Why drive an electric vehicle?  Emissions, anyone? In Massachusetts, transportation accounts for a whopping 43% of our greenhouse gas emissions. Electric vehicles, in combination with renewable, carbon-free electricity generation can dramatically reduce your greenhouse gas emissions because they have lower lifecycle emissions than gas-powered cars, even after accounting for extra emissions from battery manufacturing.  

There are a lot of great choices on the market right now, from all-electric to hybrids with plug-in options. They're fun to drive with their great pickup and power. And they are cheaper to run: according to the Department of Energy, electric vehicles can save as much as $1,200 per year in fuel costs. EVs have fewer moving parts and are therefore much cheaper to maintain: they do not need oil changes, and have no transmission fluids, fuel pumps, timing belts and many other moving parts.

Range anxiety? No worries. For example, the new highly-rated Chevrolet Bolt has a range of 259 miles. The Tesla Model 3 has a range of 250 to 322 miles depending on the option you choose. And the network of charging stations keeps expanding, with many apps that help you locate public charging stations and if they are available in real time. Or, enter “charging stations wayland ma” into Google Maps and you’ll see all the different charging stations in the neighborhood.

Though you can plug your car straight into any standard 110-120V outlet, many EV and plug-in owners install a Level II 240 Volt charger, which speeds up charging time up to 6X faster. Equipment plus installation of these chargers cost in the range of $1,000 to $1,200. A federal tax credit of up to $1,000 is permitted for equipment plus installation costs in 2020. Just like your smartphone, you can plug in your EV when you get home and it will be ready for you to drive the next day.

Make it even better by using renewable sources  for your home electric source. If the electricity that runs the car is generated by your own solar panels or other renewables then you have taken an even bigger step to limit emissions.  With a renewably-powered EV, the only source of emissions comes from the manufacturing process.  For a small premium, make the switch to 100% if your town has a municipal aggregation program or by working with Green Powered, a program of our preferred partner, the Green Energy Consumers Alliance Choice -- link to the green electricity action. If the electricity comes from fossil fuels, driving an EV is obviously not entirely pollution free. Still, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, EV's and plug-ins have a much smaller carbon footprint than conventional cars no matter what the source of the electricity.

How much does an Electric Vehicle cost? Well, about the same as a gas car.  But our affiliate MassEnergize is partnering with DriveGreen, a division of the Green Energy Consumers Alliance that arranges with local car dealerships to provide very substantial discounts for purchase or lease of many brands and models of EV’s. These deals change every month so check often!  This also means you don’t need to negotiate with multiple dealerships or hassle with bargaining.

And there are still some incentives to sweeten the deal some more.  GREAT NEWS: The State of Massachusetts has reinstated the rebates! Qualifying battery electric vehicles and fuel cell electric vehicles are eligible for a $2,500 rebate. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles with an all-electric range of 25 miles or greater are eligible for a $1,500 rebate. Some electric vehicles qualify for federal income tax credits and state rebates. The amounts depend on the battery size of the vehicle, the model, and, of course, your tax liability (check here, and the dealer will advise you as well). Tax credits and rebates are available to car purchasers only.

Want to lease? If you lease a car, the leasing company gets the federal tax credit, which is why several dealers are offering attractive leasing options. DriveGreen , a division of the Green Energy Consumers Alliance, arranges with local car dealerships to provide very substantial discounts for the leasing of many brands and models of EV’s. These deals change every month so check often!

Check out testimonials and stories from local EV drivers under the Testimonials tab!