2019 chevy bolt

Langdon, NH

“We are concerned about climate change and strive toward a low carbon way of living. We know that using an electric vehicle can be a pretty good way to get around especially if the using electricity from renewable sources. Since we generate our electricity from solar panels on the house this seemed like a great next step.”

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buying an ev

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

We are concerned about climate change and strive toward a low carbon way of living. We know that using an electric vehicle can be a pretty good way to get around especially if the using electricity from renewable sources. Since we generate our electricity from solar panels on the house this seemed like a great next step. After much research, it also became clear to us that the cost of owning an electric vehicle is much less than a gas powered one! Since we will hold on to our car for quite a few years, it will be cheaper to own it than a similar gas vehicle. The icing on the cake was provided by the rebates and federal tax incentives.

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

driving & owning an ev

What is your favorite aspect of the EV driving experience?

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

What surprised you about owning an EV?

Though we were initially somewhat daunted by making the switch to electric, we were surprised to find ourselves soon thinking nothing of it!

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?

Figuring out where to charge and paying attention to how much charge or range is left. That’s not really an everyday issue for us as we installed a Level 2 charger in our driveway and our Bolt has a top range of 230 miles or so. The wintertime range is probably up to 40% less when it is really cold, but even a 160 mile cold weather rank is pretty good. There are EV Fast Chargers installed along most interstate highways and they continue to be installed in other locations. It is pretty easy to locate and use them with special cell phone apps.

Charging an EV

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

We added a Siemens weatherproof Type 2 charger station in the driveway. We dug a 150 ft trench from the house to our parking area and laid in an electrical conduit. Our electrician ran a 240 V line to the charger. This has worked just fine for us.

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

We use EVGO and Charge Point when we have to charge away from home, which is pretty infrequent unless we wander afar.