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The stars aligned for me a couple years back.  My employer opened a new employee parking garage equipped with 36 plug-in electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, and I was ready to park my pickup for a more fuel-efficient daily commuter. I'd still need the truck to pull our trailer and take trips to the home improvement store, but the $250/month fuel bill just wasn't practical.  In fact, my goal was to get a car payment below that amount and charge primarily at work. So while it seemed like a big jump, our family chose an all-electric vehicle.

Two years later, I can definitely say there's no turning back! It was a great decision, and here are my top 10 reasons why I love my electric car:

1. Pure economics. While I usually use workplace charging, when I do plug in at home, the electricity costs the equivalent of $1.22/gallon, less than half of even today's very lowgasoline prices. My EV is also rated at just over 100 mpge (mpg equivalent). Either way you look at it, the savings are clear.
2. It drives like any other car. I honestly expected my EV to ride and handle like a clunky electric golf cart. Not only does it drive like any other car of its size, it's quite peppy! The nearly silent operation does take some getting used to, though.
3. It fit our lifestyle. Until I really thought about it, I was worried that an EV wouldn't suit all my needs—especially those occasional long trips beyond the battery's range. The fact is that most household trips are within a 25-mile radius, and that applies to both my wife and me. We do have a second car, but the EV easily covers 9 out of 10 trips we need to make—including most of those to the home improvement store!
4. Charging at work. This fantastic benefit doubles the potential all-electric commute range for employees who would otherwise have to rely on charging at home.  Now it's also easy tolocate and use public stations if they don't have access to a charger at home.
5. No charger installation. Because I can charge the vehicle at work, I rarely have to charge at home.  When I do, the dealer-supplied 110-volt cord set is adequate for an overnight charge.
6. Charging at work for free. This is a nice perk, but with low e...
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