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I’ve been seeing coverage making claims about a lack of enthusiasm for electric vehicles in Maine, and as a proud electric vehicle owner, I’d like to push back against these sentiments. We bought a used electric vehicle in 2020 and installed a charger by our woodshed. It is really convenient to skip the gas station, come home, plug in and know that we will have a full charge in the morning. There isn’t an engine with moving parts, and that has translated to little to no maintenance aside from rotating the tires.
Our electric car has saved us money because we don’t have to buy gasoline and there are reduced maintenance costs. And now we have been lucky enough to be able to purchase a second electric vehicle, so that most of our family’s miles are now electric! We put in an extra bank of solar panels to cover the additional electricity use due to our electric vehicles. An added bonus: Our anxious dog loves the quiet ride!
New clean cars standards could allow more Mainers like us to access electric vehicles and expand the used electric vehicle market. Anything we can do to bring more electric vehicles to Maine drivers is a positive in my mind. In addition to the climate benefits they bring, they are simply a better technology than combustion engine vehicles. I hope to see the Board of Environmental Protection adopt these new standards soon.
Marianne Vandiver
Penobscot
