Owning an electric vehicle can be a joy with significant benefits

Well, I did it. But in all honesty, my oldest son made me do it.

He was driving this behemoth of a gas-powered vehicle. It worked well for him, his wife and their two little boys … plus clothing for the four of them as well as the requisite paraphernalia that they need to haul to our house for a week’s stay.

Then came number three … the sweetest little girl you ever might see. That made three car seats in the second row and all the stuff for two kids, which is now three kids.

Diapers for one is a lot to haul, for two is even more and for three is just nuts. Cost of operating their tank became increasingly annoying as gas prices have been hovering well above what was once reasonable. So he traded to an all-electric vehicle.

Actually the new car is smaller on the outside, roomier on the inside, faster (than a speeding bullet) and a lot less expensive to operate. And what is most important to them at this point in their lives is that the car really does seem to have more space on the inside. There is no motor, no driveshaft hump in the middle of the floor, extra leg room in the back seat, a sizable trunk in the back and an unexpected second trunk in the front, where the motor sat in their gas powered car.

The cost to run the electric car turns out to be about $4 in electricity to go about 325 miles, while the gas powered tank used about $65 in gas to go the same distance. When you drive 20,000 miles per year, that is an out-of-pocket cost savings of over $300 per month or $3,700 per year.

So, he got me excited. I looked, compared, drove, did research, talked it over with my wife (who wears the pants in our family when it comes to buying a car) and then bit the bullet.

My car had appreciated to a value above what was remaining on the lease, and that amount plus the rather large incentives offered by the car dealership as well as the car manufacturer made a switch to an electric vehicle really worthwhile. And the government provided tax incentives, rebates and other financial incentives.

I figure we are doing our part regarding the environmental benefits. Electric cars have zero tailpipe emissions, which significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution compared to the gas-powered vehicle.

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The electric vehicle has fewer moving parts than internal combustion engines, and that means lower maintenance costs. Although my son’s vehicle and mine both came with a bumper to bumper warranty that will last well beyond the years of our respective ownership. The battery is warranted fully for 100,000 miles.

Driving this thing is akin to piloting a rocket ship. The electric car provides instant torque, leading to quick acceleration and a smooth driving experience?.

I can’t speak for my son’s car, but mine goes 0 to 60 miles per hour in four seconds. His electric car is even faster. And my good friend has an eclectic vehicle that leaves us both in his rear view mirror.

Quiet operation? My electric vehicle is deafeningly quiet, reducing road noise and providing me with a genuinely pleasant driving experience.

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Of course, we had to have our electrician install a charger in the wall of our garage. This was not complicated, and now we totally avoid expensive trips to the gas station.

Well, maybe not totally. It has not eliminated trips for coffee and snacks and an occasional sandwich when the hungries hit.

Not everything is peaches and cream. I am still nervous and suffer from range anxiety.

My car goes about 325 miles on one full charge. Not a problem unless I have to drive 225 miles to New York City and turn-around and come back after an hour meeting.

I can’t just pull into any gas station and fill-er-up with electricity. So I have to plan trips of over 300 miles to include places to stop that have electric chargers.

Rather than 10 minutes spent at a gas station, I need 45 minutes plugged into a charger to regain about 260 miles of electric charge. A longer trip would drive me crazy.

But, this became a selling point for me … I have only made a few trips of over 300 miles in the past five years, and then I stopped after a few hundred miles to rest, eat and use the bathroom. That would have given me plenty of time to juice the car with more electric charge. Most of my 20,000 miles driving per year have all been to local destinations or destinations within 150 miles of home.

I had heard horror stories about batteries in electric vehicles denigrating, leading to reduced range and performance. Replacing batteries can be very costly?. My son and I both bought vehicles that have a 100,000 mile battery warranty so that any battery problem is resolved by full battery replacement at no charge.

So, what I have discovered is that owning an electric vehicle can be a joy with significant benefits, including environmental advantages, cost savings and a pleasant driving experience. I love my car.

Yet, there are drawbacks for those who use their cars to travel long distances. These include range anxiety, charging infrastructure challenges, some higher initial costs and concerns about costly battery replacement with some car manufacturers.

But, if you are like me and only occasionally drive far distances from home, and if you decide on an electric vehicle with a 100,000 mile full warranty on the battery, an electric vehicle is sure to pep up your driving experience and save you a bundle.

Bill Gindlesperger is a central Pennsylvanian, Dickinson College graduate, Pennsylvania System Of Higher Education (PASSHE) Governor, former Shippensburg University Trustee, awarded numerous patents, as well as Founder and Chairman of eLynxx Solutions. eLynxx provides cloud-software for sourcing and managing print and mail marketing. He is a board member, campaign advisor, successful entrepreneur, published author and commentator. He can be reached at [email protected]

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Owning an electric vehicle can be a joy with significant benefit