Living with an EV

User: paulg1973@icloud.com

Vendor: Drive Green - Green Energy Consumers Alliance

Action: 2591 - Buy or Lease an Electric Car

I own a 2021 Volvo XC40 battery electric vehicle, similar to the 2023 model pictured above. I've owned 4 gas-powered Volvos since 1996 and in my opinion, this is by far the best Volvo I've owned. I do almost all my charging at home, almost always overnight. I charge it about every 4-5 days, or about every 100-120 miles. The cost of electricity is a lot less than the cost of gasoline (maybe half), and it doesn't fluctuate, unlike the cost of gas.  I bought a ChargePoint home charger and paid an electrician to install it. I didn't realize it at the time, but all I really needed was to add a 220 volt outlet with the appropriate recepticle. The car can do the rest. In fact, for the first few months, I charged it on 110 volt power; it just takes a lot longer. The acceleration is superb. I really like the "one pedal" driving, whereby the accelerator pedal engages moderate braking when you let it up. I find that for city driving, I never need to switch to the regular brake pedal. 

We regularly drive up to central NH; this is a 125 mile trip. I usually charge to 90% before starting out, and we use 50% to 60% of the battery by the time we get there (depends on the season). 

I don't have any range anxiety. The car's infotainment system calculates how much battery power will be left at your destination, and it knows where charging stations are on the way. It also nags the driver a lot when the battery gets below 25%. I've never had any issues here. I don't want to drive hundreds of miles in a single day, anyway. If I see a storm coming up, I recharge the battery early.