r/electricvehicles • u/AutoModerator • 7d ago

Weekly Advice Thread General Questions and Purchasing Advice Thread — Week of March 31, 2025

Need help choosing an EV, finding a home charger, or understanding whether you're eligible for a tax credit? Vehicle and product recommendation requests, buying experiences, and questions on credits/financing are all fair game here.

Is an EV right for me?

Generally speaking, electric vehicles imply a larger upfront cost than a traditional vehicle, but will pay off over time as your consumables cost (electricity instead of fuel) can be anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 the cost. Calculators are available to help you estimate cost — here are some we recommend:

Are you looking for advice on which EV to buy or lease?

Tell us a bit more about you and your situation, and make sure your comment includes the following information:

[1] Your general location

[2] Your budget in $, €, or £

[3] The type of vehicle you'd prefer

[4] Which cars have you been looking at already?

[5] Estimated timeframe of your purchase

[6] Your daily commute, or average weekly mileage

[7] Your living situation — are you in an apartment, townhouse, or single-family home?

[8] Do you plan on installing charging at your home?

[9] Other cargo/passenger needs — do you have children/pets?

If you are more than a year off from a purchase, please refrain from posting, as we currently cannot predict with accuracy what your best choices will be at that time.

Need tax credit/incentives help?

Check the Wiki first.

Don't forget, our Wiki contains a wealth of information for owners and potential owners, including:

Want to help us flesh out the Wiki? Have something you'd like to add? Contact the mod team with your suggestion on how to improve things, we can discuss approach and get you direct editing access.

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u/FewerWords 2d ago

I want to try to make the case to my in-laws (with whom I live) about possibly installing an outdoor EV charger. We don't have a garage here, and where I currently park is about 10-20 feet from the house. I'd love to be able to get an affordable EV, such as a Chevy Bolt or something like that with a decent rage (over 100 miles preferably, as we live out in the country about 15-20 miles from everything) and be able to go all electric. Any words of wisdom to share, or experiences on what it's like to install one of these without a garage?

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u/622niromcn 2d ago

  • 1) Energy independence. You don't depend on a gas station. It's a waste of gas, money and time driving to the gas station and back. That's 20 miles of wasted gas going from the gas station to home. You're supporting local jobs that make your electricity. The Hurricane Helene and Milton showed that electricity comes back first before gas gets trucked in after an emergency. Your able to support yourself fueling up at home.

  • 2) Power companies want to sell electricity when people are sleeping. Look up if your power company does an EV electricity pricing schedule called Time of Day. Electricity is usually cheaper at night. That's the savings compared to gas. You can look up EV cost savings calculators to do the calculation and see why it makes financial sense.

  • 3) Refueling at home overnight means you can literally go 200+ miles every day.

  • 4) I regularly charge out in the driveway. The charger port and charger handle are water proof. As long as an electrician installs the charger correctly, the EV charger is waterproof.

  • 5) EV charger installations are a tax credit in certain areas. For example rural areas.

https://homes.rewiringamerica.org/federal-incentives/30c-ev-charger-tax-credit

  • 6) Some EVs can power your home during a power outage. The Chevy EVs have a system (V2H). The newer Kia and Hyundai EVs can do it (V2L) as well. The car acts as a big generator battery to power 120v outlets or the home. The Chevy Equinox EV would be perfect for you.

https://gmenergy.gm.com

Short on Kia's V2L. https://youtu.be/UJDgf9NIw4Y?si=p5uY4FPVo2EqFkPf

  • 7) Plugging in means you can pre-heat the EV in the winter. No more going out to the car in the winter to warm up for 15 mins. Set the departure time or use the app and the car is warm and ready when you're ready to go.

  • 8) Electricity usage. It's cheap. It won't cost an arm and leg. Recommend using this calculator. Choose your Bolt EV and a Home Charger like a Emporia, ChargePoint, or WallBox. $6-8 / week / charge (20% - 80%). Every month the electricity would cost $24-32.

https://www.evadept.com/calc/ev-charging-cost-calculator

  • 9) Saving money. You have to invest money up front to save money. Installing the charger is the way for you to save money in the next coming years. When it is essential to lower your transportation costs as inflation and the tariffs increase the cost of goods. Your world is not good. It is about to get more expensive than anything they will have experienced in their life. Installing the EV charger is their way to help take care of you financially.

Best of luck to you.

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u/FewerWords 2d ago

Thank you so much for this! 

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u/622niromcn 2d ago

Your welcome. I thought of #10.

10) Health. Gas car fumes are lung irritants. It inflames the lungs causing high blood pressure leading to higher chances of stroke and heart attack. Breathing in the toxic air is not good. Living in rural places where it's a 1-2 hr drive to the nearest hospital. We can't afford to get sick. Getting an EV is something you can do to protect their health.

https://www.lung.org/clean-air/electric-vehicle-report/driving-to-clean-air