This article is part of a series exploring the ABCs of EVs: Affordable, Better, Convenient.
Meet an EV driver: Jayne
Higher Driver Satisfaction
Take a drive in an electric vehicle, and you’ll see why 96% of current EV owners plan on sticking with electric for their next purchase or lease. A recent survey by JD Power found that satisfaction has hit an all-time high, citing improvements in battery technology, charging infrastructure, and overall vehicle performance. In addition to being cleaner and safer than gas cars, EVs offer significant long-term savings through lower fuel and maintenance costs.
Jayne, who has driven a Nissan Leaf, Chevy Bolt, and Tesla Model Y over the years, elaborates on her own gratification driving electric, “I’ll never go back to an ICE vehicle. The overall driving experience is smooth, convenient, and seamless. And I’m not contributing to global climate change. I’ve been driving electric for 12 years, the last 5 years have been solely EV with no ICE backup vehicle.” You can hear her enthusiasm as she continues, “charging at home and never having to pump stinky gas, the quiet ride, acceleration on demand, and rarely using the brakes, regenerative braking is the best!”
Better Batteries
The industry has made significant improvements in battery technology since they were first developed over 15 years ago. Today’s batteries have a longer lifespan, longer range, and can recharge faster than ever before.
Longer Lifespan. Modern EV batteries are built to last 15-20 years, far exceeding the industry-standard of an 8-year/100,000-mile battery warranty. While most automakers guarantee 70% of original capacity over that period, real-world data from Recurrent found EVs typically retain 97% of their range after 3 years and 95% after 5 years, proving they hold their range and performance better than most shoppers expect.
Longer Range. Among 2026 electric models, average real-world range has climbed to 325 miles (fast approaching the 400-mile average of gas-powered cars). That’s a whopping 185% increase since 2013, when EVs averaged just 114 miles. As battery chemistry continues to improve, the range is expected to continue increasing.
Jayne’s experience as an early adopter tracks with these improvements. “Our EV obsession began when we leased a Nissan Leaf with 88 miles of range. Two years later, we upgraded to a used Leaf with 110 miles of range. Then moved to a used Chevy Bolt with 245 miles of range. Then onto a used Tesla Model Y with over 300. Batteries have improved a lot over the years. We started charging our Leafs at home using a 110 outlet and drove the EV for all our around-town miles: shopping, hiking spots, and outings in town. Our ICE vehicle was used only when we both needed a car for longer trips. It was a great experience, and we wanted more range and faster charging, so when the chance came to purchase a used Chevy Bolt, we hopped on it and installed a Level 2 charger at our house. We then purchased a used Model Y.”
Faster Charging Speed. While refueling time was once a reason consumers were skittish about buying an EV, breakthroughs in battery technology are closing the gap. Today’s fastest-charging EVs can now add 100 miles in under 10 minutes. However, for most drivers, charging time is not an issue. Because the majority of charging happens conveniently at home and overnight, fast-charging speeds matter most for long-distance road trips, which account for a fraction of most driving.
Jayne recounts, “The Bolt was great, but charging speed was lacking for any distance travel. Who wants to wait hours to charge up your car to go to the beach? The Model Y charges super fast, so long-distance EV road trips hardly take longer than in a gas car. The current market for EVs is far different from our Nissan Leaf days. The build-out of EV charging infrastructure, both fast charging and public level 2 charging, and having a vehicle with more range, has made us confident we can get anywhere we want to go. In fact, we are driving from Asheville, NC to Newfoundland this summer in our EV, and are excited to be completely free of gas on our adventure!”
Circular Battery Economy. Outdated ideas about EV batteries need to be corrected. Increasingly, EV batteries that are too worn out to be used in a vehicle are being repurposed for stationary energy storage. Companies like Redwood Materials are creating energy storage systems that can support the power grid by connecting them to intermittent sources, like wind and solar. When these batteries have reached the end of their useful life, they are 95% recyclable. This turns the battery into a renewable resource that can offset the need for new mining, creating a closed-loop system. This is a fundamental difference between gas and diesel, which are used once before creating a smothering layer of pollution.
Improved Charging Infrastructure
Over the past several years, the public EV charging experience has steadily improved, marked by rapid expansion and greater reliability.
Charging Station Buildout. Public charging is growing at a record pace. In 2025, the number of available charging ports in the Southeast increased by 24%, now totaling more than 31,900. This growth is creating greater consumer confidence in purchasing and charging an EV. Nationally, more than 64% of Americans now live within two miles of a public charging station, greatly improving access for all drivers.
Increased Station Uptime. The charging industry is improving consumer confidence by increasing the “station uptime,” or the amount of time charging stations are powered up and available for use. There is nothing worse for EV drivers than pulling up to a charging station that is not functioning, which is why this past year’s increase in uptime from 98.7% to 99.9% is a high-water mark for reliability.
Jayne reflects on how charging infrastructure has changed since she started driving electric 12 years ago: “There might have been 3 fast chargers near our home when we first bought our EV, and maybe 12 public level 2 chargers. And reliability and access at the chargers was an issue. Today, we can drive anywhere we want to go with confidence that a fast charger or level 2 will be working and available to keep us going to our destination.”
Better On The Wallet
One of the biggest benefits of driving an EV is the lower fuel and maintenance costs, detailed here in an earlier article in this series.
Even if gasoline prices were to drop to $3.00 per gallon, a driver who travels 1,100 miles monthly would save over $75 per month by switching to electric.
While gas and diesel are volatile and often expensive, electricity is more affordable and much more predictable. Electricity prices would have to rise by over 250% in order for an EV to cost as much to fuel as a gas-powered car. Additionally, EVs offer significant annual maintenance savings. With fewer moving parts and no oil, transmission, or radiator fluids to change, EVs are much easier to keep up with. Maintenance costs are typically 30-50% less than gas cars, saving EV owners between $300 to $600 or more annually.
Jayne highlights the convenience and stability of fueling with electricity: “I love never having to stop at a gas station to fill up! I just drive home, skip the lines and hassle of stopping for gas, and avoid the never-ending fluctuations of gas prices at the pump.”
Better on Health and Climate
Slashing Emissions. Unlike gasoline or diesel vehicles, all-electric vehicles don’t burn fuel, so there are no exhaust gases to vent — and no tailpipe.
Communities where more EVs are driven are healthier because they’re not being exposed to as many unhealthy tailpipe pollutants. EVs are still significantly cleaner than gas or diesel cars, even when powered with electricity from a fossil-fuel power plant. The emissions from the electricity used to charge EVs depend on your local grid, and as we shift the electric grid away from coal and fracked gas to more renewables like wind, solar, and battery storage, EVs will get cleaner every year.
Use this state-specific emissions calculator to compare vehicle emissions based on how energy is produced depending on your address. Though EV batteries require more emissions to produce, most EVs break even after two years of driving and, over their lifetime, cut emissions by at least 50%.
Superior Efficiency. The key to an EV’s low emissions is its super-efficient electric motor. In a gas-powered car, 20% of the fuel moves the wheels down the road. The rest is burned and wasted as heat. In contrast, EVs convert about 80% of their energy into motion. Streamlined designs and regenerative braking, which recaptures energy from the wheels to the battery when you slow down, mean EVs use significantly less energy and generate fewer emissions to get from point A to point B than their gas and diesel counterparts.
These benefits are not lost on Jayne: “Driving a vehicle that is part of the solution to the degrading climate and world is empowering. We need solutions. Driving an EV is just one of the choices that is easy to make.”
Safer drive
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), all light-duty electric cars and trucks sold in the United States must meet the same safety standards as their gasoline and diesel counterparts. The battery pack, which is the heaviest component of an EV, sits along the bottom of the vehicle, making a rollover crash much less likely than with a gas car.
Additionally, contrary to what is often portrayed in the media, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports that “there is no current evidence to suggest EVs are more likely to be involved in a fire than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.”
Better than Ever. Better than Gas
Remember the first time you used a smartphone and saw all the amazing things it could do? How quickly did you want to ditch your flip phone? That’s the same feeling drivers experience when they switch to electric. Today’s drivers are skipping expensive trips to the gas station and trading loud engine noise for instant acceleration and a smooth, quiet ride.
With lower costs, longer range, and a charging network growing by leaps and bounds, EVs are more affordable and higher-performing than ever before. EVs are a proven technology that are better for your daily ride and your budget.
Resources
Recharged | Cost Per Mile: EV vs Gas Car in 2025 (With Real Math)
ABCs of EVs
Visit our ABCs of EVs page to discover why EVs are more affordable, better, and more convenient than their gas counterparts. Get real-world insights from our community of EV drivers, and explore our ABCs of EVs one-page guide with links to resources.
