Go electric in 2022! Owning an electric vehicle (EV) has many advantages over owning a gasoline-powered car including lower maintenance costs, fewer emissions resulting in less pollution, and lower fuel costs. 

More and more New Yorkers are buying electric vehicles because of the cost savings. For example, the average yearly cost of fueling an EV in New York is $708, while its gas-powered counterpart is $1,200 per year. Additionally, EV maintenance costs are lower than conventional cars because they have fewer moving parts (e.g., belts, crankshaft, fuel pumps, pistons) resulting in fewer mechanical failures. 

Adoption of electric vehicles can also reduce pollution-related health outcomes and greenhouse gas emissions. The transportation sector is the largest source of GHG emissions in the United States. In New York State, transportation accounts for over one-third of total GHG emissions. The average carbon footprint of an electric car is much smaller than that of a conventional car. As our electric grid shifts to renewable energy sources like solar, wind and hydropower, electric cars will become a cleaner way to get around.

One common misconception of purchasing an EV is the lack of accessible charging, which creates range anxiety. Range anxiety is the fear that a vehicle doesn’t have enough energy/fuel to reach its destination and would leave its occupants stranded. In reality, most New Yorkers could drive an EV for days without needing charging. At home chargers and charging EVs overnight also help to ensure that your vehicle is always fully charged and ready to go. New York is also building charging infrastructure all over the state to address the increasing number of EVs on the road. Increased public charging will eventually lead to decreased range anxiety. 

For all of these reasons, EVs are the future of transportation. Want to check out an EV today? Take our pledge! You can simply fulfill the pledge by attending a virtual or in person event focused on EVs, or by visiting an EV in person, and even take one for a test drive. Let’s go electric in 2022! 

If you’re still feeling uncertain about EVs, hear from some EV owners! Click here to read testimonials from EV drivers across New York. 

Make sure to check out more information about EVs and NYLCVEF’s EV Campaign on our website at https://nylcvef.org/plugitinny/.

By Miaojun Pang and Caroline Hahn.