We have Solely Ever Owned Electrical Vehicles

Join day by day information updates from CleanTechnica on e-mail. Or comply with us on Google Information!

It wasn’t till our first daughter might not comfortably slot in her transportable toddler automobile seat that we determined we would have liked our personal automobile. Till then, at ages 33 and 35, we had managed to dwell a fulfilled and blissful car-free life and save 1000’s of {dollars} a yr. However, after all, children change issues.

The primary couple years of our daughter’s life we managed to get round on foot, bike, transit, and the occasional quick and long run automobile leases. We made good use of neighborhood zip automobiles and Turo leases, and our workhorse BOB stroller allowed us to simply stroll to a rental automobile and transport numerous stuff.

However at a sure level, the effort of not having a automobile, particularly with an even bigger automobile seat, acquired to us. Plus, all of the automobiles we had been renting ran on fossil fuels. In early 2017, there have been a number of, inexpensive electrical automobile (EV) choices lastly available on the market, which made us ponder shopping for a automobile for the primary time. The one approach we’d contemplate automobile possession was if we might energy it with the clear gas coming from our 7.2 kW rooftop photo voltaic panels.

Why EVs Matter

The speed of automobile possession within the US is round 90%, with 280 million automobiles on the highway. Vehicles and light-duty vehicles (together with pickups and SUVs) are accountable for 57% of transportation emissions. Whereas we’re large followers of lively and public transit (with posts coming about each this yr), automobiles and vehicles stay a truth of American life. By electrifying them, we are able to benefit from the comfort they supply with out emitting the air pollution that’s altering our local weather.

Transportation is 28% of the common American’s emissions — nearly as large as residence vitality use (32%) — so if you wish to decarbonize your life, driving much less and driving electrical are among the greatest strikes you may make (together with getting warmth pumps to your residence).

Turning into EV Fanatics

Our first automobile was a 2013 Nissan Leaf, bought when it got here off a 3-year lease in early 2017. It price simply $7,800 and had solely 10,000 miles on it. Its vary was a mere 85 miles. Regardless of the considerably herculean efforts we went by way of to cost it, the flexibility to stroll out our door and get into our personal private automobile — that will simply meet most of our common wants — felt just like the lap of luxurious. We conveniently trickle-charged from a regular outlet on the aspect of our home, and throughout the sidewalk, all three years we owned the automobile.

We stretched our early era Leaf’s restricted driving vary from Portland to Bend and Seattle and Orcas Island and the Oregon coast, stopping incessantly to quick cost. We handled all method of archaic charging stations, typically arriving at a charger in the midst of nowhere to seek out one other automobile charging or that the station was out of order or wanted a reboot or that we needed to name an 800 quantity to share our bank card to buy a lot wanted kWh (we did this extra instances than we’d wish to admit)! Even then, we realized that the common household wouldn’t tolerate these inconveniences and whereas we beloved the comfort of being automobile homeowners, and the guilt-freeness of driving electrical, they began to put on on us after awhile as nicely.

After practically three years, we offered our beloved Nissan num num (as our daughter known as it) for $7,000 with 26,000 miles on it. We changed it with a Tesla Mannequin 3, which nonetheless appears like a luxurious buy. The numerous enhance in vary and the comfort of the charging infrastructure was recreation altering. We lastly felt the liberty of the auto with the flexibility to hit the highway and go wherever with out continually checking our battery. With the Tesla’s 310 miles of vary, and system of Superchargers, we commonly take epic highway journeys, together with two throughout the nation and one other deliberate for this summer time.

Why We Solely Drive Electrical

Now that we’ve been proud EV homeowners for seven years, we are able to’t think about returning to the loud engines and smoking tailpipes fueling the local weather disaster. We received’t even hire a fuel automobile when touring and have had nice luck renting electrical automobiles by way of Turo.

Right here’s why we love our electrical experience and why it’s a good time for everybody to make the transition to EVs:

1. Low gas price: We spend $300 per yr to gas our Tesla, which incorporates charging at residence and the occasional quick charger charges on highway journeys. In 2022, the common American family spent $2,780 on fuel. People preserve their automobiles for about 12.5 years, in order that’s a financial savings of over $30,000!
2. Minimal upkeep: Estimated EV upkeep is $.06 cents per mile in comparison with $.10 per mile for a fuel automobile. In seven years, our solely upkeep prices have been to switch windshield wipers and rotate and exchange tires.
3. Driving expertise: EVs have instantaneous torque, making for speedy acceleration, and supply a quiet and clean experience.
4. No air air pollution: EVs don’t launch smog, air particulate, or nitrous oxides, that are linked to lung most cancers, bronchial asthma, allergic reactions, coronary heart assaults and strokes. A College of Toronto examine discovered that every electrical automobile that replaces a fuel automobile will save a group $10,000 in cleaner air that improves human well being.
5. Carbon emissions reductions: EVs emit lower than a 3rd of the CO2 of inner combustion automobiles, and if in case you have photo voltaic panels or join group photo voltaic or inexperienced electrical energy out of your native utility, your emissions can be zero. It is a recreation changer and the primary motive we drive electrical.

These advantages are not a secret and we’re dwelling by way of the steep S-curve of EV adoption. In 2022, 10% of world passenger automobiles offered had been all electrical, ten instances the gross sales simply 5 years prior. There’s by no means been a greater time to purchase an EV with many state rebates and IRA incentives for brand new and used EV purchases and leases.

One in all our central messages at Decarbonize Your Life is which you could scale back your carbon emissions with none sacrifice to your high quality of life. Whereas this was not true once we began driving electrical approach again within the historic EV instances of 2017, it’s true in the present day and changing into more and more handy as charging infrastructure improves. With EVs you possibly can benefit from the comfort of non-public automobiles, lower your expenses, and cease emitting air pollution out of your tailpipe. Win, win, win.

This text is a part of a collection known as Decarbonize Your Life. With modest steps and cheap prices our household has dramatically decreased emissions and is sequestering what stays by way of a small reforestation venture. Our life is best for it. If we are able to do it, you possibly can too.