Electric vehicles (EVs) are always a great topic of discussion! We know you have questions and we’ve done our best to get the answers for you. Recently we held two “Ask an EV Owner” webinars and they were a hit! Experienced EV owners acted as panelists to answer any and all EV-related questions. But don’t worry if you couldn’t be there, we recorded the sessions and they’re linked below.  Let’s take a look at some of the questions asked at these webinars.

Ask an EV Owner Webinar Round 1

EV Owners participating in this webinar included Peter V. with his Nissan LEAF, Ivy W. with her BMW i3, John F. with his Chevrolet Bolt, and Glen A. with his Kia Niro EV. Attendees were particularly energetic with questions about charging/batteries and road trips. Take a look below at how our panelists answered their questions.

Q: Do you see batteries being replaceable in the future?

A: Peter: Yes! While you shouldn’t need it as batteries are made to last the lifetime of the car, some of the older models come with limited range and even a little battery degradation can be viewed as cause for a new battery. Peter referenced a Full Charged video where a first generation Nissan LEAF owner has made the decision to replace his battery. 

Peter V. with his Nissan LEAF

Q: What is charging like on road trips? Is it manageable?

A: The answer to this question came from Glen. The short of it is, yes it is manageable with the proper planning. For a more expansive answer listen to the webinar or read the blog Glen wrote about his last road trip, Across the US and Back in a Fully Electric Vehicle. 

Glen A. with his trusty road trip companion, Nyssa.

Of course, attendees had many more questions than that. To learn the answers to their questions and maybe your own questions watch the video. 

 Ask an EV Owner Webinar Round 2

EV Owners participating in this webinar included Joel G. with is Chevrolet Bolt, Mal S. with her Chevrolet Volt, Claire and Jan G. with their Tesla Model 3, Kaat V. with her Nissan LEAF and Carol L. with her Volkswagen e-Golf. This time around attendees were particularly curious to learn more about the car buying experience during COVID-19 and the benefits to buying vs. leasing.

Q: I had planned on buying my new EV after the winter months, but with the COVID-19 pandemic I’m unsure how to proceed with this plan. Any insight?

A: Mal & Devan: Both manufacturers and car dealerships have been impacted by COVID-19. Production isn’t what it was in a pre-COVID-19 world, but is slowly getting back on track. Dealerships on the other hand are either closed completely or running on skeleton crews. Test drives can still be managed by the dealerships that remain open, but it’s a different experience. Dealers will bring a car to your house to test drive and the rest of the car buying experience is mostly done online or over the phone. See the Drive Green website for dealerships that may be open in your area. 

Mal S. with her Chevy Volt

Q: What are the benefits to driving vs. leasing?

A: Joel: To sum it up, they’re both good options. Leasing is a good option because technology is ever-changing with EVs. This means newer models come with longer driving ranges, not to mention new technology packages. Buying is a good option if you’re satisfied with the range of a car like a Chevy Bolt (259 miles) and you’re concerned about exceeding the total miles of a typical lease (30,000 miles over 3 years).

Joel G. with his Chevy Bolt and solar panels.

Plenty of other questions were asked during this webinar, you’ll have to watch the recording below to get the scoop. 

 Attendees of both webinars were extremely curious and we’re so glad we were able to answer some of their questions. Don’t forget to watch these webinars in full to get your own questions answered. If your question wasn’t answered this time around, don’t fret: we plan on having more of these webinars in the future, so stay tuned. In the meantime, you can send your questions to drivegreen@greenenergyconsumers.org or sign-up for the Drive Green newsletter to stay up-to-date on all things EV. 

Donate today to support our work advocating for better public policy and increasing adoption of electric buses.