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Tracy B.

2017 Prius Prime

Keene, NH

“I love the flexibility in fuel – when I take longer trips I don’t have to worry about finding a charging station.”

What’s your #1 tip or piece of advice for new or prospective EV owners?

Do your research first – like any car purchase. Have a plan for charging. Know your numbers before walking into the dealership, drive a few different vehicles to get a feel for your options. Make sure it’s also a car you’ll enjoy as a car. 

Read on to learn about Tracy’s EV story – including buying, driving, owning, & charging his EV!

buying an ev

What main factors & considerations went into your decision to buy an EV?

The biggest factors for me in choosing any car, not just an EV, are it’s affordability, reliability, and the environmental impact. In the past, I went with compact sedans so I could get good gas mileage, save money, have dependable transportation, and feel better about my resource use and carbon emissions. EVs were a bit out of reach financially. Even though I want to be as sustainable as possible, my personal financial situation also needs to be sustainable! 

Now, the cost of an electric vehicle has lowered enough to really tip the scales in their favor and I’m projecting a lifetime cost of ownership for my 2017 Prius Prime to be lower than that of the 2007 Toyota Corolla I replaced. Prius Primes also have some of the highest reliability ratings on Consumer Reports, so even with an EV I don’t have to trade off reliability for sustainability. 

What factors sold you on buying an EV? Why did you pick the specific make & model of EV that you did?

My Prius Prime is the perfect ‘starter’ EV! It’s a plug-in hybrid. This means it counts as an EV with a small full electric battery that has a range of 25 miles – great for around town driving, and it’s a hybrid, with a gasoline fuel system for longer trips that gets up to 54 mpg when gas powered. Right now I’m at an average of 116 mpg! I love the flexibility in fuel – when I take longer trips I don’t have to worry about finding a charging station. 

Financially it was a no brainer. The Prius Prime qualifies for a partial Federal Tax credit and being a hybrid has a lower sticker price than the full electric EVs. I was fortunate enough to find a Toyota Certified Used car, so I get a hybrid battery warranty as well as the other warranties you’d get with a certified used vehicle. I definitely recommend the Prius Prime if you’re a first time EV owner.

driving & owning an ev

What is your favorite aspect of the EV driving experience?

It’s so quiet and smooth! I am amazed at how peaceful driving the Prius is. It also really encourages efficient driving – which happens to be safe driving – smooth accelerations, steady speeds, and gradual braking. You get a score after each trip and it’s great motivation to really be aware of and improve your driving habits!

In a few sentences, summarize your favorite EV memory or anecdote.

I’m a new EV owner and my favorite memory so far was at the dealership, seeing the Prius for the first time. It was like opening the door to sit down in a spaceship. I look forward to many more memories with the Prius over the years!

What surprised you about owning an EV?

Overall, it hasn’t been as big an adjustment as I expected. I went from a 5-speed without power windows to an EV – with all of the buttons and digital displays. If you’re in the same boat with an aging or older vehicle, don’t worry – if you can use your phone you’ll adjust to your car having a screen in no time, and you can always turn it off! Another surprise is the amount of trunk space. I never really thought about where they put the battery, but it’s in the bottom of the truck area. The hatchback makes it really accessible, you just don’t have the depth of a typical hatchback or car trunk. 

What is the main downside or challenge of driving or owning an EV compared to an ICE vehicle? What tricks have you developed to adapt to that challenge?

I haven’t found one yet! So far it’s been a seamless transition to the plug-in hybrid and I don’t anticipate any new challenges. 

Charging an EV

Where do you charge your EV? Do you have an at-home charger?

So far I’ve been charging at the stations around town, and have charged probably 3 times since buying the vehicle. It takes about 2 hours to charge because the battery is smaller than a full EV. The Prius Prime comes with it’s own charging cord that plugs into any standard grounded outlet, and takes about 5 hours to charge. I actually live in an apartment and there is an outside plug I can use to charge at home, I just haven’t used it yet. Owning the Prius Prime as a plug in hybrid makes an EV possible for apartment dwellers – you don’t need to install any wall chargers, all you need is a parking spot close to an exterior outlet.

What are a few of your favorite charging resources you use?

I downloaded the ChargePoint app on my phone. It’s a great resource to find charging stations, and I’m sure I’ll use it more when I travel.
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