Man forced to ditch $115K Ford EV truck during family road trip to Chicago:
'biggest scam of modern times'
By Bradford Betz | FOXBusiness
Published August 10, 2023 7:41pm EDT
A Canadian man is calling electric vehicles the "biggest scam of modern
times" after his frustrating experience with an electric truck.
Dalbir Bala, who lives in the Winnipeg area, bought a Ford F150 Lightning EV
in January for $115,000, plus tax. He told FOX Business he needed the
vehicle for his work, but also wanted something suitable for recreational
activities such as driving to his cabin or going fishing. He also wanted an
environmentally friendly vehicle as owning one is "responsible citizenship
these days."
But Bala was quickly hit with the reality of owning and operating an EV soon
after the purchase. The vehicle compelled him to install two charges - one
at work and one at home - for $10,000. To accommodate the charger, he had to
upgrade his home's electric panel for $6,000.
In all, Bala spent more than $130,000 - plus tax.
Not long after the purchase, Bala got into a minor accident which, he said,
required "light assembly" on the front bumper. Bala took the vehicle to the
body shop and did not get it back for six months. He said no one from Ford
answered his email or phone calls for help.
The limitations of the EV truck became even more apparent when Bala embarked
on a chaotic 1,400-mile road trip to Chicago.
Fast charging stations - which only charge EV's up to 90% - cost more than
gas for the same mileage. On the family's first stop in Fargo, North Dakota,
it took two hours and $56 to charge his vehicle from 10% to 90%. The charge
was good for another 215 miles.
On the second stop, in Albertville, Minnesota, the free charger was faulty
and the phone number on the charging station was of no help, he said. The
family drove to another charging station in Elk River, Minnesota, but the
charger was faulty there as well.
"This sheer helplessness was mind-boggling," Bala wrote in an online post.
"My kids and wife were really worried and stressed at this point."
There were no other fast charging stations within range of Elk River and his
vehicle only had 12 miles left.
"By now it was late afternoon. We were really stuck, hungry, and
heartbroken," Bala said.
Bala ultimately had the vehicle towed to a Ford dealership in Elk River and
rented a regular gas vehicle to complete the family's trip to Chicago. The
family picked up the F150 on their way back to Winnipeg.
"It was in [the] shop for 6 months. I can't take it to my lake cabin. I
cannot take it for off-grid camping. I cannot take for even a road trip,"
Bala wrote. "I can only drive in city - biggest scam of modern times."
Bala told FOX Business he believes the government needs to do more to
"provide consumers with the right information."
"People have to make the right choices. I want to tell everybody to read my
story," he said. "Do your research before even thinking about it and make a
wiser choice."
"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."
https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/man-forced-ditch-115k-ford-ev-truck-family-road-trip-chicago-biggest-scam-modern-times