Winnipeg family abandons EV truck halfway to Chicago after faulty charging stations leave them stranded

The owner of a 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning Lariat electronic vehicle (EV), Dalbir Bala, is claiming that EVs are the "Biggest Scam of modern times" after he was forced to abandon his truck on a family road trip from his home in Winnipeg to Chicago because of faulty charging stations. 

In a letter posted on Facebook, Bala described how he paid $115,000 on the Truck in addition to thousands of dollars more installing chargers, explaining the cost is "not justified." He said, "EVs are only good for limited urban use, as a second car. but expensive second car..!"

He went on to say that there is a "lack of adequate charging infrastructure for EVs" and that free stations take up to 12 hours to charge, but the cost of using an L1 Fast charging station is higher than gas. He also noted that you can't trust them to be reliable enough to be taken on recreational trips. 

In describing his road trip to Chicago, it took two hours for his truck to charge at the first stop and cost $56. On the second stop, both charging stations were broken. He ultimately decided to have the truck towed to the local dealership and rented a gas-powered car to finish the trip. 

Bala told Fox Business that he purchased an EV because owning one is "responsible citizenship these days," and that he purchased a truck because he wanted to be able to use it for recreational activities.

He added that the government needs to do more to "provide consumers with the right information." Bala added, "People have to make the right choices. I want to tell everybody to read my story." 

"Do your research before even thinking about it and make a wiser choice," he said. "The actual thing they promised is not even close. Not even 50%. And once you buy it, you're stuck with it and you have to carry huge losses to get rid of that. And nobody is there to help you." 

Ford told the outlet, "This customer's experience highlights the urgent need to rapidly improve access to public charging across the US and Canada." It continued, "Ford's EV-certified dealers will install public-facing DC fast chargers at their dealerships by early 2024, providing alternative charging options to those available today. Ford was also the first in the industry to gain access to over 12,000 Tesla Superchargers for Ford drivers."

Last month, Ford Motor Company's second-quarter financial results reveal that the company is projected to lose $4.5 billion on its Model E division in 2023. At the time, Ford CEO Jim Farley said, "The near-term pace of EV adoption will be a little slower than expected, which is going to benefit early movers like Ford."

He added, "We’re making smart investments in capabilities and capacity around the world; and, while others are trying to catch up, we have clean-sheet, next-generation products in advanced development that will blow people away."