Don has been driving electric vehicles in the Shuswap region for seven years. When he bought his first electric car, a Nissan Leaf, he wanted to reduce his climate change impacts. It turned out to be a great choice from a financial perspective too. Five years later that vehicle is still in the family with 120,000 kms driven. In that time, Don has only needed to fill the washer fluid and change one set of tires. No need to spend on gas-car maintenance like oil changes, coolant and spark plugs.
Into the electric future
The older Leaf had range limitations. For longer trips, Don would still need to use his farm truck. But as newer vehicles with bigger batteries came to market Don went all-in with electric. Now he drives a Hyundai Kona EV. It has a rated range of 415 km per charge, meaning it goes 3 times as far as the old Leaf. Long trips to the Kootenays and Vancouver are not an issue thanks to the increased range and the availability of fast charging stations.
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Don remains motivated to reduce the environmental impact of his mobility. He has reduced emissions by using an electric vehicle and even uses his own solar array to power all his driving, but looks forward to more improvements; especially new technologies that would produce better tires with fewer pollutants.