Albany, NY (WRGB) — Electric vehicles have become both popular and controversial in recent years. High gas prices and climate goals are prompting regulators and automakers to seek out more efficient ways to power cars, trucks, and heavy commercial vehicles. The EV is about as old as the automobile itself, if not older. Early prototypes predate combustion-engine automobiles by a few decades in the 19th century; but a 1996 partial zero emissions mandate in California ushered in a new era. The technology was still slow to catch on, until a new player entered the field. It may be hard to believe, Tesla's first model--the Roadster--is nearly 20 years old. Like today's EVs, the Roadster is powered by lithium ion battery cells. This technology is helping get EVs on the road, but also keeping consumers skeptical. Most conversations surrounding EVs include the topic of range anxiety. Today's EVs boast as many as 200 or 300 miles of range, which easily competes with gas-powered counterparts. Charging an electric car is not as simple as a stop at the gas station; it can easily take 30 minutes to an hour, assuming a public charging station is available. Homeowners have the benefit of overnight charging as an option, but not everyone can plug in and forget until the morning. CBS6 spoke with a NY driver who regularly commutes with an EV. Colin Cento says he did his research after his move from New York City to Long Island, and knew his frequent commute to Pennsylvania would require more range. Cento settled on a KIA Nero EV, which came with the added benefit of tax incentives. “At the time in New York State there was a $2,500 state tax credit that you could get and then there was also the federal tax credit which was $7,500.” Cento also get rebates on the purchase of a home charging system, but it's slower than public fast chargers. His daily life with an EV can start early--it has less to do with scoring a spot at a charging station, and more to do with saving money. “At this Tesla Supercharger they do what’s called dynamic pricing," Cento tells us from a video call while charging his KIA. "So if you charge from 11 p.mm to 8 a.m. you pay 22 cents per kilowatt and if you charge from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m. you pay 47 cents per kilowatt." Cento says charger availability has improved since Tesla opened its Superchargers to other automakers. But, he says he's disappointed in what many see as a slow rollout of a national charging network. “A lot of electric vehicles waiting to charge and you figure each car takes between 30 minutes to 60 minutes--it was just an absolute disaster relying on public infrastructure.” Those infrastructure hang-ups have become a point of political contention. The federal government has allocated $7.5 billion to its National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program--aiming to build a national charging network by the year 2030. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg has been vocal against criticism of the program's rollout. "A lot of it is what goes into developing a site for a charger especially these fast charging high capacity chargers. It's not just like the thing you hook up in your garage," Buttigieg told an AXIOS reporter in 2024. "It requires procurement site work. We're talking about doing in a matter of years what took decades to work up in terms of America's network of gas stations." At least 20 of those stations are up and running, with hundreds more in the pipeline. There are more than 81,000 public charging stations in the U.S. and Canada. The contentious conversation continues with plans to fully electrify public school bus fleets. CBS6 has reported in length about these goals. All new school buses sold in New York State need to be zero-emissions by 2027; fleets need to meet that criteria by 2035.