I have been a member of the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association (VEVA) for over 20 years. I started the first ever EV show in British Columbia at the British Columbia Institute of Technology where I worked. Back then we had mostly home-built vehicles from Vancouver Island, Washington, and Oregon attending the event. The EV show actually still continues to this day!
I could never afford an electric vehicle, but since the oil embargo of 1972, I have always been a believer. I took my kids to the first-ever electric drag races in Woodburn Oregon over 15 years ago. My son, a fellow EV-lover, talked me into helping him purchase a Volt in 2012, which he loved and took to the local car shows. He recently lost his job, so I took over the vehicle and I absolutely love it! I am not as meticulous about keeping track of details as he was, but suffice it to say that my electric bill is only $25 more per month driving my Volt. For around-town use I rarely need the generator and, other than long trips, I barely use any gas! My gas car, a 2003 Monte Carlo SS gets 10 liters/100km; with the Volt, even driving purely on the generator, I get 5-6 liters/100km in the Volt and the vehicle is 400 pounds heavier than the Monte! I believe I drive more now than with the Monte, just because it’s so cheap: about $25 per month electricity compared to $75 to $100 gas.
The performance is also better. When my son first owned the Volt, we raced from zero to 140kmh with one car length difference between the Volt and the Monte Carlo SS, and that wasn’t even utilizing “sport” mode in the Volt. Pulling up the “mine hill” (15km) just out of Peachland on the 97 Connector, the Volt will easily maintain the cruise-control speed while the Monte Carlo SS was always shifting back and forth. I do miss the sound of the Monte as I am an old car guy but you can’t beat the Volt for operating expense and lack of required maintenance.
Don’t miss those oil changes one bit either.
