Electric and Alternative Fuel Cars

Let's just get this out of the way - over the past year I've driven a dozen or so EVs ranging from compact cars to 10,000+ trucks. I remain as optimistic as ever in terms of the fact that electric vehicles have the potential to be a superior alternative to the classic internal combustion petrol and diesel-powered options that dominate the market today. As part of this though, I also refuse to sit back and simply select facts to promote the benefits. Quite frankly, while EVs are a fabulous option for homeowners with moderate commutes - long road trips are not the best measure of an EV's value. With that being said though, I like to push the limits. I want to see what it looks like doing something that will be normal in five years. That's why Heather and I decided to drive a 2023 F-150 Lightning from San Diego to Vegas. Here's what we learned from the experience.

Let's face it, the EV space hasn't been all that exciting outside of nerds and tech geeks as well as environmentally minded folks who supported the movement as an alternative to burning fossil fuels. For decades, the notion of "Electric Vehicles" meant compromise after compromise... lighter, cheaper feeling cabins with less sound deadening and a rougher ride, anemic acceleration, and then to top things off... the dreaded "range anxiety". With the launch of the Blazer EV those old ways to think about electric vehicles are almost in the rear view mirror.

Like many advocates for electric vehicles, in the past I've been willing to look past the weaknesses and point to some day in the future when we'll finally "be there". Well I think we've hit that point and while EV's are still mostly limited to sedans and crossover-wagons, the future is bright for bigger vehicles too. Today though, we're talking about our experience taking the all-new Kia EV6 to Electrify Expo in Long Beach where we had a chance to meet with a variety of companies that are filling in the gaps that will ultimately make an EV practical for all prospective car buyers.

Volkswagen's ID.4 was both one of the most exciting EVs that I had a pleasure to drive this year as well as one of the most frustrating and confusing. Ultimately though, many of the things that detracted from what ultimately could be one of the best EV options on the market today are "quirky" design elements that I've found in other VW vehicles... though in those, tech is less core to the experience and are easy to adapt to over time.

The BMW 3 Series has long been the entry-level poster car for the sports sedan segment. In the latest incarnation BMW has added a new “e” 330 series plug-in hybrid.  

Don't worry... I still love my big burley trucks, but EVs fascinate me. They are, without a doubt, the future of personal transportation. However, the future is here already. While it can be challenging today while charging infrastructure catches up, even in a less than ideal environment, a weekend getaway in an EV is possible. To illustrate this, Nissan sent me a Leaf S Plus and we drove up to Oceanside, CA.

Ok, so this is a bit silly perhaps but in an era - at least short term - where gas prices have been knocked back down, the argument for why you should invest in an electric vehicle is a bit tougher to make. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the Bolt EV. It's a great car and electric vehicles are absolutely the future of personal transportation. However, in a time where eliminating touchpoints and reducing anxiety is more important than cost - here's one more reason I love EV's like the 2020 Chevy Bolt.

While I obviously love my trucks and brutish SUVs, I have a soft spot in my heart for EVs. Not only are they pushing the limits of design, manufacturing, and technology, they are often a good insight into technologies that will soon make their way to other categories as well. We're starting to see this with hybrid powertrains appearing in trucks and soon we're going to see other features that were pioneered by EV designers. I first experienced the Nissan LEAF at the Chicago Auto Show back in 2011 and it's captivated me ever since. Today though, the LEAF sits in a unique position of combining all the elements needed to be a perfect vehicle for urban commuters.

I'm a huge fan of electric vehicles. The promise of emissions free car travel that is both quick and quiet is something of a dream for simply cruising down the road and enjoying a beautiful landscape. Unfortunately, until recently EVs were expensive, had limited range, and in many cases were "Electric Vehicles" as opposed to cars powered by electric motors. That last point is a subtle distinction but an important one. While I enjoyed the promise of cars like the Kia Soul EV and the Mitsubishi iMIEV they were really products designed for a limited audience. With the Chevrolet Bolt EV, Chevy is offering a car that doesn't sacrifice anything.

Miles Per Gallon is probably one of the biggest selling points for cars today. Even though fuel prices are lower now that they were just a few years ago, we all know it won't stay that way forever. To solve that problem, American manufacturers have focused primarily on EV and hybrid platforms but there's a third option that Chevy presented to me - diesel. When they first challenged me to test out the Cruze Hatch Diesel I nearly declined their offer. After all, my experience with diesel engines was good in terms of hauling loads... but at the sacrifice of peppy performance, especially the ability to accelerate quickly and pass people on the highway. Then they asked if I'd like to do a road trip from San Diego to Scottsdale for some Spring Training Baseball and I simply wasn't able to pass up that invitation.

While I love horsepower and off road capability, there's something to be said for a practical car that is affordable, handles well, and has an amazing fuel economy. While a hatchback hybrid like the Kia Niro certainly isn't the sexiest car I've driven recently it performed incredibly well. Considering that it got more miles per gallon than the three trucks I'd be driving later in the week COMBINED, that was pretty impressive! While I knew the Niro would be perfect around town... what about going over mountains with tight turns and steep grades?