I recently purchased an electric vehicle as my one and only car, but not without some anxiety. Never before did I have an electric vehicle or even a hybrid one. After a few hours of research on the internet, I was amazed to learn the following:
- Buying or leasing an electric vehicle in 2020 can save you a substantial sum versus buying a conventional vehicle, or even a hybrid one.
- Electric cars are significantly better for the environment than conventional gas-powered vehicles.
I’ve always thought of electric vehicles like Teslas to be quasi luxury vehicles, so in no way did I associate these kinds of vehicles with affordability or savings. Little did I know, the Nissan Leaf, Chevy Bolt, and other comparable models are now very competitively priced. This is mostly due to the increased production of electric vehicle batteries at economies of scale, driving the price of the expensive component, down.
Furthermore, government legislation around the world is actively subsidizing electric vehicles in hopes of meeting climate change mitigation benchmarks, so now is one of the best times to adopt electric vehicle technology. A quick check on this website shows all of the Federal and State electric car tax credits, incentives, and rebates, searchable by zip code in the U.S.
Finally, I’ve always thought that electric vehicles were nice, but I was never really sure how much they helped the environment, given that our electricity is also derived, in large part, from fossil fuels. What I neglected was just how much more efficient electric vehicles are than gas vehicles. EVs use only a small fraction of the energy that gas-powered vehicles use, in order to travel the same distance.
I’ve been pleasantly surprised with my 2020 Chevy Bolt, and very pleased with the technology, charging, and lifestyle change. I’m sharing this in hopes that others also choose to look into making the change. The more people do, the better off we’ll be in controlling our vehicle emissions.
