In one case, the Bolt could not accept the fastest charging speeds from the most powerful units. In another, the charger could not deliver the power as fast as the Bolt could accept it. It could have been worse: We always found a charger available, though more than once we got the last one, and drivers arriving after us had to wait.

The extended intervals allowed us — or forced us — to play tourist along the way. We wandered around Whiskey Pete’s Casino at the Nevada-California border while our Bolt sipped electrons. On another stop, we had lunch and checked out the World’s Tallest Thermometer, a 134-foot oddity in Baker, Calif., near Death Valley.

We were not the only ones with time to kill. On our way to Las Vegas, we met Alina Yamaeva, a 27-year-old law student from West Hollywood, Calif., who was napping while her BMW i3 charged at an EVgo charger behind a J. C. Penney at the Mall of Victor Valley in Victorville, Calif., on Interstate 15.

Her two-year-old car cannot charge as fast as more recent models — for each hour it was plugged in, the car’s range increased by just 10 miles. All told, her i3 travels less than 120 miles on a full charge, though it also has a gasoline engine that can add 66 miles.

The limited range and the paucity of public chargers have made Ms. Yamaeva question her car choice. “I don’t want a gas vehicle, but I’m wondering, should I get another electric vehicle?” she told me.

Heading back to Los Angeles, we met Tiaerra Young, a Chevy Bolt owner, at the same station. Though she was more satisfied with her vehicle, she was huddled under a blanket at 11 p.m. because it would take about an hour to charge her car.