your life wasted waiting for it to charge; then add the expensive cost of charging. Then getting it towed, blows away any cost savings of EV life. …It seems like (besides Tesla), the EV world is in the Atari-generation-stage of technology.

Man watching this was frustrating because I have charging issues at times and it is always a vehicle issue. I kept thinking, "Don't Hummers come with On Star?" Just contact them and they can run a diagnostic on your truck remotely to figure out the issue. My thought is, definite warranty claim.

Another RU-vidr had the same issues with the Hummer when he took it out to Moab. He ended up resetting the hummer and all the issues went away. Including being able to lower the ride height.

The problem you have is you bought a hummer. And you didn’t do your homework before your trip. When you buy toys at least read the instruction manual before you play with your toy or try looking at RU-vid how to use it with how many followers you have you should at least get your information, correct thank you.

I have said since their inception, EV's are awesome for running around..... not even a consideration for roads trips though. Great video though man, way to persevere, you guys are troopers!

People think I'm being a Tesla fanboi when I discredit the reality of any EV that doesn't have a Tesla logo. I can't tell you how many times I spoke to an iPace or Leaf driver that had been waiting 4 hours to continue their journey with no other solutions. Thank Strad for showing the actual experience.

James, to clear errors on your EV hummer you need to unplug the 12v battery in the Frunk. The will help rule out whether the chargers or hummer is the problem. I also recommend you watch TFLoffroad RU-vid channel they experienced similar issues(even more) with their Hummer EV.

Looking forward to your Cybertruck version of this video. I assume you will be getting one

Love your content brother. Thank you for entertaining us 🤙

Next vehicle for sale… Hummer EV! 🤣 I loved this vlog. Shows that the infrastructure and cost is not anywhere near where it needs to be to go full EV yet.

Absolute eye opener for EVs.

You were the reason for the charging issue, not the charging stations. You were the issue with the range, not the hummer. Your math with regard to the charging cost, I'll just say this video has a ton of fake news. I hope people don't take this video seriously.

Great content. It would be cool for your channel and TFL truck to do a PodCast or video discussing the issues you all experienced with the EV hummer.