Sources

Route 66 Turns 100: Gas vs EV, 16 Years Later

Every figure in the video, with its source. Checked 4 to 7 October 2026.

Method

Trip modeled, not driven. Range from Consumer Reports' 70 mph highway tests (2026). Charge times are published or tested 10–80% figures, plus 5 minutes per stop and 12% failed visits (J.D. Power 2026) at 15 minutes each. AAA's −8.5% heat penalty applied to 700 desert miles. Fast chargers only, no winter. Gas car 30 mpg, hybrid 45 mpg at highway speed, 10-minute stops. Prices: EIA regular gasoline $4.465 (Sep 28, 2026); Paren average fast-charging price $0.538/kWh (Q2 2026). Per-vehicle warranty and loss figures are our calculations from company filings.

Timeline 2010–2026

Trip math

Price, warranty, ownership

Powertrain milestones 2010–2026

Charger reliability and supply chain

  • AFDC counts exclude "temporarily unavailable" by default; not a working-status audit · afdc.energy.gov
  • J.D. Power EVX 2026 (12% non-charge visits; 19% 2024, 14% 2025) · evchargingstations.com · automotiveworld.com
  • Plug In America 2026 survey (52.4% non-Tesla drivers hit a broken charger) · pluginamerica.org
  • Consumer Reports 2025 (21% of sessions had a problem) · techcrunch.com
  • Paren Q2 2026 (93.8% success) · evchargingstations.com
  • Bay Area 2022 study (27.5%, regional, non-Tesla) · vice.com
  • USGS rare earths 2026 (China ~69% of mining) · pubs.usgs.gov
  • IEA: China >90% rare-earth refining, ~94% magnets · iea.org
  • China ~80% battery cells, >90% graphite processing (EIA/IEA) · eia.gov
  • Cathode ~85% (IEA GEVO 2025) · ajot.com
  • Ford Chicago Explorer plant idled one week, May 2025 (magnets) · fortune.com
  • China export controls (Apr/Oct 2025; Oct measures suspended to 10 Nov 2026) · pubs.usgs.gov

Throughput and resale update

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