We drove 140 miles and burned not a drop of gas

At the end of a recent Saturday outing — for a memorial service for a friend in rural Maryland, then across two counties to visit Basignani Winery — I asked my friend Tom, who did all the driving, if he wanted some money for gas. I was kidding, of course.

The ride we had just taken — from Baltimore to Mount Airy to Sparks — was probably 140 miles total, and Tom’s car had not burned an ounce of gasoline. He owns the all-electric Chevy Bolt, and was able to buy it a few years ago when both federal and state tax credits dropped the cost of his investment by some $10,000. And, among electrics, the Bolt already was priced in the relatively reasonable range, around $37,000. Tom’s timing was good; those tax credits later expired.

The MSRP for the 2023 Bolt EV is around $27,000, but, as I’m learning, demand for both the Bolt EV and slightly longer Bolt EUV has added to the price point and the wait for the car. Still, the Bolt appears to be the lowest-priced EV out there.

As you’ll see from my Wednesday column in the Sun — and other recent articles about the Democrats’ big package on climate-related programs and the renewal of federal tax credits — the market for an EV is a bit complicated. It’s bound to get better as more EVs come on the market and the new federal tax credits kick in. If you’re thinking about buying one, read up; timing is going to be a factor in getting the best deal.

As complicated as buying an EV seems, I keep coming back to the idea of never having to buy gasoline again. The average car with an internal combustion engine has something like 2,000 moving parts. EVs have 20, and no gas tank. No gas. That’s worth waiting for.