Monday, January 23, 2023

Electric Insecurity

I've owned a fully electric car for three years.  I got my second Chevy Bolt just the day before Christmas, and I'm as happy with it as I was with my last Bolt.  Actually, nothing has changed except that the driving range is a little bit further.  Depending on how I drive, I get between 240-270 miles on a single charge.  No, that's not as much as you get on a full tank of gas, but it also doesn't cost as much as gas.

Prior to owning a Bolt, I had two plug in hybrids.  First, I had a Ford CMax, which gave me 20 miles of electric before converting to gas.  That was great for getting around town, and it was about 10 years ago, when there weren't too many electric options.  The next car I got was a Chevy Volt.  I loved that car, but unfortunately they don't make it any more.  I got about 50 miles of electric on that car before the gas kicked in.  It was a great car, but now that I've been all electric for several years, I've gotten over the anxiety of running out of electric and love my Bolt.

I charge my car at home on a 250 volt charger in my garage.  I don't know how long it takes because I usually do it overnight.  A complete charge probably takes about 8 hours.  On the road, I have an app that tells me where charge stations are located, and what level charger they have.  A level 2 charger will charge to 75% capacity in about 45 minutes.  I try to find a place with a coffee shop nearby and charge my car and have a cup of coffee and relax.

There are advantages and disadvantages to an electric car.  Charging times are becoming shorter and length of time between charging is getting longer.  People worry about charging the car while on a road trip.  This used to be an issue, but with so many charging stations along the highways, it is not so much of a problem.  It still does take longer, but this will change over time.  The other great thing about an electric car is that other than rotating the tires, there's virtually no service needed.  Look into electric for these reasons, and more, when you get your next car. 

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