I drove an EV for 5 hours through 4 states – the car was missing a life-saving feature but new tech now solves the issue

ON a couple-hours-long drive from New York City to Washington DC, my eyes darted back and forth between my destination's distance and my EV's battery range.

I took Nissan's Ariya EV SUV out for the long-distance haul - my range anxiety took center stage during the 200-mile trek.

After several successful shorter trips with other EVs - namely the Tesla Model Y, the Ford Mustang Mach-E, and the Hyundai IONIQ 5 - I decided to test out the Ariya in November 2023.

From what I saw before renting the SUV, it was beautifully appointed with a sleek exterior, including the illuminated front fascia.

I hooked up my Apple CarPlay and got off to the races.

That was a mistake.

Moments into my ride, I noticed the battery range was getting sapped on New Jersey's highways faster than anticipated.

I turned to desperate measures.

The car's cabin kept getting hot, but I refused to turn on the air conditioning. AC can dwindle battery range.

I shrieked into the Apple's voice commands that I needed to find a Level 3 charger - my phone sent me to a station that hadn't been built yet.

Eventually, I was able to find a fast-charging station on my route.

A 20-minute charge allowed me to stop for a bathroom break, grab food, end my heart palpitations, and wipe my sweaty palms.

At that moment, I realized how far EVs had to go before truly offering a comfortable driving experience for all motorists.

But in March 2024, I revisited the Ariya on the cushy carpeted floors at the New York International Auto Show - this time in the comfy confines of the air-conditioned convention room - and found driver tech that is a much better solution than my seat-of-the-pants charging solutions.

Inside the Ariya's infotainment systems, drivers can ask the car to calculate the destination.

The Nissan will find destinations along the route's map and suggest charging stations during the ride.

The update will save drivers time and stress. It will also pre-condition the battery, allowing the car to charge faster at the stations.

The infotainment-based update has become ubiquitous in the EV world.

Rivian trucks feature a similar system that lets drivers choose how many miles of range they want at the end of their route. Tesla infotainments have historically suggested the brand's Supercharger network on the navigation screen.

NISSAN ARIYA REVIEW

Here's what Ben Shimkus, Motors Staff Reporter for The U.S. Sun, thinks about the Nissan Ariya...

The line between luxury and sustainability is elegantly blurred in the Ariya.

The car has some of the cushiest seats wrapped inside a well-designed, sleek exterior.

The SUV glides over bumps in the road. Road noise is canceled inside the cabin. The stereo system is awesome.

For all its beauty, the Ariya also encapsulates some of the biggest issues facing EVs.

The interior has capacitive buttons - a controversial tech that rids physical levers for digital-feeling controls.

Ariyas boast a sub-$40,000 base price. But entry-level models have just over 200 miles of range.

Higher-range models will put customers back somewhere in the mid-$40,000 to $50,000.

Still, if drivers are looking for a comfortable EV for around-town drives, this is the car for you.

Other Hyundai, Kia, Ford, Chevy, and Toyota EVs have similar tech.

As the EV brands continue to use the navigation guidance, public charging options are becoming less of a problem for EV drivers, too.

The federal government set aside $5 billion in the Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA, for states to implement Level 3 fast chargers along public roads.

The billions are supposed to build the "backbone" of EV infrastructure, the White House said in a statement.

While public projects continue to break ground, Tesla opened up its Supercharger network for non-Tesla drivers for the first time.

Previously, the network was only compatible with Tesla vehicles, but now the company has begun contracting with other car manufacturers to provide power supply.