Addiction is a horrible thing that can bring ruin to a person and suffering to their family.
Once hooked, a person will pay whatever is being asked for a fix, even if it means skipping groceries or rent. And, of course, I’m talking about gasoline.
For most Americans, a car is not optional, and the two-car family is the norm, but the fuel for this foundational American “freedom” has proven to be a volatile commodity. In a Gallup poll this spring, worry about energy costs hit its highest level since 2008. And beyond our wallets, the world is paying for our gasoline habit in the form of extreme weather, drought, fires and war. When it comes to filling up our cars, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and out of control, but there is a solution. Stop using and get clean.
My family has two electric cars and solar panels on our roof. If we charge from our paid-off solar panels, all the miles are free. Let me repeat that. We do not pay for fuel on most of our trips. If we buy grid power from Rocky Mountain Power, we pay about seven dollars to go 200 miles. In total, we save about $3,000 a year from not buying gasoline. Our EVs don’t have a tailpipe, so we aren’t belching out pollution or heating up the planet. Rarely is there such an elegant solution to a pressing problem.
If you can charge at home, swapping out one of your gas cars for an EV is a slam dunk.
Used EVs are a tremendous value right now. You can keep the big SUV for pulling things and trips with all the kids and the dog. Get an EV, start saving money and get the gas monkey off your back.
Rod Perry, Ogden