Electric Vehicle Frequently Asked Questions and responses to common myths

Overview

There are reasons to be optimistic about EVs in the coming decade. The majority of EVs get more than 300 miles of range and many are equipped with the NACS charge port (for supercharging), which has become the industry standard. Charging infrastructure across the country continues to expand. All this while gas prices climb toward $5/gal (March 2026).

There are many attractive aspects of EVs. Some of them are:

• EVs are just plain fun to drive!  Added safety features, advanced electronics and a low carbon footprint makes this choice a winner.
• The availability of new, lower priced models due to rapid decreases in battery costs is making EVs cost-competitive with fossil fuel vehicles.  
• EVs are a key strategy for reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
• A growing number of countries have set deadlines prohibiting the sale of fossil fuel vehicles starting as soon as 2025.  This is driving the global market towards EVs.

Aren’t EVs too expensive?

Prices keep dropping, while range keeps increasing. Here are a few new EVs currently going for $28,000-40,000:  

• 1. 2027 Chevrolet Bolt EV —$28,995
• 2. 2026 Nissan Leaf—$31,535
• 3.2025 Hyundai Kona Electric—$34,470
• 4. 2026 Toyota bZ—$36,350
• 5. 2026 Subaru Uncharted—$36,445
• 6. 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 5—$36,600
• 7. 2026 Chevy Equinox EV—$36,795
• 8. 2026 Toyota C-HR-$38,450
• 9. 2026 Tesla Model 3-$38,630
• 10. 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6-$39,095

Power costs much less than gas to charge or “fuel up” your vehicle. EVs have little maintenance other than tire replacement. CNET did a comprehensive analysis – check out their article How Much Money Can You Save with an EV vs. a Gas Car? We Did the Math

Look at Car and Driver’s article Most Affordable Electric Vehicles (2026). Colture did a Electric Car Range and Price Comparison – Updated 2025, which includes many new EVs, but not all.

And don’t forget to look at used EVs.  As of early 2026, the market for used electric vehicles (EVs) in Northwest Washington is characterized by high availability and significantly lower prices, with Washington state often seeing prices for used EVs that are approximately 10% lower than the national average. For example, used EVs that are commonly listed from $12,000-22,000 include the Chevy Bolt EV and EUV, Hyundai Kona Electric, Kia Niro EV, and Tesla Model 3.  You can find older used Nissan Leafs for $8,000 and up. Check out Car and Driver’s article Best Used Electric Vehicles (Nov 2025). And don’t miss the Recharged article Cheapest Used EVs in 2025: Smart Buys, Hidden Costs, and How to Shop

See EV Shopping Tips and Compare and Shop for EVs on this website.

What about electric pickup trucks?

Car and Driver’s article Best Electric Pickup Trucks for 2026 states that there are six battery-electric pickup truck offerings available for the 2026 model year.  Car and Driver ranks these trucks as follows:

1. 2026 Rivian R1T, 11,000-lb towing capacity,Car and Driver rating: 10/10;  Base price: $74,800
2. 2025 Ford F-150 Lightning, 10,000-lb towing capacity,Car and Driver rating: 9/10;  Base price: $52,375
3. 2026 Chevrolet Silverado EV, 12,500-lb towing capacity, Car and Driver rating: 8.5/10, Base price: $71,695

Other electric pickup trucks on the market include:
GMC Sierra EV
Tesla Cybertruck

Will I be able to find an EV with enough range?

Range is the number of miles that can be traveled on a single charge.  As of early 2026, the market has shifted significantly from the limited ranges of early models. Average range for most new EVs now offer an average of nearly 300 miles per charge. Some models like the Lucid Air Grand Touring can exceed 510 miles. Entry-level more affordable “urban” models typically provide between 200 and 250 miles, which is still ample for most daily commutes. 

To maintain battery health, it is recommended to keep your EV charged between 20% and 80% (refer to manufacturer’s owner’s manual). As a result, you should plan to use about 60% of the total advertised range.

Don’t EVs take too long to charge?

Recharging electric vehicles requires rethinking the difference between charging with electricity instead of gassing up.

With fossil fuel you fill up your tank when it gets low. Some days you may have a full tank. Other days it maybe low. Most people with electric vehicles will charge their car at home meaning that virtually every day they will leave with a “full tank” (80% of full charge, to optimize battery life). The only times they need to plan charging is when they are driving beyond the range of their batteries – on vacation or a long commute. At this point they will consult an app ( Plug Share, A Better Route Planner (now owned by Rivian), Electrify America, Blink, EVgo, Chargepoint, or Tesla) and plan to charge with a Level 2 or Level 3 charger, which are common now along US freeways, highways and other locations. Level 3 DC fast chargers are the fastest charging option, designed for public use. They can add hundreds of miles of range in under an hour.

Tesla superchargers can add up to 200 miles of range in just 15 minutes at V3/V4 stations. Select Tesla Superchargers are now open to vehicles outside of Tesla that are NACS-equipped or have NACS DC adapters.  Thousands of Tesla superchargers are accessible to non-Tesla EVs in North America via the Tesla App (and some other manufacturer’s apps) – in fact more than 20 make/models of EVs can now use the Supercharger network.

Other DC fast chargers, like Electrify America, EVgo and others, have charging speeds comparable to superchargers. So by the time your “break” is over your EV will be ready to go.

The Myth:  Since so much electricity is generated by coal, isn’t pollution worse with EVs? Isn’t the climate better off if I just keep driving my old car?

Actually, no. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, coal generated about 15% of U.S. electricity in 2024, falling to a new historic low. EVs are a cleaner alternative right now in every part of the US, particularly in Jefferson County since our PUD provides 95% carbon-free electricity. This is not just happening in Washington but throughout the US as the cost of renewable energy has become cheaper than fossil fuel causing utilities to move away from coal and eventually from natural gas.

The Union of Concerned Scientists provides a good update as of July 2022. Manufacturing an EV results in more global warming emissions than manufacturing a comparable gasoline vehicle, but not by much.  But emissions from driving an EV are much lower than emissions from driving a gas vehicle (especially here in Jefferson County). The breakeven point can be defined as how far (or how long) an EV needs to drive for the driving emissions savings to match the manufacturing emissions “debt.” The Union of Concerned Scientists article states, “This breakeven point varies depending on regional electricity emissions. Based on where the US population lives, the mean breakeven point for an electric car with a 300-mile range compared with the average new gasoline sedan is 21,300 miles of driving, or 22 months based on average annual driving.”

The Myth:  Won’t gas/diesel-powered vehicles win in a lifecycle comparison of greenhouse gas emissions?

Nope, electric vehicles have significantly lower lifecycle emissions. EPA’s Electric Vehicle Myth #2 shows a chart comparing lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions for an EV compared to a gas car. And since Jefferson County has 95% carbon-free electricity, EVs have even lower lifecycle carbon than shown on EPA’s chart.

The Myth:  Won’t all of these batteries just end up in a landfill?

Electric car batteries can be repurposed for other applications such as solar energy storage and data center backup. Battery recycling companies like Redwood Materials and Northvolt are already operating at scale, with the ability to recover over 95% of battery materials. These materials are then used to create new batteries, reducing the need for further mining.

The Myth:  Is there enough lithium? Mining for materials to make batteries is bad for the environment.

Mark Jacobson, Stanford University professor and author of Still No Miracles Needed: How Today’s Technology Can Save Our Climate and Clean Our Air, notes that wind and solar require only about 1% of the material mining needed by fossil fuels.

Ok, it’s not as bad for the environment as fossil fuel extraction and production. But is there enough lithium? As of late 2025, startups worldwide are racing to develop new battery technologies using materials like sodium and sulfur or other innovative chemistries, aiming to cut costs and reduce reliance on some critical minerals to supply EVs.

Also, recycling batteries reduces the need for extracting, refining and transporting new minerals.  Recycled materials from used batteries are expected to meet a portion of new EV battery demand in future.

The Myth:  Won’t EVs put a strain on utilities to produce enough electricity?

No. EV manufacturers already provide off-peak charging options in their software, to reduce peak demand. Also, EVs can provide flexibility to the energy system to enable renewable energy through smart charging, vehicle-to-grid (V2G), and an extensive charging infrastructure with more charging opportunities away from home

The Myth:  Why not wait? Change is hard. I like my old gas car.

Gas cars make sense if you can’t install home charging and don’t have reliable workplace charging. Most homes have 120-volt AC outlets on the home exterior, which provide trickle-charging that works fine for many EV owners. Apartments and condos may be another story.

Perhaps you often drive through rural areas with few fast chargers. This is seldom an issue on the west coast, but can be a problem in the intermountain west and central US. Review an app like A Better Route Planner to familiarize yourself with charger availability.

Perhaps you tow heavy loads and need a heavy duty truck or other heavy equipment. These are available and the EV market is still developing in these areas.

The complex electronics in EVs can be off-putting to some older drivers. Keep in mind that you can drive an EV just like you drive your gas car. Just keep an eye on the Range indicator (like the gas tank) and learn how to charge.

The pros for switching to an EV are clear. EVs are much lower cost to operate and maintain. Inflation-adjusted EV prices have dropped roughly 25% since 2018, according to Recharged. While early models often exceeded $50,000–$60,000, 2026 models are beginning to hit the $25,000–$35,000 price range, reaching, or nearing, cost parity with conventional gasoline vehicles. And there are many used EVs on the market now at very reasonable prices.

What about safety issues, like engine fires?

You might be surprised to learn that EVs have the fewest fires compared to hybrid and gas vehicles, according to a recent report by AutoinsuranceEZ.

Safety is a big plus for EVs. With batteries in the undercarriage there is a low center of gravity and without an engine in the front there is less chance of being impaled from a front end collision. Data from the National Highway Safety Administration confirms this. The  Volkswagen, Chevy models, and Tesla models received NHTSA’s highest Five Star safety rating.

One of the most significant additional benefits of moving toward electric vehicles is the health benefit of eliminating air pollution generated by the burning of fossil fuel by vehicles. A study by MIT calculated that increased air pollution from vehicles that burn fossil fuel contributes to 58,000 premature deaths annually in the U.S. This compares to 37,000 deaths caused by automobile accidents.

April 2026