Electric Drive Cars
see also on this page: Reducing Emissions on the Cheap Incentive Programs
Electric drive vehicles have been around since the mid 19th century (see, for example: https://www.energy.gov/articles/history-electric-car ). When oil was found in the early 20th century, it soon supplanted electric autos because oil was easier to store on-board as compared to using the still rudimentary battery technology of that time. Of course, at that time, the tremendous environmental toll of using fossil fuels was not understood.
The modern era of electric drive vehicles was pushed along by the realization that burning fossil fuels is not sustainable for life on earth. Technologically, what really helped the development of electric drive vehicles was the effort to build batteries that hold a good charge for portable computers and cellphones. These battery technologies then migrated to the new generation of electric-drive vehicles. And with most everyone getting used to plugging in devices to re-charge them, this experience is also making it easier to migrate auto users from visiting gas stations to plugging in their vehicle when necessary. Both the first mass-produced plug-in hybrid auto, the Volt, and the first mass-produced all-electric auto, the Leaf, started selling in 2010. Because plug-in electric vehicles have now been sold for over a decade, there are plenty of "pre-owned" plug-ins available at much lower cost than brand-new plug-in vehicles.
ELECTRIC DRIVE VEHICLE TYPES
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Standard gas-electric hybrid (sometimes referred to as a "mild hybrid"). In this design, the electric motor assists a conventional (fossil fuel) engine. Example: Standard (non-plug-in) Prius.
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Plug-in hybrid. In this design, the vehicle will typically run exclusively on electric power for as long as its battery will allow. When the battery power is exhausted, either the car will run on a fossil fuel (e.g. gasoline) engine, or a fossil fuel engine will generate electricity to charge the battery, depending on vehicle model. Electric-only range for these hybrids is less than for all-electric vehicles.
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EV (Electric Vehicle). Electric motor drive, battery power storage. Because there is no fossil fuel powered back-up motor, the battery range becomes a much more important consideration (depending on one's needs, of course).
CHOOSING THE TYPE OF ELECTRIC DRIVE VEHICLE
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Mild gas-electric hybrid. I used to own one, a Prius; I got a multi-year average of 54 MPG. Good, but not good enough given the global heating crisis we are in. Given the large selection of plug-in models available, both new and pre-owned, I cannot recommend purchasing any non-plug in car.
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Plug-in hybrid. This vehicle type costs less than an EV with a long-range battery, because the hybrid battery is smaller. If you need long range, but cannot afford an EV with adequate range, or are not willing to own an EV yet due to "range anxiety", this type of vehicle is probably your best bet as a "bridge" vehicle until EV's gain range, lower prices, and more fast charging stations along highway routes are available. While plug-in hybrids do not have Level 3/DC Fast Charging capability, they do include Level One and Level Two charging capability. (see Charging Types, below).
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EV (Electric Vehicle). If you can afford an EV with a range that satisfies your needs, then by all means own an EV (long-range pre-owned EVs are becoming much more affordable lately - see my report about my Kona Electric, below). Doing so will both help the environment and make it easier for others to also migrate to electric vehicles. As the market for EVs grows, selection will increase, prices will fall (assuming that mass production savings outweighs increased demand impacts), there will be more charging stations to satisfy the demand, and a larger inventory of used EVs will be available.
To the left is an EV charging station that includes solar electric (photovoltaic) power generation. Consider advocating for government-sponsored and commercial EV charging stations to include solar generation and battery storage. While EV charging is only expected to have a modest impact on electric grid demand, tying EV charging to solar generation not only reduces peak demand on the grid, it also makes the grid more resilient. And should the grid suffer a blackout, the charging station will continue to have power.
REDUCING GREENHOUSE EMISSIONS on the CHEAP
2024 - WE PURCHASE OUR SECOND EV: Again, to be economical and stay within our budget, we purchased used a EV - in this case a 2021 Hyundai Kona Electric. Unlike our previous EV purchase, this time we decided to have an EV with a long range (and to use our Volt - see below - for our short local trips). The Kona was a 3 year lease return car. Remarkably, it had less than 10k miles on it.
The 2021 Kona Electric's battery has an EPA range rating of 258, however numerous reviews by Kona drivers indicate that the actual range is higher. While I have not fully charged the battery yet, I have charged the battery to 255 estimated range miles, and the battery charge meter was only at 80% of full!
List price at the specialty used electric vehicle dealer: $20,500 (which was a bit more than some other 21 Kona's I looked at, but this one was almost like new), and with the instant $4,000 Fed. tax credit (now terminated by Trump), resulted in an out-the-door price of $16,500 (plus taxes and fees) - remarkably low for a like-new fairly long range EV with plenty of battery warranty years remaining.
Why did I choose the Kona instead of a Tesla 3 or similar?
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I never read a bad review for the Kona Electric - especially regarding the battery and electric drive system.
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Hyundai's battery warranty is 10 years or 100,000 miles, not the Fed. minimum of 8 years/100,000 miles like most EVs. For the 2021 Kona I purchased, the remaining battery warranty is 10 - 3 = approximately 7 years, or 90,000 miles, whichever comes first. The only used Tesla's I found priced in the low $20k range either had no or little battery warranty left.
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The Kona can be serviced by a large network of dealers, unlike a Tesla.
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The Kona controls (e.g. AC system, music system) are more "conventional", as compared to the Tesla - where almost all non-steering, acceleration or braking controls are on the touch screen.
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Added bonus: This may be the only EV that says "electric" on the rear. Unfortunately, the reason for this is that Hyundai also makes an ICE version of the Kona. I hope that driving around in a car that says "electric" on it will help popularize the idea of driving electric vehicles.
Note: The Kona, while having faster charging capability than the similar sized and similar range Chevy Bolt, does not do DC Fast-Charging as quickly as a Tesla. The Kona is said to be able to fast charge from 20 to 80% in about 55 minutes (see good news about this in Real-World driving report, below), whereas a Tesla with a similar size battery is said to fast charge, from 20 to 80%, in about 35 minutes. But given all of the benefits of the Kona (especially having a long battery warranty for a car in our price range), the slower charging was not a "deal-braker". Besides, I expect that over 95% of the Kona charging will occur at home.
REAL-WORLD EV LONG DRIVE REPORT: In summer of 2025 I drove from Walnut Creek to Eureka, in far north CA - about 290 miles away. This is the type of trip that, several years ago, lead me to decide that the highway EV charging infrastructure was not yet adequate for long trips - which is why my first plug-in was the Volt plug-in hybrid. I am pleased to report that, even on this relatively sparsely populated portion of Hwy. 101, finding DC Fast Charging stations was no problem at all. And even though the EPA range of my Kona is only 258 (further discounted due to not wanting to have the available range get too low, and not wanting to do DC charging above 80% of the battery's max. charge), I made one charging stop on the way to Eureka, one charging stop in Eureka, and one charging stop on the way back home. While articles cautioned me to expect the Kona to take around 55 minutes to DC charge from around 20 to 80%, these stops only took around 40 minutes each. And I still had over 100 miles estimated range when I returned home. I had no problems finding charging stations, no problems with charging. Powering my Kona was a breeze. And although these charging stops take longer than gas station stops, I kept in mind that most of my charging is at home at night, costing me almost no time!
2023 - WE PURCHASE OUR FIRST EV (a cautionary tale): Because we did not need a long range for this vehicle, we could shop for an older EV that would still provide reasonable miles between charging. We chose a Nissan Leaf, which was the largest selling EV for many years (since overtaken by Tesla and several other brands). The Leaf was introduced in 2011, with an EPA estimated range of only 73 miles. We purchased a 2017 Leaf, which had an EPA range of 107 miles.
These early Leaf batteries don't appear to hold their range as well as more modern EVs and plug-in hybrids. My plug-in hybrid (see below) still usually exceeds the EPA estimated range. And our neighbor has a 2018 Leaf, which has an EPA range of 150 miles. She says that when the battery is full, the estimated range is typically about 150. But the older Leaf "aged" battery ranges don't do so well. You can find many older Leafs with ranges of around 40 to 60 miles (with prices reflecting the poor range - sometimes in the $5,500 to $7,500 range, especially if they also have high odometer miles).
How does a shopper discover a used EV's current range? Do not trust advertisements! Have the dealer (or private party owner) plug in the car until the battery is fully charged. Then read what the dashboard reports. While
the dashboard displayed estimated range will vary depending on weather (range is lower in cold weather, and the range estimate computer takes this into account), how the car has been driven recently, and whether the car is set to "Eco" mode (or equivalent). The Leaf we bought showed 80 range miles at the dealer. Turns out that the car was not set to Eco mode. When we changed the drive mode to Eco, and first topped off the battery, it showed an estimated 85 mile range. We were happy with this purchase, for only $10,500 (less our trade-in). That is, happy until the battery "died". See EV and Hybrid Battery Life, below.
2021 - WE PURCHASE A USED PLUG-IN HYBRID: We purchased a 2018 Chevy Volt for about half the cost of a new plug-in hybrid. We could not afford a new EV, nor a high mileage range / fast-charging used EV. Among plug-in hybrids, the Volt has a higher EPA estimated electric-only range (53 miles) than any other hybrid*. Interestingly, 2019 was the final production year for the Volt. I have had plenty of minor issues with my Volt, although none are with the battery, motor, or entire drive system. So in spite of the issues, I am happy because the 54 to 64 electric miles per charge means that I rarely use gasoline. Even on long vacation trips, while the drive is not entirely electric, I start fully charged (of course), charge up at the destination, and charge up again before heading home.
EV and HYBRID BATTERY LIFE: About 6 months after we purchased the Nissan Leaf, the battery suddenly failed. It is under the original factory warranty (The U.S. requires that all hybrid and EV batteries be warranted for at least 8 years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first). Nissan says that the battery cannot be fixed, and that they may not be able to replace it due to material and supply chain issues. They offered to buy the Leaf from us instead, and we took the buyout - which matched the price we paid for it.
Due to this incident, I did more research on EV battery life and warranties. It is very rare for EV batteries to totally fail. The first generation Leaf batteries were not as well designed as modern EV batteries. If your battery is under warranty, there should be no big concerns. However, as the warranty period approaches its end, the resale value of the car will likely drop. There are extended warranty plans available for EVs; I suspect that they are fairly expensive. EV replacement batteries, installed, may run from around $8000 to $20,000 or more. It may be that the replacement cost will be more than the trade-in value of the vehicle at the time that the manufacturer's battery warranty expires.
Bottom line: EVs, in spite of current battery technology environmental issues, are a big plus for the environment and climate. Greater consumer demand for EVs will spur further innovation - especially with batteries. Hopefully, future batteries will not only last longer, be more environmentally friendly, be lighter and hold a greater charge, and perhaps will be fixable when only certain cells fail. But consumers should understand that, with both EVs and hybrids, there is always a (very small) risk of total battery failure.
CHARGING TYPES and CAPABILITIES:
Both electric drive vehicle power/battery system designs and charging stations vary in many ways, so the amount of range miles that chargers may add over time varies.
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Level One: 120 Volt. The type of power available at home in typical wall receptacles. Charging at 120 V usually adds around 3.5 to 5.5 range miles per hour (our Volt gets about 3.5 range miles/hour, while our new Kona gets about 5.7 range miles/hour). So if you plug in an EV or a plug-in hybrid at 9pm (best to avoid charging during the expensive utility peak hours of 4pm - 9pm), and charge until 7am, that provides 10 hours of charging time and likely 35 to 55 miles of range. Therefore, for many electric vehicle drivers, it is not necessary to make any electrical upgrades in order to satisfactorily charge their plug-in vehicle.
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Level Two: 240 Volt. This power level is typically found at shopping centers, civic facilities, hotels, office parks, single-family homes and multi-family communities. Level Two charging will provide around 12 to 50 range miles per hour. While some homeowners have installed Level Two charging stations (a wall-mounted box which includes a charging cord) at their home, almost all current EV models either come standard with charging cords that handles both 120V and 240V, or such cords are available for most EV models. In this case, you would only need to install a 240V receptacle in your garage (just like those used for electric clothes dryers and electric water heaters). That said, 240V EV charging cords can be heavy and unwieldy to deal with, so some homeowners may wish to spend the extra money to install a "charging station", with their easier to handle built-in retracting charging cords.
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Level 3 (a.k.a. "DC Fast-Charging"): These are mainly found at commercial charging stations along highways, for EVs making long trips. They are also finding a market in cities for those EV owners that don't have access to power for charging at home. These chargers are much faster than Level Two chargers; however, most EV manufacturers recommend not charging above 80% (see Additional Electric ... Charging Information, below). Range miles/hour vary widely depending on the auto's electric charging architecture, as well as that of the fast charger. Suffice it to say, if you often take long trips that would exceed a single-charge battery range, purchasing an EV with faster charging capability may be important. Auto manufacturers, dealers, and commercial charge station companies can provide the information needed to understand how specific EV models and specific charging stations vary in this regard.
ADDITIONAL ELECTRIC DRIVE & CHARGING INFORMATION
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Some plug-in vehicles come standard with a 120 V or a 120/240 V charging cord. If not, they are readily available for purchase. So as long as you have access to a standard 120V receptacle (the standard type used in homes and offices), you can charge a vehicle at home without making electrical upgrades.
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EPA range vs. actual range for long highway trips: While an EV might start a trip with full battery range, EV drivers typically charge before getting down to 20% remaining range (as a safety factor to avoid running out of power). Users of DC Fast Chargers typically charge to only 80% of full battery charge, both because most manufacturers say that DC charging above 80% is not "healthy" for the battery, and because charging time slows down considerably past 80%. EV range is reduced at faster highway speeds due to air friction, as well as long uphill climbs and AC use (estimate range will increase on drives with long downhill sections). Therefore, after leaving home on a trip that exceeds your battery's range, it is best to assume that the auto's range between charging sessions will be around 50-60% if the EPA listed range. This is why, for trips that will require more than one charging stop, fast charging speed can be very important. [I say "for trips that require more than one stop", because for many people, a trip that will require only one fast charger stop, even a relatively slow DC charging car/charger (perhaps 3/4 hour to one hour to reach 80% charge) may be acceptable]
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Batteries may lose around 1 - 3 percent of range per year of use. Recent reports indicate that for some batteries, that range loss actually diminishes after a few years.
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Electric drive vehicles will always show a computer-generated estimate of available range before starting, and during, each trip. This estimate is based not only on the battery condition and amount of charge, but on driving habits and whether the heater or AC will be in use. For example, the EPA range for the Volt is 53. In warmer weather, it usually gets around 60-64 miles per charge. On cold days, it may be around 53 - 55 miles.
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When shopping for a used electric drive auto, make sure your test drive starts with a topped-off battery, and check the estimated range. This may give you an idea as to whether the battery currently holds a charge that would yield a favorable range. But keep in mind that the previous owner/driver may have driven the car in a way that yields a longer range, or a shorter range, than is typical for that vehicle model. The dealer may be able to do battery testing to assess the battery's current condition maximum charge/estimated driving range.
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Finding commercial charging stations: It's easy! There are many apps available that do this, and modern EVs have this capability built-in.
INCENTIVE PROGRAMS (ways to save on your EV or plug-in hybrid purchase):
Note: If you are thinking that perhaps there are Federal tax credits for purchasing new and used plug-in vehicles, there were such incentives for several years. Unfortunately, the current administration stopped this program as of Fall 2025.
MCE, our local renewable generation electricity provider, also offers rebates for the purchase of new and used EV's and plug-in hybrids. There are income qualifications. See https://mcecleanenergy.org/ev-rebate/
PG&E offers rebates to purchasers of pre-owned EVs. Only available to households that purchase electricity from PG&E. See https://evrebates.pge.com/
PG&E also has a webpage devoted to finding rebates for new and used EV's and for plug-in hybrids. See https://ev.pge.com/incentives/ .
Our regional air quality district, BAAD (previously known as BAAQMD), has an EV incentive programs webpage that includes information and a link to the DCAP program for low-income households. See https://www.baaqmd.gov/funding-and-incentives/residents/clean-cars-for-all/resources/other-clean-car-grants-and-rebates .
And CARB, the Cal. Air Resources Board, hosts the website DriveClean which includes a "clean car" buying guide, and provides information and links for EV purchase incentive programs. Go to https://driveclean.ca.gov/ and then select the Search Incentives button.
* For model years 2010-2015, the Volt EPA electric miles range was 38. Starting in the 2016 model year, the range increased to 53. As of the 2022 model year, among vehicles sold is the U.S., there is no plug-in hybrid with as high an EPA electric range as Volt's 53. I find it interesting, and odd, that the plug-in Prius (Prius Prime), introduced in 2012 in the U.S. with an electric range of only 11 miles, boosted to only 25 miles in 2016. Finally for the 2024 model year, Prius Prime has a fairly decent EPA rated electric range of 44 miles.