How can rural drivers contribute to electric driving? Take our Twitter poll
Last week, when we brought you an account of how an electric car wouldn\’t work in the midst of a medical emergency—in the Midwest, in the winter—boy, did we (and he) get an earful from our readers.
That convergence amounted to the perfect storm of difficulty for any electric car—and it\’s one that doesn\’t happen often. Still, when it does, what parent wouldn\’t want to be prepared to conquer it?
Some readers suggested an ambulance ride, followed by an Uber or a taxi to get home from the hospital, saying this would have allowed an electric car to meet his more regular needs. Many accused him of jeopardizing his children\’s future well-being for what in the end is hopefully a blip on the radar screen in his family\’s life.
Given this heated debate, we thought we\’d poll our readers on what they think is the best way for someone like Joel to contribute to reducing global warming for the sake of his kids\’ future by driving as many electric miles as he can—and still be able to get his son to the hospital when needed.
Heaven knows our commenters had plenty of suggestions in the comments on the original story. We\’ve distilled those down to four choices for our poll:
– Own one EV for local driving at home, and a second, gas car for long trips, such as the one to Iowa over the holidays.
– Buy a plug-in hybrid, such as a Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan or a Volvo XC90 T8 for family trips, which could cover daily commuting needs (mostly) on electricity back home.
– Go ahead and get an electric car such as a Tesla Model 3, assume emergencies will be emergencies, and ask for help from others who may have a full battery or gas tank. Or take an Uber or rent a car for those occasional needs.
– Or, don\’t buy an electric car, as it won\’t work in this case. Then do other things for the environment to offset global warming you cause by driving. Buy carbon offsets, install solar photovoltaic panels for electricity, or add geothermal heat.
The poll isn\’t seeking a jury verdict about whether our Midwest correspondent is doing the right thing.
Click on over to our Twitter poll to let us know what you think. And remember, not only are our Twitter polls unscientific because of low sample size (though maybe not this one!) and self-selected respondents (definitely this one!).
