Making the switch to an electric vehicle is supposed to be a breeze according to proponents.
But going electric is filled with nothing but headaches.
And a social media influencer revealed this painful reality about electric vehicle ownership.
TikTok personality became a star talking to drivers
TikTok star Daniel MacDonald picked up more than 14 million followers on the Chinese-controlled social media app with a simple gimmick.
He would go up to the drivers of high-end luxury cars and ask them what they did for a living.
MacDonald has interviewed celebrities like President Joe Biden while driving an electric vehicle, Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary, actor Mark Wahlberg, and Ford CEO Jim Farley.
A car aficionado, he told Fox News Digital that he owns a used 2019 Tesla for driving around Los Angeles, California.
And even in electric vehicle-friendly California, he’s had problems with it.
“There’s still some issues with the [mileage] range,” MacDonald explained. “I think that’s probably the primary issue that a lot of people have. I feel like Americans in particular, we like to go on trips, we like to travel far.”
Americans want a vehicle that will let them take a road trip.
“America needs a car that can allow them to go to Yosemite if they want to go. And essentially, the root of the problem is the charging networks,” MacDonald added. “And Tesla is far ahead of everyone else.”
Even Teslas have challenges that come with ownership
The TikTok star said that he originally bought a Tesla because it was a “status symbol” with its high price tag and cutting-edge technology.
But he’s running into problems like charging, jump-starting, and towing the popular electric vehicle brand.
“If you don’t have an at-home charger, or your apartment doesn’t have one, then you have to every couple of days literally physically get in your car, drive to a station, and then wait for it to charge,” MacDonald said. “I liked it a lot more when I had accessible charging. Now it’s kind of a pain.”
He added that he lucked out by having a supercharger about half a mile from where he lives but said not everyone had that luxury.
MacDonald explained that he dealt with a nightmare scenario when had to jump-start his Tesla after he left it sitting.
“I often travel for various shoots and whatnot, and sometimes I’ll be gone for several weeks at a time, and sometimes my Tesla will just sit there and lose battery while I’m gone . . . So that happened one time when I was in my garage, I’m next to my charger, this was when I used to live in my old building that had a charger . . . but when it dies, it won’t even allow you to charge it,” MacDonald explained.
He said he called Tesla but the automaker told him he was out of luck.
“I don’t know why they were kind of hiding this information, but I look up online through various sources a way to potentially jump-start the Tesla, and I jump it, and then it actually does turn on after I leave it going for a little bit,” MacDonald continued. “But then I had to go bring it in for service because something messed up with the battery. So it’s either you have to tow it, or you have to bring it in for service.”
Because of the car’s immense weight from the electric battery, it cost him nearly $1,000 to have it towed.
The reality of owning an electric vehicle isn’t anything like supporters would have people believe.
