Worst thing about an electric car? Better half drives it more - WOWK 13 Charleston, Huntington WV News, Weather, Sports

Worst thing about an electric car? Better half drives it more

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By Antony Ingram

Despite their myriad benefits, electric vehicles do still have their problems.

Not everyone can live with the limited range of many vehicles on sale at the moment. They can be a little expensive, too. And getting 'ICEd' is a frustration drivers of regular vehicles simply don't experience.


Anecdotal evidence from Treehugger suggests it's a fairly common occurrence, and our own readers have mentioned similar problems in the past.

We've mentioned on several occasions that the best way of getting people interested in electric vehicles is to give them a go in one.

Once many drivers experience the silence, the instant torque, the smooth power delivery, they're smitten. It's the electric car's  secret advantage: They're nicer to drive.

And if you've put an electric car on the drive alongside its conventional counterpart, it's inevitable your better half will drive it at some point. Maybe they're taking the kids to school one morning. Maybe they need to get something from the store.

Only it happens more and more often. Soon, without realizing it, they're driving your electric vehicle more often than their own. Even if their own car is considerably more luxurious, or larger, or offers more equipment.

It may have a prestigious badge on the hood, but to drive that gasoline-powered behemoth just feels a bit... well, old-fashioned.

There is a solution to this of course: Become a two electric-vehicle family. Perhaps a Leaf and a Volt--keeping at least one car that can go a little further when needed.

That way nobody needs to fight over who gets the quiet, nippy electric vehicle. We won't go as far as saying an electric car will save your relationship, but there's no harm in easing tensions, right?

For everyone else, you're just going to have to get used to your partner stealing your keys now and then...

This story originally appeared at Green Car Reports

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