He got busted in a small town!
Most people wouldn’t dare drive their Tesla or other EV into one of the most remote corners of Montana, but that’s exactly what Chad Lauterbach and his girlfriend, Allis Markham, both of Los Angeles, California, did recently. Lauterbach, a taxidermist of apparently national renown, made the drive to southeastern Montana in a Tesla to volunteer at the 400-person town’s dinosaur museum, something he’d done in the past but with a different vehicle.
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Normally, Lauterbach drives an ’89 Land Cruiser, a respectable off-roader that doesn’t get good gas mileage at all. Not having another vehicle, he decided taking Markham’s Tesla Model Y was a good idea. It was not, in fact, a good idea. And it landed him on the front page of the local newspaper for “stealing” electricity.
As detailed out in hilarious detail by Montana Free Press, the Tesla tried warning the couple they were heading to a charging desert where finding somewhere to plug in would be difficult at best. Upon arriving in Ekalaka, Lauterbach found an RV-style outlet on a utility pole in the middle of town. Remarking on his luck, he plugged the EV in and went about his business at the dinosaur museum. His girlfriend warned him there would likely be trouble, but he brushed off her worries.
Little did he know that scofflaw move would cause a big stir in the remote town. Someone snapped a photo, which was smack dab on the front page in short order. The local newspaper couldn’t even identify the Model Y as a Tesla, simply referring to it as an unknown electric vehicle instead. Needless to say, Markham got to gloat a little at being right about the electricity theft being a big deal.
The local electricity co-op turned off the power outlet to stop more piracy. Concerned, Markham rushed over to the tiny utility office, telling the front desk clerk she was there to settle “the crimes” committed by her boyfriend. As the staff laughed in her face, she probably realized Ekalaka was a far cry from Los Angeles.
They told her at first the theft was no big deal, but Markham insisted on paying for the electricity, probably in part because they needed another charge to get back to Wyoming where an actual EV charging station was located. That transaction had to be done in cash with a handwritten receipt. Welcome to a small town.
Lest anyone think Ekalaka is just completely backwards, apparently people have talked about setting up a single EV charger in the town in the past. Since it’s such a backroads town (seriously, look it up on a map) they rightly believe not many people would even use it. But the electricity co-op manager told Montana Free Press that sometime “in the next decade” they might have to “do something.” Time, like vehicles, definitely moves differently in remote areas.
This article originally appeared in The Auto Wire. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News. Republished with permission.
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IN 5 YEARS OR LESS EV’S WILL BE FAZING OUT SINCE THEY POLUTE MORE THAN GAS AND DIESEL ENGINES, EV’S USE SO MUCH ENERGY TO BUILD THEM THAN THEY SAVE GREEN ! WAKE UP 50% OF THE POPULATION CAN’T EVEN AFFORD ON LET ALONE INSTALL CHARGING STATION IN THEIR HOME AND WHAT ABOUT NON HOME OWNERS WHERE WILL THEY CHARGE THEIR EV’S ??
Electric Vehicle lack of sales will actually bring down many foolish auto/vehicle companies, as they cannot lose billions as Ford is, as they will go woke-broke. China will sure be mad.
For EVs to be practical you need a better battery; one that costs less to manufacture, holds enough electricity per charge for many more miles of driving than the current lithium ion battery, and only takes a few minutes to recharge. The manufacturing of them needs to less polluting than that of the current technology. As of now they make no sense and are not nearly as clean as the environmental activists claim. Natural gas vehicles would make more sense than EVs if there are enough filling stations for this fuel. I do not think there are sufficient natural gas filling stations for such vehicles to be practical for long road trips.
I want to add that some people incorrectly think EVs are cleaner than internal combustion engine vehicles because they have no exhaust coming out of the tailpipe which of course they do not have. They forget the pollution of their manufacture and of the generation of electricity especially coal fired power plants. The late Rush Limbaugh said that if you drive an electric car you are driving a coal burning car because of the coal fired power plants providing the electricity to charge the batteries of your car.
I don’t believe ANY liberal and many young people realize where their electricity comes from. Obama said he would shut down ALL coal mines. Made me wonder if he would be burning candles to light up the WH. The ignorance out there is truly astounding.
As far as smug elitists including that feckless Obama are concerned, rules are for thee and not for me. He’d have his own private coal mine and power plant to make sure his electricity is available 24/7/365.
If he had volunteered in the town before, he should have known there were no charging stations available.
Ha ha ha! An old proverb: ‘Some folks are wise and some are OTHERwise.’