Utah Drives Electric

I am very pleased with my Chevrolet Volt. It gets phenomenal gas mileage. I am averaging around 300 miles per gallon. It has great acceleration and has the performance of a sports car. During the 45 day Legislative session I have enough range that I never have to fill up on gas. It is a great car and I recommend it to anyone that wants phenomenal gas mileage in a very comfortable car with better than expected performance and  a very comfortable ride.

- Rep. Dave Lifferth

“I live in Herriman and drive to the Capitol building every day; about a 60 mile round trip. My Chevy Volt has a battery range between 40 and 50 miles. Charging at home and the ability to charge at work (thanks to our workplace for installing Level 2 chargers!) enables me to go a month and a half before having to fill the gas tank up with 9 gallons of fuel. Put another way, it takes me about 45 days to burn through 9 gallons of fuel, and I drive ~1,600 miles/month.”

- Chad

“I have a Toyota Prius which is a great car. I have no regrets. It’s good for the environment, fun to drive, and gets great mileage. It’s also a very quiet car and performs superbly. I absolutely love it.”

- Pam

“I love my Tesla. Driving to work and around town costs me about $1.40/day to travel 40 miles. But, here are the real reasons I drive it: one, it cuts my carbon footprint, so I feel better pulling my horse trailer with my diesel pickup; and, two, it is a rocket.”

- Kem

“In October of 2012 I purchased a Chevy Volt and installed 4.48 kWh of solar on my home and 40kWh of solar on my business.  I made numerous trips to Idaho, California, Moab, Las Vegas, and St. George, driving the Volt nearly 100% electric.  Even with my long trips, we now only spend about $100/year on gas and fill the Volt up with sunshine.  In addition to the environmental benefits and fuel savings, the Volt has only been in the shop for two oil changes in 50,000 miles of operation.

In April I drove a Tesla P85 to St. George, Moab, Fort Collins, and then back to Salt Lake City. I used superchargers along the way, which generally only required 15 minutes of charge time in order to make it to the next station. The P85 is the fastest car I have ever driven, and trust me, I have driven fast cars – my dad is a collector.”

- Steve

“My LEAF was the first one Nissan officially delivered in Utah. After nearly 24,000 miles, I can say without hesitation it is by far the best car I have ever owned. I power it with solar panels, and thus produce zero emissions, but even charging a LEAF from the grid in Utah emits less than half the amount of greenhouse gases that an average gasoline car produces. Moreover, the cost of that electricity is like paying 65¢ per gallon at the pump. Speaking of costs, because my LEAF does not use oil, filters, spark plugs, belts, mufflers, its maintenance is absolutely minimal. And the icing on the cake is that my LEAF is not just cleaner and cheaper, but also a superior car: more powerful, more nimble, quieter, a joy to drive. What’s not to like? Everyone’s a winner!”

- Mark

I purchased my Nissan Leaf 9 months ago and have already driven 12,000 miles. The car that I traded in was a 2001 Subaru Forester that had ~180k miles and was starting to have potentially expensive major mechanical issues. I was getting 21 mpg and spending ~$220/mo on gasoline but now I’m paying only $200/mo on my Leaf lease (so it was basically a budget neutral change). I love my Leaf and have been able to commute ~50 miles/day this whole time with only the Level 1 charger (uses the standard 120v wall outlets). I am glad to do what little I can to help the environment and am excited about the extended range EVs scheduled to come out in 2017 when my Leaf lease is up (I’m thinking a jet black Tesla Model X would look great in my garage!) =)

- Andrew

Driving an electric car is like the thrill of driving for the first time. Electric cars are a very simple, elegant piece of machinery, capable of smoothing and exciting each and every ride you take. I built my own electric car, and it has been on of the more satisfying experiences in my life.

- Mikey

In 2012, I bought my first electric car, a Chevy Volt. Since then, I have adopted a zero-emission life-style. My life happens within a 40 mile radius, ranging from Snowbird, to the Salt Lake City airport, and my offices in Cottonwood Heights and Park City. My annual gas consumption is so small.

- Hanko