A Story of Trust

Written by John Morrill

My mother will turn 88 this year.  She lives in a large retirement community.  She’s healthy, smart, and drives perfectly - though relatively little.  She had (I suppose the choice of verb is a little foreshadowing) a 2004 Lexus sedan that her late husband bought and that she expected to keep until she reached the point where she felt unable to drive. 

I have 3 EV’s in my garage currently and haven’t had any gasoline cars in it for almost 2 years.  I’ve had 5 EV’s in total.  I have been a very active member and Board Member of the local Electric Vehicle Association for years.  My mother has patiently indulged in listening to me prattle on about the benefits of EV’s – which extend far beyond just being “green” and extend to being cheaper to operate, being EASIER to live with, and nicer to drive.  And she watched me push back time and time again against the many, many pervasive and pernicious EV myths out there. 

So, two weeks ago – she called me while she was out on one of her infrequent errands to say that she thought there might be something wrong with her “brakes” and she wanted to stop by and have me check out her car.  I drove it, and it would stutter and shudder abruptly as you slowed, and it downshifted from 3rd to 2nd.  It wasn’t her brakes.  It was her transmission … on a 20-year-old car.  It seems it’s a common thing to fail on that model.  And shortly thereafter, the (well-aged) computer displayed a dash warning message about the “TRAC System” having a failure.  My mother had already had several pricey visits to her favorite mechanic on this car over the past year.  So, we agreed that putting thousands of dollars into this (once nice, but now failing) vehicle that only would have been worth about $5K had it been fully functional seemed pointless. 

So, at 87, my mother was suddenly and unexpectedly in the market for a new car.  She asked me to help her pick one out.  And, to my genuine surprise – she said she was “willing to consider an EV and would I take her to look at some?”  I think this was mainly (perhaps solely) because she actually trusts my judgement.  I was very pleased! 

While her Lexus was nice, at her age, she wasn’t looking to spend a bunch of money on another luxury car.  She just wanted reliable, comfortable transportation to get her hair done once a week and 1 or 2 visits to a grocery store. 

I had told her that she was a fabulous candidate for an EV who could live on plain-ole, 110-volt charging.  She doesn’t drive out of town anymore and drives less than 20 miles a day – and only 2 or 3 times a week.  She has a spot in her unit’s parking garage that has an electric outlet right next to it.  She could easily replace whatever battery charge she used in a day overnight.  What’s more, they would allow her to charge for free.  [Granted, it would only be costing them $1-$2 dollars a week in electricity for her limited driving anyway.  But, free is free!]  She’d be saving the $40 a month she was spending for gasoline.  And she would also not be spending thousands on repairs.  

It was fortunate that just a week before her car broke down, she had travelled and rented a new car.  While she didn’t rent an EV, she was struck by all the differences that all new cars had compared to her older one … Start buttons, control screens, nav systems, phone connectivity, options settings, and menus galore.  So, since she knew now that ANY new car would come with a learning curve, she decided that she was willing – at her age – to try an EV.  

We took a few days, shopped around, and did some test driving.  She liked a couple of choices.  Then, she started to tell me what some of her friends in her community were whispering to her about the “evils and perils” of driving an EV.  I kinda blew my top a little and pointedly asked why anybody would listen to people who have never even ridden in an EV for advice about what owning one is like.  It’d be like asking a man to describe what to expect when giving birth.   

So, she continued to trust me.  Shortly, she settled on a nice, higher-end trim level of a Kia Niro.  She then showed up at the negotiation with a formidable friend and neighbor who (though now retired) just happened to be a very well-known owner of half a dozen new car dealerships in our area.  Talk about bringing out the big guns.  I’m certain she walked out with the best deal possible. 

And now, she seems very happy with it!  I did show her how to DC fast charge, but I actually don’t think she will ever need to do it.  Her new car’s first maintenance item is rotating tires at 8000 miles.  For her, that will take 2 years.  The first real maintenance item is not until 24,000 miles – and that’s to change the cabin air filter.  That could be 6 years away for her.  The warranty on her drivetrain lasts 10 years.  So, those worries are gone!!  So, she’s no longer concerned at all about repairs.  But mostly …

She just gets in and drives a couple of times a week, plugs in when she gets home, and keeps her battery at 70%.  EASY!  She likes the EV’s pick-up.  Her new car has driver-assist: lane-keeping & radar following that makes it easier for her to navigate our local freeways.  She doesn’t miss the gas station.  And she likes being able to do things like track the charging and pre-cool the car using her Kia phone app.  She even took a 160-mile round trip drive from Phoenix to Casa Grande to show the car to my sister.  That’s the furthest she’s driven in 5 years.

Her transition to EV’s was pretty dang good for anybody – let alone somebody who’s been driving for 7 decades.  It makes me wonder why others far younger think getting an EV will be so hard and so terrible.  I keep telling people, “Just try it!  You’ll find they’re better.”  And never listen to anybody who doesn’t have any actual experience.  All opinions are not equal!