On October 31, five teams of drivers will hit the road from Brooklyn, New York, using only electric vehicles, and will traverse the country over 10 days to their final stop in Los Angeles. The goal of the event, Charge Across America, is to demystify electric vehicles and highlight innovations in the industry. Each of the drivers brings a diverse set of skills to the road, a common passion for EVs, and an eagerness to demonstrate the vehicles’ burgeoning and exciting capabilities.
Amanda Korendyke, driving a Porsche Taycan, expresses her inspiration for joining Charge Across America and shares what she’ll do to maximize performance.
What inspired you to join Charge Across America? My husband, Brad, asked me if I would be interested before telling me more than “Want to drive across the country in an electric car with me?” – I said, “absolutely”. I love road trips and it’s great to be able to spend time with Brad away from home.
What do you think will be the biggest challenge? I think making sure we’re being smart about our available mileage vs. the distance from a charger since you can’t exactly walk to the charger and carry back a gallon of electricity like you could with gasoline.
What are some of your strategies for the race? Biggest strategy for me is training myself to drink less water during the day so I can stay in the car as long as absolutely possible before stopping. Second strategy is making sure I’m remembering my foot is hewn from pure lead and I need to control it so we get optimal mileage and don’t get points off for speeding.
What’s your favorite EV? I’ve never gotten to see one up close, but I’m partial to the Polestar 2. I also love the look of the Lucid Air. The minute someone is brave enough to make an all-electric station wagon I will be their devotee for life.
What excited you most about EVs? I actually worked very closely with the oil and gas sector in a previous life and I know how dirty, dangerous, and environmentally disruptive the industry is. I would love to see a move toward more clean energy sources once we are less dependent on gasoline to get around.
What was your first car? My first car was a 1993 Ford Explorer XLT named “Dora”. She was loud, rusty, and could lug around half a high school cheerleading team. Got 8 mpg most days but I loved her.
ParkMyFleet is a platinum sponsor of Charge Across America. Learn more here and check out our social media accounts!
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