Why I Drive an EV

By Zach Henkin, Program Director, Drive Oregon

My daily commute car is an EV that, while small, works for my family including our two young boys who command the back seats. Recently due to a small fender bender (not my fault!), our car was out for repair and a more typical internal combustion sedan resided in our driveway.

Electric vehicles are better cars. While some do not have the range of a 300-mile gas tank, the 90-100 miles we get is more than adequate for daily trips and round trip commutes. Trips to the gas station are unnecessary and refueling is as simple as plugging in the car at the end of the day. Instead of the $30-$40 a week in gasoline, I pay around $10 additional a month on my electric bill. It’s simple, and that’s just the financial aspect.

Over the course of nearly two weeks in the rental, I suffered through many traffic chocked days in and around Portland. It’s not fun to be in any car while in traffic, but EVs do it better. What I missed, was instant power with no clunks or unnecessary shifting, a much quieter car, and a conveyance that it does not use energy while stopped waiting for a light to turn green. I was just plum surprised how much I had missed driving our car once I returned to the driver’s seat to sit and wait on 99E.

When deciding on a car, choose a vehicle that will perform excellent for the majority of your driving. For my family, this is a car for commuting, errands, and other to-dos. Plug-in cars have extremely low costs for ownership and bring a lot of other positive attributes. Try one out–there are dozens available through local dealerships! For those trips across the state, or into neighboring Washington or California, plug-in hybrids work well, as do rentals.

For more information on plug-in cars or charging visit driveoregon.org.