I Bought an Electric Car!

It was on a whim. I had just brought my car to the dealer for service when I saw this awesomely cute little car just outside the door. I knew it was a Mitsubishi i-Miev because I had seen one advertised before. This car is totally electric and one of the first electrics to be sold at an affordable price. The Tesla is super hot and gorgeous but expensive; the i-Miev is for the rest of us….

The most frequent question I get is about the range. This car can go 65 miles on a charge, which is typically just fine for my lifestyle. With this range I can go from the Island to Mt Vernon or Smokey Point and back with power to spare. When I come home I plug in to an outlet under my carport. In the morning it’s ready to go again.

The i-Miev is my only car, which means that I am brave. At least that’s what others have told me. It also means I have to be organized and plan ahead to make sure I can go where I need to go. I have had a few learning experiences on the road but gratefully, no running out of power.

The up side of this car: NO GAS. NO GAS STATIONS. NO OIL. NO OIL CHANGES. NO EMISSIONS. NO PUTRID EMISSIONS SPEWING INTO THE ATMOSPHERE! I paid NO SALES TAX on the car. There is a $7500 TAX CREDIT for buying this car. It is SUPER QUIET.

In the four years I have been living on Camano Island I have been curtailing my energy usage, downsizing, simplifying, and investing in sustainability, even moving my business closer to home. It has not been easy but it feels right and so good to be living within my values.

Some say that electric cars are still using fossil fuels like coal but here in Washington much of our power is hydroelectric. My electric bill is expected to go up a bit, but not by much. With what I am saving on gas and oil, I can afford to rent a car if I need to travel out of my range, which is rare.

If you are a two car family, that makes things a bit easier. You can choose to have one electric and one hybrid or gas car for longer trips.

With all that is going on in the world and in our backyard, we observe that Global Warming is indeed upon us, impacting our daily lives. It’s too easy to say there is nothing we can do. We must do SOMETHING, possibly MANY THINGS. Maybe an electric car purchase is in your future. Maybe you are ready to BE BRAVE. Here’s to helping make things a bit better for all of us!

Kara 

Kara Keating

Director, Movement Arts Yoga Studio

Camano Island