It Starts with Being Uncomfortable
A few months ago, I started taking piano lessons.
That may not sound like a big deal, but this is actually my third attempt. I tried learning in high school and again in my 30s. Both times ended the same way. The keyboard slowly collected dust, and life moved on.
I'm still struggling to memorize notes, and there are days when I feel like I'm stumbling through every new piece of music. But for the first time, I can actually see real progress. What once felt impossible now feels challenging but achievable.
As I've been learning piano, I've realized it feels a lot like learning to drive an electric vehicle.
Crater Lake's brilliant blue water was one of the many unforgettable sights we discovered during our 21-day electric road trip through the American West.
When I bought my EV in 2022, public charging seemed intimidating, range planning felt overwhelming, and every road trip required extra thought. Learning the piano felt very similar. Every note required concentration, every mistake felt obvious, and progress felt frustratingly slow.
Five months later, I can play simple Beethoven pieces that would have intimidated me when I started. Four and a half years later, I've driven more than 110,000 electric miles across much of the country.
In both cases, the biggest lesson has been the same: things that seem difficult at first become surprisingly manageable once you gain experience.
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Building Confidence One Step at a Time
Our Kia EV6 passes through the iconic Chandelier Drive-Thru Tree, one of the most memorable stops during our 2025 EV road trip through California's majestic redwood forests.
When I first sat down at a piano, my hands seemed disconnected from my brain. Playing more than a few notes with each hand felt nearly impossible.
That's exactly how my first EV road trips felt.
Back in 2022, every trip required planning. I learned how to use ChargePoint, then added Electrify America to my travel toolkit. Every charging stop felt important, and I definitely checked my battery percentage far more often than necessary.
My first longer trip was a simple two-hour drive to St. Louis. Then my wife and I stretched our comfort zone with a long weekend in Bentonville, Arkansas. Looking back, we probably stopped to charge more often than necessary, but we made the trip without any problems.
Just like learning a song one measure at a time, I wasn't mastering EV travel overnight. Each successful trip made the next one feel a little less intimidating.
Four months later, we headed out on a two-week adventure through Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and back to Missouri. Along the way, we learned how speed, weather, terrain, and elevation affect range. More importantly, we learned that EV road-tripping wasn't nearly as complicated as we'd imagined.
The miles added up, and so did what we learned.
The more miles we drove, the less I focused on charging and the more I focused on the adventure. Piano lessons have followed the same pattern. I spend less time looking for the correct notes and more time thinking about the music.
Eventually, the basics become familiar, allowing you to focus less on the mechanics and more on enjoying the journey.
Amp’d Advice: Don't Confuse Unfamiliar with Difficult
Many people assume EV ownership is complicated simply because it's different. Public charging, road trips, and range planning all become easier with experience. A few charging sessions and a couple of trips are often all it takes to turn uncertainty into confidence.
EVen Experienced Drivers Keep Learning
Today, I feel far more comfortable behind the wheel of an EV than I did in 2022.
We've crossed the country multiple times. We've driven Interstate 70 between Kansas City and Denver enough times that the trip now feels routine. That's a far cry from our first Colorado adventure when Electrify America was essentially our only charging option across long stretches of the route.
Four years later, multiple charging networks serve the corridor, giving EV drivers far more flexibility than we had just a few years ago.
Our Kia EV6 charges at a Shell Recharge station in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, during a 10-day EV road trip around Michigan's scenic Great Lakes coastline in 2024.
But experience doesn't mean you've learned everything.
A few weeks ago, I found myself watching the battery percentage a little more closely than I wanted to. Somewhere along the trip, the numbers weren't lining up quite the way I expected. Maybe it was the weather. Maybe it was my speed. Maybe I became a little too comfortable with my assumptions.
Whatever the reason, I arrived with a much smaller battery reserve than planned.
I never got stranded, and the car never left me walking. What the experience did leave me with was a reminder that every trip still has something to teach me.
Looking back, that experience reminds me of several difficult measures while learning a new song. You don't quit playing. You slow down, figure out what happened, and use the experience to improve.
EV travel works the same way. Every trip teaches you something new. Maybe it's how a strong headwind affects efficiency. Maybe it's how elevation changes impact range. Maybe it's learning when to trust the car's estimate and when to build in a little extra cushion.
Those lessons don't make EV ownership harder. They simply make you a better EV driver.
What All of These Miles Taught Me
Earlier this month, I rolled past 110,000 miles on my EV's odometer.
That's a lot of road, a lot of charging sessions, and plenty of lessons learned.
It's also a testament to how capable modern EVs have become. After all those miles, I've purchased tires, windshield wipers, and a 12-volt battery. Beyond that, routine maintenance has been remarkably minimal.
Few views capture the spirit of a Great Lakes road trip better than Lake Superior, a modern EV, and the iconic Mackinac Bridge standing tall on the horizon.
Even with more than 100,000 miles on the vehicle, I routinely drive around 200 highway miles on a charge while maintaining a healthy reserve. The battery continues to perform exactly as I need it to.
The biggest lesson from those miles is that experience doesn't come from reading about something online.
You can watch videos, read reviews, browse forums, and compare specifications for months. Eventually, though, you have to get behind the wheel and see what EV ownership is actually like.
The piano has reinforced something I've already learned through EV travel: experience is the best teacher. You can prepare, read, and plan, but eventually you have to sit at the keyboard or get behind the wheel and do it.
HEY!! Weather can change quickly, especially when your day includes a scenic drive and a hike. Comfortable shoes, a light jacket, sun protection, and plenty of water can turn a good outing into a great one. It's always easier to leave extra gear in the car than wish you'd brought it along.
Just remember to always come prepared with outdoor essentials.
The 32 Items we always carry in our EV.
What EV-Curious Drivers Often Miss
After 100K+ miles, I've learned something else: many non-EV drivers imagine electric vehicle ownership is far more complicated than it actually is.
That's understandable. Anything new feels complicated before you've experienced it.
Before I owned an EV, public charging sounded confusing. Road trips sounded stressful. I assumed range would constantly be on my mind.
In reality, most charging happens at home, and most trips are completely uneventful. And once you gain a little experience, road-trip charging becomes just another part of traveling, much like stopping to use the can, grabbing lunch, or stretching your legs.
At first, you're thinking about every step. Then one day you realize it has become routine and uncertainty starts to disappear.
Every EV trip starts with PlugShare to research destinations and charging options
Our mantra is simple: we design our route - because adventure shouldn’t be outsourced to a GPS.
Once we pick a destination, I dive into PlugShare for charger intel while Cheryl brings the magic by charting each stop on our paper atlas, giving us a colorful, big‑picture snapshot of the journey.
That blend of EV tech and old‑school wanderlust keeps our planning smooth, colorful, and unmistakably SightSee EV. Check out the full article to see how this combo keeps our road trips smooth and fun!
Bird’s-Eye Review: The Learning Curve Is Shorter Than You Think
Looking back, I realize neither piano nor EV travel became easier because I suddenly knew everything.
They became easier because I kept showing up.
The notes became familiar. The charging stops became routine. The things that once felt intimidating eventually became part of the process.
My goal isn't to become a concert pianist, and I certainly don't claim to be an EV expert. After more than 100,000 electric miles, I simply have more experience than I did when I started.
The same is true after five months at the keyboard.
One of the advantages of EV travel is turning charging stops into travel breaks. In Silverthorne, Colorado, a ChargePoint station next to Starbucks made for an easy and relaxing stop before continuing our mountain adventure.
For anyone who is EV-curious, that's probably the biggest lesson I've learned. Many people don't avoid electric vehicles because they're difficult. They avoid them because they've never had the chance to experience how simple everyday EV ownership can be. That's exactly how I felt the first time I walked up to a public charger, and it's exactly how I felt when I sat down at the piano.
The surprise is that neither turned out to be nearly as difficult as I imagined. The learning curve is real, but it's shorter than most people think.
So I'll keep practicing scales, learning new songs, and adding miles to the odometer. Both journeys have taught me the same lesson: the things that seem intimidating at first often become second nature with a little experience.
After all, the Great American Electric Highway is waiting, and there's always another adventure ahead.
John's mission is to help readers see that electric vehicles are simply cars powered by a different energy source, capable of taking us anywhere we want to go.
His favorite way to share that message? Road-tripping along the Great American Electric Highway, where every mile offers an opportunity to visit family, reconnect with friends, and discover America's scenic beauty.
EV Basics
EV Charging
Essential Items
EV Road Trip Planning
After buying an electric car, the most important steps are learning how to charge at home, becoming familiar with public charging stations, understanding how weather affects range, improving driving efficiency, and gradually taking longer trips. These skills help new EV owners build confidence and enjoy their vehicle's full capabilities.