Drive an electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle.
Driving an electric vehicle (EV) offers environmental, economic, and technological benefits that cannot be matched by internal combustion engine vehicles.
Environmental Benefits: EVs produce zero tailpipe emissions. This makes the air we breathe cleaner and healthier. Driving an EV will reduce your transportation carbon footprint by up to 70%. EVs are both more efficient than internal combustion vehicles (ICE) and when charging in Groton, the energy used to charge their batteries is generated by >60% non-carbon emitting processes.
Lower cost of Operation. With the low cost of electricity in Groton and the higher efficiency of electric vehicles, you can dramatically reduce the cost of vehicle fuel. Electric vehicles require less maintenance than ICE vehicles. Regular service for tire rotation and evaluation of the electrical systems are needed, but the work involved in these checks is less than for an ICE vehicle.
Safety. EVs have several features that make them safer than ICE vehicles. EVs are much less likely to catch fire than ICE vehicles, because they do not use flammable fuel. EVs have higher torque/acceleration, which can be very helpful in avoiding accidents. EVs have a lower center of gravity which improves stability of handling and reduces the chance of rollovers. EV’s are mechanically simpler, with fewer moving parts to break down, so they are less likely to strand their occupants in unsafe circumstances. Due to their large, heavy batteries, EVs tend to be more massive than ICE vehicles. This extra mass protects their occupants in collisions.
More convenient fueling: For most trips, you will ‘fill up the tank’ in your garage or driveway. You can charge overnight, when Groton’s electric rates are extremely low. No more smelly gasoline transactions.
Most of the benefits listed above apply to both EVs and Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles (PHEV). PHEVs run on batteries for shorter trips, but shift to gasoline power for longer trips. This reduces some of the environmental benefits, but provides a backup to electric power that relieves the ‘range anxiety’ that many first time EV owners experience.
Electric vehicles are, on average, a little more expensive than ICE vehicles However, the prices of EVs have been falling steadily, and the range of model offerings is growing every year. The number and variety of smaller, less expensive models is increasing. Federal and state subsidies for some models allow them to achieve cost parity with their ICE counterparts. Finally, if you want to have faster charging at home, you will need to install an EV charger, which will be an additional cost for a first time buyer of an EV. Explore our Deeper Dive page to learn more about EV and PHEV incentives as well as electrical requirements for different home charging options.