Category Archives: Electric Vehicles

Articles about electric & hybrid vehicles

How much does it cost to charge an electric vehicle? EV vs. gas fuel comparison

If you’re considering purchasing an electric vehicle (EV), one thing you’ll want to know is how much you’ll pay to charge it. While you likely have experience with filling up a gas tank, charging an EV battery is a bit different. In this article, we’ll explain how much you should expect to pay to charge your EV and how this compares to similar internal combustion engine (ICE) — AKA gas-powered — vehicles. We’ll also walk you through some of the significant factors that will impact the cost of charging your EV. (Spoiler alert: the best way to lower the cost is to go solar!)

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Most popular EVs of 2022

According to Kelley Blue Book, electric vehicle (EV) sales are growing at historic levels: they’ve jumped 72 percent year-over-year to a record 147,799 EVs sold in Q4 2021. With more EVs hitting the market, it might be even harder to decide which one’s right for you! We cover some of the best-selling EVs, what’s coming in 2022, and other factors to consider when going electric.

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Q&A with dcbel

If you’re looking to electrify your home, you might be confused by the various components you need and how they all fit together. dcbel, a Canadian company, is trying to make the home electrification process easier with their Home Energy Station – a product that serves as an electric vehicle (EV) charger, solar inverter, and storage inverter. We sat down with dcbel to learn more about their company, the Home Energy Station, and their advice for homeowners. 

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Is electric vehicle charging infrastructure expanding in the U.S.?

According to a recent Pew Research Center report, 39 percent of Americans say they’re at least somewhat likely to seriously consider buying electric the next time they purchase a vehicle. However, nearly half (46 percent) say they’re not too likely or not likely at all to do so.

While EV ownership in the United States is growing, most Americans still currently drive internal combustion engine (ICE) – aka gas powered – automobiles. In order to make driving EVs more common, EV charging infrastructure must continue to expand throughout the country. In this article, we’ll explain what you need to know about the expansion of EV charging in the U.S.

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Best places to own an EV

Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming increasingly popular around the world. However, some places are more EV-friendly than others because of financial or convenience reasons. In this article, we’ll break down what factors make a place more or less suitable to own an EV, as well as call out some of the best states in the U.S. for electric car ownership.

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How much does a Tesla cost?

Tesla’s constantly innovating and releasing new electric car tech to the market, and today can boast of four commercially available car models, each with its own unique set of perks: the Tesla Model S, Tesla Model X, the Tesla Model 3, and the Tesla Model Y. In this article, we’ll break down the car prices for each of the different Tesla EV models, and explain how you should compare them.

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Introducing Wallbox: the European-based smart EV charger company

In 2019, the Solar Energy Industries Association declared the 2020s would be the ‘Solar+ Decade”. So far, their designation has come true, and then some: 2020 was the best year ever for energy storage deployment in the US, including at the residential level. But it’s not just energy storage that is being paired with solar; according to our recently released Installer Survey, in 2020, 1 in 12 solar installations also included an electric vehicle (EV) charger, while nearly as many people purchased an EV as purchased a solar panel system nationwide. 

But EVs are good for more than just transportation – they are powered by high-capacity batteries, which theoretically could be leveraged to play a similar role as a standard solar-battery, just with more storage capacity. One company that is pioneering this technology–typically called vehicle-to-grid or vehicle-to-home–is Wallbox, a 6-year-old, internationally located smart EV charging company. We had a chance to chat with Wallbox to learn about their products, the promise of vehicle-to-grid technology, and when you can expect to install that in your home. Here’s what we learned:

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Why smart car shoppers miss out on major savings

Humans have the capacity to think through problems carefully, but we’re also hardwired to make ‘intuitive’, automatic decisions. This is what psychology experts have labelled as system 1 and system 2 thinking. You may not be aware of it, but your intuition might prevent you from saving tens of thousands of dollars when you buy your next car.

As you perform complicated tasks such as driving or even simple tasks such as tying your shoes, you often rely on your intuition to automatically guide you through the process. Our intuition helps us simplify information and operate in modern society, but it can also lead us to make mistakes. Researchers have identified a long list of cognitive and emotional biases (think of them as mental shortcuts) that prevent people from making the best decisions. In this article, I’ll focus on how Present Bias and Loss Aversion Bias prevent car buyers from making the best financial decision when they choose between buying an electric or gas car.

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How long do Tesla car batteries last? Tesla car range and battery life explained

Tesla is at the forefront of the electric vehicle revolution, in part because their products have some of the industry’s best battery ranges. If you’re worried about how long your Tesla battery lasts, fear not: the company has cars that last for 300-400 miles. Read on to find out how ranges differ between Tesla models, why different cars have different ranges, and more.

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