This Valentine's Day, we reached out to our community for their #EVLoveStory. Because you can't spell loVE without EV!
As electric vehicle sales rise, people are enjoying an exciting and cleaner ride, no trips to the gas station, savings on fuel, and lots of good quality time and exercise with their families (when it comes to e-bikes).
"I would not describe myself as very physically fit so I really appreciate the little boost I get from the battery on my cargo e-bike. I went from never riding my bike to doing it every single day. I am able to pick my kids up from school, get a week's worth of groceries, take my dog to visit her doggie friends, get furniture from IKEA, and do pretty much all of our local errands without using a car! We love our cargo e-bike so much, we included it in our Christmas card photos." - Creative Manager Libby Lee-Egan
Clean Transportation for All Director Katherine García has a whole lot of love for many types of EVs!
Sierra Magazine Editor-in-Chief Jason Mark felt so moved by his electric F-150 Lightning, which is solar-powered thanks to the solar panels on his house, that he penned a poem:
Lightning on Wheels: An F-150 Sonnet
Shall I compare thee to a belching truck?
Thou art more pure, befitting strangers’ stares.
From my affections, no oil tab deducts,
And in mine eyes you are beyond compare.
Lighting strikes but once, yet you strike each day,
Your power pick’d clean from mine own rooftop.
Filthy combustion trucks sow storms that slay,
While you reap bright futures from solar’s crop.
Tis true that a smaller EV might do
Yet not for a farmer to build dark soil.
Thy bed hauls the stable’s ripe residue
That rests as compost without need for oil.
For thee my love and heart will e’r belong,
Electric workhorse so fast and so strong.
"I love breathing clean air with friends while enjoying a ride across town!" - Sierra Club North Star Chapter Transportation and Land Use Manager Joshua Houdek
"Seattle's hills can make biking a challenge, but my e-bike helps flatten out the ride. I love visiting different neighborhoods, parks, and farmers markets with the kiddo, or loading my bike on the train for a longer adventure. It's a clean, fun, and affordable way to explore the city!" - Clean Transportation for All Deputy Director Jesse Piedfort
"Being able to charge our electric vehicle at home saves me trips to the gas station! This means fewer baby tantrums in the backseat :)" - Senior Director of Communications, Messaging & Research Grace McRae
"I've been taking my kids to school on my E-bike, converted Xtracycle, since they were 4 and 2 (pictured above). They've always loved being on the back of that bike. Now at 12 and 9, I only ride one at a time, but my favorite thing is being able to bike with my daughter to her elementary school, and be able to park her and the bike right at the entrance to the school, give her a hug, and tell her to have a great day. I miss when both kids were in the same school and so I'd get two hugs. You can't do that in a car, as it's so hard to park in the area, it would add too much time to drop-off for me to get back to work. That convenience of being able to just hop of the bike and get a hug every day is wonderful." - Benjamin Fry
Favorite thing about her electric car: "Along with never thinking about the price of gas, I love how quiet my ride is so I can really enjoy my tunes."
"Michigan state parks have always been an important part of my life, and I've spent my career helping preserve our lands and waters for the next generation. When I first started pushing for an EV charger in 2016 at Bay City State Park, I couldn’t get a single dollar from our budget to go towards its purchase or installation. I saw having an EV charger as a chance for our visitors to be able to protect Michigan’s nature. Supporting EV ownership in this way would lower their environmental impact of driving to the park.
"I quickly found the support from our Bay City community. Bay City Electric Light and Power covered the purchase and installation costs for the charger and the charging costs are, to this day, covered by local EV car dealership, Graff Chevrolet. When the charger went online in 2017, it became the first EV charger in any Michigan state park - and at zero cost to the user.
Now, visitors can drive their EV and charge it for free at the park while they hike, kayak, or picnic - taking advantage of Michigan’s natural beauty while knowing that they’ve worked to protect it on their drive over."
- George Lauinger, retired Park Manager of Bay City State Park. A lifelong Michigan resident, he is now on the Board of Directors of the Friends of Bay City State Park.
What he loves about driving electric: "I got to borrow an IONIQ 5 from my job for a year and a half. Both my wife and i have been pleasantly surprised with how joyful it's been. We have felt going back to our gas car is a bit vulgar. Louder. Smellier. Fossil fuel guilt. I love how quiet and smooth our EV was...we are so sad to have had to return it."
What he loves about biking electric: "I just love being able to race across town without breaking a sweat! Then not worry about parking! I wish there were more bike lanes everywhere and people didn't need to drive to feel safe, we could really reduce our carbon footprint!"