I thought the article covered a lot of it without harping too much on any particular aspect: the roadtrip is in peril because inter-state travel becomes harder

I thought the article covered a lot of it without harping too much on any particular aspect: the roadtrip is in peril because inter-state travel becomes harder and the tourist activities and sights to see when you get there disappear. They had an entire state that they were at risk driving through at all due to an emergency climate situation, which they had to drive through carefully, avoiding major corridors (including the very interstates that made the great American road trip what it was), and extending the time it took to get through that state to other destinations. It took a complex intersection of apps and live updated maps to navigate that crisis. The understated implication is sort of a "gone are the days where you could grab an analog AAA triptik or Rand McNally travel map and maybe memorize or pre-program a couple standard US Emergency AM station numbers as all you need to plan a safe road trip". They had seasonal tourist businesses admit that their seasons are shrinking and/or being eliminated right before their eyes. The understated implication was a classic "last chance to see" lament. Nothing to do with using sustainable energy to power the road trip, everything to do with classic and iconic parts of that road trip disappearing/dying/becoming harder to plan or see or do.