Guys take Dodge Charger EV on road trip to St. Louis but it becomes an extremely stressful experience

When a Dodge Charger EV was taken on a road trip to St. Louis, it quickly turned into a disaster filled with charging station problems and relentless range anxiety.

The journey, documented by the YouTube channel Auto Auction Rebuilds, exposed the unpredictable nature of long-distance EV travel.

What began as a plan to retrieve a Cadillac Escalade turned into a tense test of patience and charging infrastructure.

Even with 670 horsepower under the hood, the trip nearly came to a stop more than once.

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The EV road trip started early in the morning with optimism, despite known quirks with the vehicle.

Randy and Mike set out in a Dodge Charger EV with a full battery and a projected range of around 250 miles.

However, within hours, a recurring “Service Transmission” warning appeared, even though the car has no transmission.

According to Randy, a Stellantis tech confirmed the issue was common and required a two-hour software update at a dealership to resolve.

Charging station problems began at their first stop in Vinita, Oklahoma.

The station failed to accept the car’s charging credits, forcing Randy to pay 56 cents per kilowatt hour.

Cracking noises under the car during charging raised further concern.

Range anxiety peaked when they reached a broken charger displaying a handwritten warning that the nearest working fast charger was 41 miles away.

The Dodge Charger EV only had 34 miles of range left.

Forced to shut off the air conditioning and slow to 55 mph, Randy and Mike crossed their fingers and hoped the car would make it.

They arrived with just 2 percent battery and 6 miles remaining, barely reaching a GM Energy station in Sullivan, Missouri.

At the next stop, more charging station problems emerged.

Electrify America units refused to initiate charging despite repeated attempts, even with payment information updated and sufficient credits.

After trying multiple ports, all attempts resulted in “Charging Error” messages.

Frustrated, they eventually found a working station and recharged to 84 percent, spending $43 and nearly an hour in the process.

Throughout the EV road trip, Auto Auction Rebuilds documented how even basic tasks like paying for charging became a challenge.

Between inconsistent user interfaces, required app downloads, and stations with poor reliability, the experience became more stressful than enjoyable.

As Randy noted, if a gas station failed the way these chargers did, the public would not accept it.

In this case, range anxiety wasn’t just an occasional worry, it became a constant factor in every decision they made.

By the time they reached St. Louis, the Cadillac Escalade had antifreeze leaks, and the Charger was in need of a dealership software update.

Randy described the Dodge Charger EV as fun and comfortable, but not a muscle car, and certainly not ideal for long-distance travel.

The final leg back home would see Mike in the EV and Randy in the Escalade, each hoping their vehicle would make it through the return journey without further setbacks.

The Dodge Charger EV survived the ordeal, but the EV road trip revealed deep flaws in the current state of public charging.

For now, even the most powerful electric vehicles are still at the mercy of infrastructure that cannot always be trusted.

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