5 Reasons You Should Buy an Electric Vehicle

If you have stumbled across this website and taken the time to open this article, you might be already be among the 63% of Americans that are interested in electric vehicles (EVs), and among the 31% would consider one for their next purchase, according to a survey by Consumer Reports and the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Alternatively, you may be among others who are wondering what I can possibly say to convince you to spend gobs more money on an EV than an adequate regular car. If you have seen the MSRP of an EV, you may still be recovering from sticker shock. It’s almost like the first time I found out how much a HERMES Birkin Bag was – “OMG… women pay that much for a purse?!?!.” 

But arguably unlike a Birkin bag, EV’s do pay for themselves in the long run because you aren’t only saving money at the pump and in maintenance, but there is a huge time savings associated with owning an all-electric vehicle. Because come on, we have a million other things going on in our lives. 

Don’t believe me? Check out FuelEconomy.gov that helps you shop and compare.

Here are five reasons your next car should be electric:

1. Fuel at home & save $$$: I don’t know a single woman who enjoys going to the gas station. There was a study showing that gas station pump handles are among the dirtiest objects people touch and every time you fill up it is another $30-$50 out of your bank account! I have also been a victim of skimming at the gas pump and have had to dispute credit card charges. I love that I can just plug in my car at home and never have to go to the gas station. I save around $1,500 a year with my Nissan LEAF using electricity compared to my previous gas car, and I’ve regained countless hours from not having to make special trips to refuel. 

2. No oil changes: This has been one of the best things for me personally because I hated making the time to go to the auto store to get my oil and fluids changed. Not only did it take a long time to do, but I also felt like I was being pressured to have all these other things ‘fixed’ that I wasn’t sure needed to be fixed and if I was being charged a fair price (e.g., is my air filter really that bad and you’re charging me how much??). Since getting my used Nissan LEAF two years ago I have had NO maintenance visits and the only things I’ve had replaced are my tires and my windshield wipers. 

3. Zip around dangerous drivers: I was raised to be a defensive driver, so I want to be able to avoid, or quickly get around, anyone that seems to be having a hard time driving straight (i.e., distracted, intoxicated, or falling asleep drivers). I also want to quickly get around the slow pokes who are going about 15 miles under the speed limit, and end up causing massive traffic jams. I love the torque on EVs that gives you the get-up-and-go in those situations. 

4. Safety features: While all cars need to meet minimum federal safety requirements, the design of EVs provides some comparative advantages. According to a CleanTechnica article, EVs are structurally safer due to certain design elements. For example, the extra storage space under the hood in some vehicle models (also known as a frunk) serves as a natural crumple zone. Further, you are less at risk with an EV battery fire than a gas/diesel fire. 

5. Reduce pollution: We all saw the immediate clean air impacts when people were quarantined at home. Just imagine if all of us drove electric vehicles – there would be no tailpipe emissions causing the smog and haze we have grown accustomed to. This decrease in air pollution would be good for everyone, but particularly the most vulnerable populations, like children with asthma and individuals with respiratory or heart conditions. We would also reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions, which helps to slow down the rate of climate change.