Drive electric vehicles
The future of cars is already here.
Electric vehicle (EV) sales have grown by an average of 50% a year since 2011.1 The cost of EV batteries fell 87% in dollars per kilowatt from 2010 to 2019.2 EV-friendly infrastructure continues to improve, and technology and policy are making the electric car lifestyle even more accessible.
In the long run, an EV is more budget-friendly than you think. The lifetime cost of owning an EV is about $6–10K less than owning a gas-powered vehicle—even without subsidies or tax breaks.3
If just 10% more Americans who are already in the market for a car each year were to select an EV, it would save an estimated 65 million metric tons of climate-warming fossil fuel emissions per year.4 That’s the equivalent of 860,000 tanker trucks of gasoline.5
Key Benefits
With no gas tank and no transmission, electric vehicles have space to use for storage. EVs typically offer more storage space than same-sized gaspowered vehicles.
With overnight charging at home or charging stations at work, your day to day driving is covered. And, when you are on road trips charging stations along the highways are more prevalent and easy to find than ever.
Resources
Tips & Ideas
Find the right EV for you
The Sierra Club has an easy-to-use online tool to help you pick the right type of electric or hybrid vehicle that suits your lifestyle.
Learn about the financial incentives
Laws and incentives vary by state, but here’s a central resource to figure what rebates, tax breaks, and other incentives you might qualify for as an EV owner.
Plan your EV route
If you’re planning a road trip and worried about where to charge, many EVs have their own technology or apps to help you locate charging stations. Additionally, there are third-party apps like Plugshare that make it easy.
Citations
- Transportation Research Center at Argonne National Laboratory, 2020. U.S. PEV Sales by Model. URL https://afdc.energy.gov/data/10567
- Henze, V., 2019. Battery Pack Prices Fall As Market Ramps Up With Market Average At $156/kWh In 2019. BloombergNEF.
- Harto, C., 2020. Electric Vehicle Ownership Costs: Today’s Electric Vehicles Offer Big Savings for Consumers. Consumer Reports.
- Rare and California Environmental Associates, 2019. Changing Behaviors to Reduce U.S. Emissions: Seven Pathways to Achieve Climate Impact. Arlington, VA: Rare.
- Environmental Protection Agency, Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator, 2020. URL https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator
- Harto, C., 2020. Electric Vehicle Ownership Costs: Today’s Electric Vehicles Offer Big Savings for Consumers. Consumer Reports.