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What is it like to drive an electric vehicle? We’ve heard things like fun, game-changing, and easy! Motoringelectric.com put together some electric vehicle experience details- here are the highlights:

Silence is golden

You know when a gas or diesel car is ready to go because you have turned a key or pressed a start button. There’s also the familiar sound and vibration of an engine to let you know the car is running. In an electric car, you engage drive mode, but the only real sense that the car is ready comes from the dashboard. EVs are much quieter on the move, too. At first, this lack of noise can seem disconcerting, but it soon becomes a familiar – and welcome – part of driving an electric car.

Instant torque

In an electric car, 100 percent of the torque (pulling power) is available from the moment you touch the accelerator. This means an electric car may race to 30mph quicker than some supercars, although most will lose this advantage beyond 40mph.

One-speed transmission

The majority of electric cars have a single-speed transmission. From a technical perspective, this means there are fewer moving parts and potentially lower servicing costs. As a driver, you’ll experience smooth and linear acceleration, with no clutch pedal and no need to shift gears. As a result, an electric car feels more refined and easier to drive.

The purchase price of zero-emission vehicles is currently higher than comparable internal combustion engine vehicles. After applying incentives, however, some electric vehicles – on a monthly cash-flow basis – can cost less today and throughout their entire life than a comparable internal combustion engine vehicle. Moreover, as EV battery costs continue to decline, the purchase price for an EV is anticipated by most experts to reach cost parity with its internal combustion engine vehicle equivalent in the next two to three years.1 Multiple incentives can help address the higher up-front cost of EVs, including two Oregon state rebates and a federal EV tax credit. Importantly, the Oregon Charge Ahead Rebate is available for low- and moderate-income Oregonians and can be applied to purchase a used EV, increasing equity and opening up the EV market for many Oregonians.

Bottom line…With reduced fuel and maintenance costs, EVs are cheaper to own!

Go electric and get top performance with easy maintenance. Traditional internal combustion engines have dozens of moving parts, with maintenance costs that add up over time. EVs don't have internal combustion engines, which means you can forget about paying for oil changes, timing belts, transmission fluid, and spark plugs. In an EV, your most frequent maintenance expense will be windshield wipers and tires.

Electric vehicles use regenerative braking, which means your battery is recharged when you apply pressure on your brakes. Lifting your foot off the gas pedal also helps slow the car naturally, so you may not have to apply the brakes as often – leading to brakes that typically last longer than gas-powered cars. 

Advances in battery technology from the first EVs have been significant. The U.S. Department of Energy reports that batteries in new EVs are designed to last for the expected lifetime of the vehicle. Manufacturers offer up to 100,000-mile battery warranties – and if you need a replacement, your car dealer will help recycle your old battery.

All-electric vehicles produce zero tailpipe emissions, which means they produce far fewer greenhouse gases and other harmful air emissions than traditional gas-powered cars. Transportation is responsible for just over 30 percent of Oregon’s energy consumption and over 35 percent of our greenhouse gas emissions. Changes to how we fuel our vehicles has huge potential to reduce emissions and fuel costs.

With Oregon’s mix of energy resources, including increasing renewables, a light-duty EV will have associated GHG emissions of just 25 to 33 percent of a similar model's gas-powered vehicle. If you get your electricity from a consumer-owned utility (like a PUD, Co-op, or municipality), which is powered by a large percentage of hydroelectricity, those carbon emission reductions are even more dramatic: 43 times fewer CO2 emissions than a comparable car powered by gasoline. And when you consider emissions over the entire life cycle of the fuel, a light duty EV will be between 68-98 percent lower than a traditional gas-powered car.

If you are served by one of the state’s large electric utilities, you can also make a big difference by signing up for your utility's green power program – you could charge your car at home on 100 percent renewable energy!

Electric vehicles can help Oregon increase our transportation fuel independence. Currently, Oregon is heavily dependent on other states and countries to meet our transportation energy needs. In 2016, just 2 percent of transportation fuel consumed in Oregon was produced in the state – mostly ethanol and biodiesel. Oregon does not produce, refine, or process petroleum fuels, so most of the money associated with purchasing those fuels is exported out of the state.

Oregon’s utilities own or contract most of their electricity generation, so the money spent to fuel an EV is more likely to boost the local economy in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. In addition, Oregonians can install rooftop solar or lease or own community solar panels – which means EV drivers can produce some or all of the energy needs for their vehicles.

Micromobility modes such as bikes and scooters have electric versions, which enable faster transport and energy assistance for climbing hills or riding longer distances. Sales of e-bikes in the U.S. have risen from a total of about 185,000 in 2013 to over 400,000 per week in 2019.

Most e-micromobility options are widely available through online and retail outlets, including bikes, scooters, and mopeds. E-bikes are more expensive than standard bikes – over half of e-bikes available in the U.S. are between $1,000 and $2,000, with only 1 percent priced under $1,000. This is less than the cost of a passenger vehicle, and since most e-bike batteries are removed for charging, reduces the need for specifically identified charging spaces for bikes. Visit the Resources section for links to service providers.