By John Kondos, Originally Published in The Monadnock Shopper News, Green Monadnock column, April 2025.
Explore electric vehicles firsthand at the Monadnock Sustainability Hub’s Drive Electric Expo at Keene’s EarthFest, on Saturday, April 26, from 12–4 PM.
It’s no surprise 96% of US consumers say fuel economy is one of the factors in their car buying choice. Two-thirds of respondents in a Consumer Reports’ study rated fuel economy as extremely important in their vehicle purchase decisions.
The good news is that over the past 3 years, efficiency improvements have delivered $2,200 in lifetime fuel savings for new vehicles, according to a Google search. The bad news – most of the fuel we buy is wasted.
It’s a surprise to many, that you waste 75 cents of every dollar spent on gasoline. It’s because internal combustion engines waste 75-84% of the energy input to move the vehicle. Of course, in cold weather some of that waste heat comes in handy to warm you. But most of the energy from that fuel you buy is wasted as heat and exhaust gasses.
In the early days of the auto industry, fuel burning beat out battery power because batteries were heavy and primitive, while fossil fuels were a profitable commodity that worked better. Over a century later, thanks to the development of lighter weight, mass produced batteries in laptops and phones, electric vehicles are accelerating. While the rate of electric vehicle (EV) sales growth has slowed a bit here in New Hampshire, it’s growing fast worldwide, taking a growing bite out of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle sales which peaked in 2017.
EVs are succeeding because the technology is better. Not only are they three times more energy efficient, wasting only 11 cents/dollar. They save thousands of dollars a year on fuel and maintenance. EVs are starting to cost less to buy as the costs of batteries continue to decline and production ramps up. Check out the Electric Chevy Equinox, for example. They’re also cleaner, safer, smoother, quieter and quicker.
The fuel cost savings per mile come from the big advantage in efficiency and the lower cost of electricity. The maintenance savings come from EVs having 90% fewer moving parts to wear out and the electric motor is more reliable.
So, if you’re tired of searching for the lowest gas prices and wasting 75 cents of every dollar, consider an electric vehicle. If you care about what kind of world our children will inherit, we need to stop making the planet hotter. Cutting the toxic exhaust gasses from cars is a key to slowing temperature increases. Each time you hear ‘Look Ma, no tailpipe’, you’ll know our air is getting cleaner.
You can see a variety of EVs, talk to owners and dealers and possibly test drive an EV at the Drive E Expo at Keene’s EarthFest on Saturday, April 26, 12-4 PM at Whitney Brothers Parking Lot, beside the Monadnock Food Co-op. Organized by the Monadnock Sustainability Hub.
For more information check out Plug in America, Drive Electric NH.