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Here’s why you might not want to drive your electric vehicle on April 8

Access to charging stations may be limited in the Hill Country with eclipse-watching crowds

File: A 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E charges, Friday, March 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel) (Joshua A. Bickel, Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

You may want to leave your electric vehicle at home during the solar eclipse on April 8.

No, it’s not because the solar eclipse itself will have any effect on them, but because you may not be able to easily charge them.

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This is especially true along the path of totality where towns like Kerrville and Fredericksburg are expecting an influx of people.

City officials have already warned that traffic congestion and parking could be an issue.

There are concerns about fuel supply, but the situation could be worse for drivers of electric vehicles because there are limited numbers of charging stations in most Hill Country towns and not many in between them.

“It’s important for everyone, including drivers with electronic vehicles, to be prepared for heavy traffic on April 8, especially in the hours after the eclipse. We’re asking anyone who plans to travel to view the eclipse to plan ahead just like they would for a long road trip and expect to spend extra time on the road. For EV drivers that means having a full charge before getting on the road and planning out charging stations along your route,” said TxDOT Media Relations Director Adam Hammons.

Hammons urged drivers to visit DriveTexas.org to help plan their trip and see real-time traffic updates.

The U.S. Department of Energy has a searchable map of charging stations across the U.S.

Drivers can even map their route to find the charging stations along the way.

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The state maintains a dashboard showing the current number of available charging stations in Texas


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