West
I was stranded in an EV at midnight. Progressives don't want you to know about my nightmare
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It only takes a weekend trip to a wedding two hours outside of a big city to realize this country is nowhere near ready for the Democrats’ clean energy revolution. It’s too bad they’re unwilling to accept reality.
Democrats are pushing us toward an America powered by wind, solar, and other green alternatives to gas, oil, and coal. It makes us more reliant on electricity. But as I detail in my book “What’s Killing America: Inside the Radical Left’s Tragic Destruction of Our Cities”, the eco-reality favored by the Left is lightyears ahead of our reality.
A major piece of the Democrats’ clean energy revolution is a mandate towards electric vehicles (EVs). At least 13 states, including Washington, California, New York, and Virginia, plus D.C., mandate new car sales to be EVs by 2035. The goal is to convert everyone to electric — by force. But to date, the country only has 168,426 charging stations, with a goal of 500,000 by 2025. A lot of good that will do. The International Council on Clean Transportation says the U.S. will require 2.4 million charging stations by 2030 (which includes at-home, public, and workplace) based on EV market trends.
BIDEN’S EV INSANITY JUST GOT EVEN WORSE
Last week, Hertz rental cars made headlines for ditching its EV fleet for more gas-powered vehicles. I lived their reason, learning a harsh lesson about our weak EV infrastructure while driving to a wedding in Cle Elum, 90 minutes east of Seattle.
I don’t own a car, so I rented one from Hertz. I was dubious of the EV they gave me, but I had no choice: they rented out the gas-powered car that I reserved and I was out of options.
As I drove to the wedding venue, I was nearly glued to the dashboard, watching a dwindling battery percentage. Just when I thought everything would be OK, I encountered hills. EV batteries do not like hills.
When I arrived at the venue, my dashboard said the battery would only last 43 more miles. I needed double that to make it back to Seattle. From the vows to the post-ceremony dinner, I was panicked, downloading apps that mapped out the nearest EV power stations, hoping I could make this work.
EVS SIGNIFICANTLY LESS RELIABLE THAN GAS-ENGINE CARS, CONSUMER REPORTS FINDS
There was a nearby EV plug-in location with a dozen open spaces — for Teslas. I wasn’t driving a Tesla. Without a standard EV plug, if you don’t have an adapter, you’re out of luck. The closest location compatible with my car was a diner in the middle of nowhere, 30 miles away.
I nervously headed out, watching the battery react to every hill, and every press of the gas pedal. The car misled me about how far I’d get. After 30 minutes, I had 9.5 miles to the charger and a battery that could handle 17 more miles.
WINTER WEATHER PRESENTING EV OWNERS WITH ‘FRUSTRATING’ CHALLENGES
Pro-tip: when driving an EV, do not make any mistakes — like missing a poorly lit off-ramp to your plug-in station on a highway where the next opportunity to get off and head back is two miles away (and two miles back), when your battery has only about one mile left to give. I was forced to pull over, cruising to a stop in the middle of nowhere. The battery had died as I was pulling off the freeway. Moments later, the lights and heat went out. It was pitch black and about 30 degrees.
I don’t know if you’ve ever tried getting a tow truck to pick you up in the middle of nowhere, but it turns out they will accept your business, quote you $300, and say they’ll pick you up in 20 minutes only to tell you 45 minutes later that they are canceling.
After two hours of mostly yelling at Hertz customer service and cursing the lack of EV infrastructure in the state, I got an Uber after two hours of waiting. A driver named Hussein took pity on me and agreed to pick me up. He couldn’t arrive soon enough. My cell phone battery hit 13%, and, as with my EV, I had nowhere to plug it in.
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When the Uber arrived, I abandoned the EV. It was now Hertz’s problem. I got home, $108.91 later (plus a generous tip). This is your future in the Democrats’ EV world.
In Washington state, relatively straightforward transit projects take years and are always over budget. Does anyone think any state can install the hundreds of thousands of charging stations needed for an hours-long ride? Even the large urban areas with Democrat-controlled government aren’t installing charging stations at large scale. And can we even afford it? Washington State is spending $41 million to install just over 180 charging stations. As of September 23, the state only had 1,820 charging stations. Is the technology advanced enough that the current charging stations, with clunky and heavy plugs, will not need a major upgrade within the next decade?
FILE – Man pushing stranded Tesla in Chicago in frigid winter temperatures (‘Fox & Friends’ screengrab)
We’d better start embracing staycations because road trips are out of the question. Forget long drives to see medical specialists. And you better not forget to plug in each night or you’ll find yourself without a battery juice when driving home from work.
The battery technology isn’t where it needs to be to make EVs worthwhile, and the prices aren’t low enough for most families to comfortably purchase (you can thank Bidenomics for that). Yet Democrats continue to force EVs on us.
Even if the infrastructure existed, our power grids couldn’t handle it.
Temperatures in Washington state hit historic lows this month and our power grid wasn’t prepared. As temperatures dropped to 17 in Seattle, Puget Sound Energy, the state’s largest supplier of electricity and natural gas, asked customers to lower their thermostats and limit the use of hot water to “reduce strain on the grid.”
Our grid couldn’t handle a weekend of below-normal temperatures. But we should expect it’ll handle a near future of EVs? Heaven forbid it get cold when our cars are plugged in.
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San Francisco, CA
San Francisco sets $3.4B price tag for public takeover of PG&E
Acquiring the land, rights and equipment needed for a public takeover of PG&E will cost nearly a billion dollars more than San Francisco had previously offered to the utility, according to the city’s newly revised estimate submitted to state regulators.
The new $3.4 billion valuation comes after the city had twice offered PG&E $2.5 billion for the utility’s assets, starting in 2019. Both times, PG&E officials dismissed the offers as too low. The utility has yet to make a counteroffer, however, maintaining a public takeover isn’t in the best interest of the utility or its customers.
In a filing to the state Public Utilities Commission on Monday, San Francisco PUC head Dennis Herrera said the new value is part of the city’s “century-long goal of providing electric service throughout San Francisco.” Herrera cites “consistent problems with PG&E’s service” as a factor in the city’s effort.
In December, there were seven blackouts alone, city officials say, including one triggered by a circuit breaker fire in the Mission substation that left parts of the city without power for three days during peak holiday shopping season.
According to Herrera, the $3.4 billion value is in line with an investment banking analysis that sets a value range for the utility of between $3.1 billion to $3.6 billion. The new value, Herrera says, is based on a final detailed accounting of PG&E’s assets and property and includes the undisclosed bid to acquire PG&E’s Martin substation that feeds most of the city’s power. Documents suggest consultants valued the facility at between $170 million and $370 million.
The city’s two previous offers for PG&E’s grid in the city didn’t include buying the facility in San Mateo County, near the Daly City border with San Francisco. Under the plan, the city would buy the station as well as pay separately to build a smaller PG&E substation next door to the Martin facility to serve PG&E customers outside San Francisco.
The new value accounts for 67 miles of underground transmission lines in the city, as well as more than 1,000 miles of underground distribution lines and 480 miles of overhead distribution lines. The value includes 50,000 enclosed vaults and other enclosed structures, 38,000 power poles, 17,500 switches and other electrical devices, as well as communications and control centers, spare parts and system records.
The cost of buying the land and property rights from PG&E would be about $600 million.
San Francisco’s bid to break up with PG&E and provide public power appears to be gaining momentum. Jaxon Van Derbeken reports.
PG&E – which has long cast doubt on the city’s ability to run its grid in San Francisco – said in a statement: “Our assets are not for sale, and a government takeover in the city would be extremely expensive and raise rates for San Franciscans for decades.”
The company says regulators will require the city to pay for everything from wildfire mitigation, energy efficiency programs and subsidizing rates for low-income customers – and that will mean higher, not lower rates.
The city’s bid, it says, “has grossly underestimated these costs.”
The utility adds the city’s estimate for its assets and property “lists a value billions of dollars below fair market value.” The city price estimate, the utility says, doesn’t factor in all the various costs of separating from PG&E’s grid.
“PG&E will thoroughly review CCSF’s filing and plans to submit its own testimony in October 2026, as the CPUC has directed,” the company said.
Small business owners and residents from San Francisco’s Sunset District on Monday said they plan to file a class action lawsuit against PG&E.
Denver, CO
Motorcyclist seriously injured in Denver hit-and-run crash – AOL
DENVER (KDVR) — Denver police are investigating a hit-and-run crash involving a motorcycle on Tuesday evening.
The Denver Police Department reported that the crash also involved a motorist and happened at East 9th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard.
The motorcyclist was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
Police did not release any description of the suspect vehicle.
Denver police said drivers should expect delays in the area.
This is developing news.
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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
Seattle, WA
Brock: 2 drafts fits at edge rusher for Seattle Seahawks
After months of build up, the Seattle Seahawks are less than 48 hours from being on the clock for their first pick of the NFL Draft, as long as they hold on to pick No. 32 in the first round.
Seahawks Draft: A mid-round edge rusher with elite length
While the offensive line has long been a need for the Seahawks in drafts, this year running back, edge rusher and cornerback are among their top positions of need.
Former NFL quarterback Brock Huard highlighted a pair of players who could help bolster the Seahawks’ edge group as he continued his draft profile series Tuesday during Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.
In this edition of Huard’s draft profiles, he looked at Michigan edge rushers Derrick Moore and Jaishawn Barham, who also played on the same team together in high school at St. Frances Academy in Baltimore.
Huard pointed to the connection head coach Mike Macdonald, a former Michigan defensive coordinator, and many members of his coaching staff have to the Michigan program.
“They know these guys, they know them inside and out,” Huard said. “They typically like they’re Michigan men, and these are two physical guys that have all the attributes you’re looking for on the edge.”
The high-floor pick
Moore is coming off a decorated four-year career at Michigan where he piled up 24.5 tackles for loss, 21 sacks, eight passes defended and three forced fumbles in 53 games.
This past season, the 6-foot-3, 255-pound Moore totaled 10.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and two forced fumbles while earning first-team All-Big Ten honors.
“I think this is a pretty fair quote about him: ‘Unselfish, well-rounded, high floor.’ Is he a high-ceiling guy? Not as much as Barham, but he’s a very high-floor guy,” Huard said.
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah has Moore ranked as the No. 65 prospect in this years draft. ESPN has him ranked 60th.
“He is just your fierce, tough, edgy, productive (player),” Huard said. “He played in space a little bit more. They are field-boundary scheme at Michigan at times. He’s been more of the field rusher, more against your left tackle. And (he’s) just got more in the tool bag… He’s been a defensive end. He’s pretty well versed in it. He’s going to have a bigger tool bag, I think, than both Boye (Mafe) and Derrick Hall had, and he’s going to be a second, late-second-round (pick). Rugged, tough Michigan guy.”
The high-ceiling pick
Barham spent his first two college seasons at Maryland, which included earning Freshman All-American honors in 2022, and transferred to Michigan in 2024. He played linebacker at Maryland and in his first season at Michigan before making the move to edge for his final college season.
In 12 games at a new position in 2025, the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Barham amassed 10 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks.
“Jaishawn Barham is a little bit more of a wild card, and one of the scouts that was quoted in some of the prep for this said he may bloom with the right coaching,” Huard said.
Huard recalled seeing Barham as a freshman at Maryland while he was doing color commentary for FOX and being in awe of how physically mature he already looked.
“I remember being on the field, as a freshman, looking at him going, ‘There’s just no way. There’s no way humanly possible that that guy played high school football the year before,’” Huard said.
Jeremiah has Barham ranked as the No. 77 prospect in the draft. ESPN has him ranked 88th.
“He is a higher ceiling guy you’re going to have to coach up,” Huard said. “He doesn’t come with years and years and years of experience on the edge.”
Seattle Seahawks NFL Draft coverage
• An under-the-radar Seattle Seahawks need Brock Huard sees
• NFL Draft: What – and who – Seahawks could get by trading back
• Why Hasselbeck says Seahawks are in great spot to trade back
• Seattle Seahawks open to trading top pick for bigger draft class
• A player Seahawks could trade for another draft pick
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