My beautiful but failed 2008 Toyota Corolla died last October. That was more than just another car, that car saw me through some of the most important milestones in my life. My Corolla was there curating my adventure, from the thrill of starting my own business to the painful end of a meaningful relationship, to the comfort of COVID keeping us all confined at home. And like most things, my time with the Corolla came to an end. Others came to take her away, to be that bittersweet end of an era.
I stood on the edge of a new adventure with the Corolla gone. The excitement was also bubbling up underneath fancy because this was my first real big purchase as an adult! I was ready to accept the freedom of a new vehicle (preferably with air conditioning, thank you very much). I wasn’t sure what the model would look like, but in this I had hope: I was excited to drop off my Corolla days and dive into the promising world of electric vehicles (EVs).
The free workplace charging at my job was what got me interested in EVs. It was a light bulb moment. So I dived into the electric vehicle market, and once I started comparing costs, I could see that the paths of least resistance were the eco-friendly ones. EVs made the numbers work due to the federal and state incentives. Take for example the 2015 Honda Fit, which will cost you around $17,000; the 2017 Chevy Bolt was sold for $19,000, but you’ll only be paying around $11,500 after all of that is applied to it. Talk about a deal!
Purchasing my Chevy Bolt was not simply a financial decision for me — it was actually my first forays into the world of rebates and tax incentives, and boy was I nervous. What if I messed it up? Luckily, I met both state and federal requirements and the Mor-EV team made going through the process easy. Massachusetts made it easy to figure out what was going on, and to sweeten the pot, you could even use the state rebate for cars you bought out of state. I felt like I snagged the deal of a lifetime so when I finally found my Bolt in Brattleboro, I thought it was meant to be.
When I brought home my new Chevy Bolt I was excited. I was ready for the driving experience of any other electric vehicles. They’re quieter, zippier, and have that electric thrill you just can’t get with a Red dot. Never again would I have to pull over at a gas station. No more fumbling with gas pumps and getting that awful smell on my hands and shoes. I felt liberated knowing that I was off this road of fossil fuel dependency.
Adventures have their bumps in the road though. The first big journey I took with the Bolt was back home, to my hometown in Maine, which is a solid 190 miles from my current location. This was the drive where I got hit with this reality — EV ownership. There were no charging stations at all compared to gas stations. Instead, I was on the prowl for chargers that had varying availability and capacity, a sign of friendliness that didn’t exist.
Car Model Information: 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV LT
Price: $19,996
Exterior color: Kinetic Blue
Interior color: Dark Galvanized
Drivetrain: Front-wheel Drive
Transmission: 1-Speed Automatic
Engine: Electric
VIN: 1G1FY6S07L4103585
Mileage: 24,192 mi.
Summary: The Chevrolet Bolt EV (marketed in Europe as Opel Ampera-e, except the UK) is a battery electric subcompact hatchback manufactured and marketed by General Motors under its Chevrolet brand from late 2016 until mid-2021 and again from early 2022 to late 2023. In mid-2023, GM officials said they would discontinue the Bolt; after outcry, they announced plans but no date for a next-generation model.
Get more information about: Chevrolet Bolt
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The challenge was that New England didn’t have a lot of EV charging infrastructure. Whereas EV chargers seem like they’re popping up wherever property owners want to place them, the gasoline network blossomed alongside road development. As such, I wasn’t easily able to pull onto the freeway to top off from the gas station, but instead had to become a scavenger on the hunt for a charger at metro buildings, grocery stores, or parks. At first it was disheartening, realizing that charging my vehicle wasn’t as straightforward as I’d hoped.
However, regardless of these hurdles, there’s a silver lining. The landscape is changing. A combination of federal tax credits, Massachusetts state funding and the work of those utility companies like Eversource and National Grid have funded financial incentives for businesses to invest in charging stations. I’m hopeful with advocacy, charging will become easier for drivers to find a charge but it will be a long process.
As a result, in the meantime, I have been thinking of ways I can boost my confidence as an EV driver. Making a solid pit stop map puts any anxiety I have to having no juice mid journey to zero. Recently, I’ve been focusing my attention toward smoothing my driving habits to stretch my range and get more from each charge. When I get a chance, I’ve started plugging in at work, home, or when I’m running errands. Each little bit helps me to keep my battery full, and make sure I’m ready for more trips.
For anyone out there who is new to electric vehicles and feeling a bit overwhelmed, let me tell you this: don’t give up! The road ahead may be rocky sometimes, but the rewards of having an EV are 100 percent worth it. The upfront costs of purchasing these vehicles are greatly reduced by financial incentives, which is a smart investment.
On top of that, getting into the world of EVs has given me an understanding of things like kilowatts (kW) and kilowatt-hours (kWh). That knowledge is essential in this increasingly electric future. Yes, it’s easy to just think we have too much fossil fuel convenience but we must realize we’re frittering away fossil fuel convenience to our own detriment. That’s why, for example, any hiccup I encounter with my EV is a small price to pay for cutting my ecological footprint. If you’re thinking about taking the plunge into the electric vehicle world, I say, go for it. It’s a learning and growing journey, and its one step closer to a cleaner and greener future.
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