Car Envy

I currently drive a 2008 Honda Odyssey--yup, a minivan. Two kids and a dog couldn't fit in our Honda Civic all at once so we wanted a family car. We went with the minivan (reluctantly at first due to the soccer mom stereotype that comes with them) because it has more potential to carry both people and cargo than an SUV.

As you likely know, I actively try to reduce my own family's carbon footprint. Since we do live in a rural part of Vermont and rely on trips "to town" for goods and some entertainment, reducing my family's driving emissions is definitely on my radar. The Honda Odyssey doesn't get amazing miles per gallon (mpg) compared to smaller vehicles, but it does very well in mpg for its class.

There have been three electric cars on our radar:

1) Chevrolet Volt - a 4 seater, 4 door sedan that is both an electric vehicle and gas powered hybrid. It's all electric range is only 38 miles. My husband's work commute is 20 miles one way. He would not be able to get to work and back, nor could I get to town and back without switching to the gas motor, which gives the car a total of 379 miles. It costs $39,000. But the whole point is to get away from gasoline. Also, as a sedan, it would not leave any room for our dog to come on a family outing with us.

Chevy Volt

2) Nissan Leaf - a 5 seater, 4 door hatchback that can get about 75 miles per battery charge, significantly farther than the Volt's electric range. The mpg equivalent is 99 (our Civic gets 40 maybe). The battery charges in 4 hours, and with a DC quick charger it can charge in 30 minutes. It costs about $29,000. Our dog could ride in the hatch as long as we don't need other gear.

Nissan Leaf

3) Tesla Motors Model S - Tesla is the cream of the crop for electric vehicles. The Model S is a 4 door "fastback" sedan that can seat up to 7 people (5 adults, 2 children in " jump seats"). Depending on which battery you buy it can travel 208-265 miles per charge. The biggest problem is that is costs a whopping $71,000! Our dog can ride in the trunk, once again, provided we don't need much gear wherever we are going.

Tesla Model S

Turns out in 2014 Tesla is coming out with their Model X, which they say combines the best features of both an SUV and a minivan. I imagine it will get a comparable driving range to the Model S. It has a third 3 row of seats so my poor dog wouldn't have to sit in the trunk/hatch, and we could bring luggage or other gear. Problem is who knows how much it will cost. I'm sure it will be significantly more than $71,000! But hey, a girl can dream.

Tesla Model X

According to DailyFinance.com, "At a national level, gas-powered cars cost around three times as much per mile as electric vehicles." However, electric vehicles often cost more to purchase initially than gas powered cars, which puts them at a disadvantage when calculating the lifetime cost of a car, except in the luxury model categories. Better data is needed. (http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/06/24/gas-vs-electric-cars-cost-comparison/)

And of course , if you live in an area where your electricity is generated by coal, driving an EV is no better than a gas vehicle. Luckily, my utility is largely powered by hydropower, and we have solar panels. Now if I just had an extra $100,000 to buy a Tesla...

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