Stranded! …or so I thought

I guess I gave it away in the title: no, I didn’t have to call a tow truck. However, for the first time in my EV driving experience: my plan wasn’t going to work, I didn’t have a backup, and I didn’t know how I was going to get home.

How did it happen?

I was traveling to a part of Western North Carolina heavily impacted by Hurricane Helene. It was truly impressive to see that one of my absolute favorite charging spots managed to open up just a few weeks after the storm had passed—even while Old Fort, NC itself was still largely unrecognizable.

This access made supporting Western North Carolina possible for me. So, when I rolled into town with only 33 miles left of remaining range on the dashboard, I was completely shocked by what happened next.

The charger screen was lit up and everything appeared fully functional, but my Shell app wouldn't connect. I then noticed an EV Connect sticker slapped onto the station layout, but that app wouldn't authorize the session either. Two charge stations, two separate mobile apps, and the exact same frustrating loop. I finally pulled away from the stall feeling completely defeated, walking into Hillman's Brewing - which is exactly why this has become my preferred charging destination—to meet a buddy and map out my next tactical moves. As I walk in, I tell him: “I’m Stranded!”

How can an EV charge station be online, but not online?

Since there was an EV Connect sticker on the hardware, I decided to give their support line a call before throwing in the towel and accepting my slow-charging fate. They answered promptly, explaining that this specific station was not actually active on their public roaming network and was currently privately owned.

Without any additional context or clues on how to activate the hardware, I am left to assume that the infrastructure is in the middle of transitioning from one network provider to another, leaving it temporarily dead to the public. Many of these stations are owned by independent third parties who buy into a franchise model run by national charging networks, creating these weird operational gaps. This particular one is actually owned by the CatawbaVale Collaborative which is a partnership of non-profit organizations focused on economic development in Western, NC, including some of the organizations I had come to Old Fort to support that weekend.

Plans B through Z

The nearest alternative DC fast charger is located in Morganton, exactly 33 miles away. Personally, I don't implicitly trust guessing the remaining range on my dashboard—especially when climbing up and down steep mountain highway grades. When the computer says I have just enough juice to match the exact distance to the destination, I need a safety buffer to feel secure.

I knew there was a Stuckey's just two miles away equipped with a standard Level 2 slow charger. My plan shifted: I could head over there at the tail end of my weekend, awkwardly hang out and charge for an hour or two, spend another hour topping off at the fast charger in Morganton, and finally head home. Okay, with a solid backup plan in place, maybe crying "Stranded" was a bit dramatic. I calm down, order a club sandwich for dinner, and create a few more plans.

A Helping Hand

I was volunteering at Camp Grier with the G5 Trail Collective, and these great people were gracious enough to lend me a lifeline. On a 110v outlet, I was only able to add 27 miles in about 24 hours! This pretty much doubled what I had when I got there, and gave me the buffer I needed to get to the fast charger. They also agreed that it would be a good idea to put some chargers in, so I’ll keep an eye out for that on my next trip out there to help out.

Thankfully, I found a lifeline through some of the local groups. I was volunteering at Camp Grier alongside the G5 Trail Collective, and rthese fantastic people were gracious enough to lend me a vital lifeline. By plugging into a standard 110v outlet on their property, I was able to steadily accumulate enough energy over the course of the weekend to completely erase my range anxiety for the mountain trek home. They also agreed that it would be a good idea to put some chargers in, so I’ll keep an eye out for that on my next trip out there to help out.

See my Instagram Post for more from the G5 Trail Collective volunteer weekend.

What I missed

When Sunday wrapped up, I left Old Fort with plenty of battery capacity to comfortably reach Morganton, but curiosity got the best of me and I decided to pull into the Stuckey's parking lot anyway. What I discovered there made me feel incredibly silly: a line of brand-new, ultra-fast Electrify America charging stations boasting up to 350 kW speeds!

They even featured two pull-through style stalls designed specifically to accommodate vehicles hauling trailers—a brilliant layout choice that I had honestly never seen deployed before. If I had just driven two miles down the road initially, I would have avoided the headache entirely. Ultimately, it was a fantastic reminder that change is constant; the infrastructure is expanding faster than the apps can keep up with! I can hear my middle school teacher: “When you assume, you make an ass out of you and me.”