Among growing pains with electric vehicle technology, extreme weather is the worst environmental offender. It can produce a significant drop in driving range, which increases the cost to operate the vehicle.

After years of being praised as the answer to the quest for green and clean mobility, the reality is that the performance of battery-powered vehicles is inferior to regular cars. EVs have a litany of problems ranging from too few charging facilities to issues surrounding the cost, crash rating, and performance of the vehicles that may take years to resolve. It is a stark reminder that widespread acceptance of a transformative technology like the EV can take decades, or possibly never happen, in a society that’s happy with the gasoline car.