Electric Car, Environment, News

Bolting into Our Electric Journey

66 Comments

Last week we received some bad news about our 2010 Honda Fit—it would cost about $3,000 dollars to get it to a point where it could be inspected. After a short discussion, both Clif and I agreed that the time had come to give up our trusty little Fit. We did this with sadness as the Fit has served us reliably over the years. But $3,000 seemed like too much to put into a fifteen-year-old car.

Our trusty Honda Fit, glimmering after an ice storm

The time had come to buy another car.

Longtime readers will know that we take climate change very seriously. (This dry blazing hot summer is certainly a reminder that the change is upon us. Now.) It has long been our dream to get an electric car, but in the past, they cost more than we could afford.

I am happy to report that this has changed. While electric cars are still in the minority, there are now enough on the market for good, used cars to be available.

We thought we might have to go to Massachusetts to get one, to a dealer in Tewksbury, but as it turned out, a local dealer had a used EV, a Chevy Bolt, available at a price we could afford. With 44,000 miles on it, the car has had one owner and is in beautiful condition.

And guess what color it is?

It seems as though we attract red cars, doesn’t it?

The Bolt’s battery range is about 245 miles, which suits us just fine. Both Clif and I are homebodies, and with our home charger, that range will get us where we want to go in central Maine. Dee’s EV has a range of over 300 miles, and for longer trips we can use her car. And, at least in the part of Maine we live in, public chargers are plentiful. If we needed to, we could stop at one for a recharge.

But I don’t think we’ll need to. A friend of ours has an EV with a similar range, and it gets her to southern Maine and back with no problems. (This means that I can still meet my blogging friend Judy of New England Garden and Thread for our yearly lunch at Stonewall Kitchen in York, Maine.)

We are almost a completely electric household now. We have a propane hot water heater, and the plan is to replace that next summer with a heat-pump water heater, which will complete our electric journey.

The cherry on our sundae is that most of our power comes from solar farms.

Onward, ho!

 

 

66 thoughts on “Bolting into Our Electric Journey”

  3. Congrats on the new ride, Laurie, and thank you for doing your part for Mother Earth! She’s a beauty, and what good fortune, one owner and low mileage.

  5. Oh, this really is a happy-ending story, Laurie. Bolts have a very good reputation, and 15 years is a respectable retirement age for any vehicle! Enjoy!! 🚗😊

    1. A very happy ending! Clif and I believe in keeping things as long as possible and repairing when we can. Alas, the Maine winters, with its salt and sanded roads, took its toll on our little Fit. The rust had gotten to the point where major body work, very expensive, was necessary. So, onward!

  8. Good for you! Looks like a spicy little ride. I need to think about another car, since I’m driving Gary’s 16-year-old Toyota (I gave my newer car to my granddaughter when she got her license.) I’m undecided, but leaning toward a hybrid. Texas is soooo much bigger, and charging stations are fewer and farther apart, so I think a hybrid would better meet my needs. But as long as the Toyota keeps running well (it has only about 115K miles!), and as long as it’s the K-9 Uber (i.e. doggie-dirty), I’m not in a hurry.

    1. Thanks, Jill! Different situations require different solutions. You probably don’t have to worry about salt and sand rusting the underneath of your car, the way we do in Maine. (That’s one of the reasons why we got rid of the Fit.) If so, you could have that Toyota for quite a few more years.

  13. Trading cars is one of my least favorite things to do so it was great that you found a car you really wanted at a price you were comfortable with and it was red. 🙂 Here’s hoping it works as well as Dee’s, and you all travel about in comfort. Thank heavens it can make it to York! 🙂

    1. You bet! No fun at all. As it turned out, Dee spotted the Bolt online, and when Clif went to look at it, he was hooked. Yes, fingers crossed it works as well as Dee’s EV, which is one fantastic car despite its horrid CEO. Wouldn’t have bought the Bolt if it was unable to make it to York on a charge. Of course, if worse came to worst, I could stop at the Kennebunk travel plaza for a recharge. Lots of EV charging stations now in central and southern Maine.

      2. Those charging stations are much more common now and take a lot of the stress out of driving an EV on a longer trip. Remote places in Maine probably don’t have as many, but it’s unlikely that Clif and I are going to travel to the willy-whacks of Maine. And if we ever got the urge, we could always rent a car.

  19. It is so sad that a 15 year old car is uneconomic to keep on the road but you are wise to change it. There comes a point where they eat money with one thing after another going wrong until it seems the only original part ia the licence plate! When I had to change my car I couldn’t find an EV I could afford – hopefully next time. Meanwhile thank you for doing what you can to limit climate change – if we all do our bit we can make a difference.

    1. The EVs have really dropped in price. You just might be able to afford one next time you need to buy a car. We couldn’t afford one until now. While systemic change is essential, I firmly believe we all have to do our bit to limit climate change.

    1. The climate crisis is one of our top priorities. So many changes where we live in Maine—hot, hot, hotter. When I was young, I never dreamed it would get this hot in Maine, some days reaching 100. Sigh.

  24. Congratulations on your new red car! It is a big change: bidding farewell to a trusty vehicle and finding a new one. We gave up our yellow Honda Jazz (I believe it is the same as the Fit, renamed for Singapore) because our COE (certificate of entitlement which allows us to have a car) expired in July. So we had to get a new one – a hybrid Honda Freed which allows me to seat 7; large enough for our family of 4, my parents, and Favourite Aunt for when she moves here from London. It doesn’t arrive till Oct so we will have to rent until then 😅

    1. Sounds like the Honda Freed will be perfect for your family. Interesting to read that you need a certificate that allows you to buy a car. Here, we just buy one.

  28. It sounds like it was meant to be Laurie, onward ho indeed! 💚 xxx

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