We live where it is a matter of safety to have a 4WD vehicle, not just a preference, and we like to free camp. We are determined that our current vehicles will be our last gasoline vehicles. We have been looking forward to the advent of 4WD electric trucks for the past two years and have had reservations for two different models to consider. And our turn finally came!
In preparation, we bought an inexpensive old 4wd truck to serve as backup on the rare occasions when we need two vehicles and to haul manure or large items. We sold our two city commute cars for the downpayment on the EV (they aren't well suited for mountain roads anyway, although they've done their best). With the federal and state incentives for the EV and the fact that charging with renewable electricity will be free, we have gotten the cost of ownership of our two 4wd vehicles down to near what we had before with two sensible commuter ICE cars.
We are looking forward to having two cars that can make it up the snowy, icy mountain roads and our steep driveway so that we can drive all the way to our house in the winter rather than having to walk a distance in bad weather.
We've found that hybrid gasoline-electric vehicles we've owned in the past were peppier than gasoline-only vehicles, so we're looking forward to our BEV giving better performance than the cars we have been driving. And its high clearance will be a huge benefit with the amount of off-roading we do. We expect to have a learning curve negotiating DC fast chargers on road trips, but we are already comfortable with charging our plug-in hybrid while shopping, working, staying overnight, or eating at a restaurant.
I'll update this article as we gain experience with our new EV!
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