7 Things Most EV Owners Have in Common

Two days ago I did a little survey asking Electric car owners about some of the most common things Volt and Bolt owners and other EV owners have in common? I told them that I am writing a story on the subject and needed their help. Here are few interesting and common things that were responded as answers. Let us know in the comments section below if you have more to add.

1. Some say they like the faster pickup to 30 mph and they like not buying gas. Most of of the electric car owners are environmentally conscious people who do not support with what's going on with big oil. They usually say they love not being dependent on OPEC and Big Oil's whims at the pump.

2. Others love the performance of their Chevy Volts, the quietness and lack of vibration (makes listening to music in the car much more enjoyable). If your car's performance is great your maintenance cost is lower (Although this article has a different point on EV maintenance cost). And of course they love the operating costs which are quite low. Reliability has been great, say the Volt owners.

3. Volt, Bolt, Nissan Leaf and Tesla Model S owners are the pioneers of the electric car movement. "Most of the current owners, especially those who purchased early on, have a somewhat pioneering and independent spirit. We resist going with the flow because of propaganda which says that EVs are bad. Instead, we research empirical facts and data and determine that EVs are in fact really good! Speaking for myself, I'm not necessarily a treehugger, but I don't want to contribute to the nasty cloud of smog I used to observe when I lived in the city and would like for my progeny to have the privilege of breathing good air that I was fortunate enough to. Not contributing to foreign oil income is actually a somewhat patriotic endeavor. Also, many of us are into renewable energy at home, using solar, wind, etc. This really pokes holes in the naysayers arguments that they have to somehow crank up power plant production when we have to charge our vehicles," comments Dan Vannier in the GM Electric Vehicle Owners group on Facebook.

4. EV owners love lower cost per mile. It matters to most car drivers. EVs are the answer for reasons that go beyond fuel.

5. You will hear EV owners talking about things like ChargePoint, Level 2 Charger and Superchargers (for Tesla owners). For example a question like "where’s the ChargePoint Charger" may be a common question asked in Volt and Bolt owners' circles.

6. Driving EV is fun. I agree with this and had this sense of freedom from gas stations when I first test drive the Chevy Bolt. "Of course the great mileage we get is a given, but, the real reason I love my 2012 Volt is that it is so much fun to drive! It just hugs the road. We drive in both gas and electric mode - 106,000 miles at 75 miles per gal lifetime. That's not bad at all," writes Carmen Conrad Tollefson from Granger, Washington in the same group.

7. For many EV owners Solar and EVs go together. People who install solar panels on their houses tend to get EVs, and people who get EVs tend to go solar. It's not a 100% rule, but certainly fairly common phenomenon. And this is happening because these people think why not take the easy next step and produce your own renewable electric. Why do we need oil again? Some people even use the other way around. Harvey Payne from the group writes that he got solar and had too much solar. Then he got an EV so he could use the excess energy. "Hey, this is cool! Got another EV. Using too much power now. Got more solar. Balance achieved. No power bill. No gas bill (for cars - still use propane for heat). No oil changes. No smog checks. No maintenance, really. Still need new tires periodically though. And window spritzer," Payne writes.

You may also want to see this story from Torque News discussing what your EV says about you, written by Douglas Stansfield. If you identified yourself with any of these common points, please, let us know in the comments section below for discussion. Or if you have more to add, you are most welcome to tell us below.