Make your next vehicle an EV
Make your next vehicle an EV
Why?
The benefits of EVs are plentiful, starting with great get-up-and-go and sparing the air and climate. Research shows that California’s EVs are already keeping asthma patients out of emergency rooms! If you have solar or EverGreen from Sonoma Clean Power, the clean-energy benefits are even greater.
By contrast, each gallon of gasoline carries a $3.80 price tag in health and environmental costs. Over its lifetime – from manufacturing to operation to disposal – the average EV produces about half the GHG pollution of a comparable gas or diesel vehicle.
An electric car is often more expensive upfront, but becomes less expensive over time due to low fueling and maintenance costs. EV drivers tend to spend about 60 percent less each year on fuel compared to those who drive “gas guzzlers.” Can’t wait for an EV that suits your budget? Try a cargo bike or microcar as your second vehicle instead. So many options!
Downsize to cargo bike or microcar
You may find you can do most local trips without your car, especially if you get an electric cargo bike (or trike). Then, you can carry a little student stowaway or even make carless grocery trips. And it’s so much more fun!
A microcar is the smallest of cars with three or four wheels, and is more affordable and cheaper to charge than a standard car. Microcars can navigate narrower spaces and fit into smaller parking places, making them a favorable urban addition that fills a unique niche.
Fattebikes: What is an Electric Cargo Bike?
Electric Bike Report: Best Electric Cargo Bikes
CNN: Are microcars the smaller, greener future of urban driving?
Buy an EV when needed
When you’re next in the market for a car, but an ebike or electric minicar won’t quite suit your needs, it may be time to buy a standard passenger EV. The good news is great strides are being made in range, charging time, and price. In fact, today’s EVs have a range of more than 200 miles and can charge more than 150 miles in about half an hour.
Learn more about buying and driving an EV before you purchase one – whether it’s new or used, hybrid or fully electric. And don’t forget that you may qualify for an EV federal tax credit of up to $7,500 for a new EV or $4,000 for a used EV.
Ride & Drive Clean: Buying and Driving an Electric Vehicle
Electrify Now: Electrify your Ride
Electric Vehicles: Regeneration
Drive Clean: Incentive Search
Ride & Drive Clean: 2023 Incentives for Electric Vehicles
