Well, I did it. I really did it. After having driven ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) cars for 26 years I took the plunge and purchased a pure EV (Electric Vehicle). I have been moving this way for many years. I purchased a second generation Prius 10 years ago and have driven various hybrids since then. Each car left me wanting. I really thought there has to be a better, less expensive way to get around. Well last year I purchased a Ford Fusion Energi. The Energi is a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV). Unlike normal hybrids which use the electric motor as a minor, secondary short term motive force, the Energi has a an 88Kw electric motor and 7.5 Kw battery which can drive the car up to 21 miles without the ICE.
When I got the Energi, I pushed to see what the limits of the EV now mode( Electric Vehicle mode) were. I drove in the EV Now mode to just about every location in my local commute. I eventually used it to drive from my home in Brighton, IL to Saint Louis. Mo. On a good day I stretched the EV range of the Energi to almost 34 miles on a single charge . More often though I had to charge early and often. It takes about 2 hours to charge the Energi from a 240 volt Level 2 charger. To drive to Saint Louis and Back on EV required at least one interim charge as the 50 mile trip was outside what the Energi was able to do. I often would plan my trips with a 2 hour buffer so that I could charge the car.
The execution of the plan to charge and drive EV began to wear thin. I know I could have always fell back on the ICE but something was happening, I really enjoyed driving past the Gas Stations and their high prices. I had a couple of trips a year that required longer distances than the EV range could provide (Brighton to Washington D.C.) and the Energi got really good mileage ( 43mpg Winter and 55mpg Summer) but more often I was utilizing the EV now mode. Of the last 16000 miles on the Energi fully 13,300 were EV.
This really got me thinking that a Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) might be the way to go. Thus I started to look into the world of pure EV’s.