Electric vehicles are saving families money, reducing dangerous air pollution, and providing jobs in our communities. And we're not just talking cars - EVs include electric bikes, buses, and trucks too.
For this Valentines’s Day, we collected some #EVLoveStories to share what Sierra Club staff, volunteers, and friends love most about EVs:
"As a father with three kids, our car isn't just a way to get from place to place. It's a vehicle for snacks and naps and moving way more random stuff than I ever thought I would own. I've always wanted a car I could plug-in to save money on gas, but with so many demands, I couldn't afford to compromise on any practicalities. Yet a year in, I couldn't be any happier with our plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). It does everything our family needs, and it’s quiet, smooth, and practical.” – Sierra Club Communications Director Renner Barsella
Joshua Houdek from the Sierra Club North Star Chapter and Anjali Bains from Fresh Energy are singing the praises of Minnesota’s first electric fire truck! “We love that Minnesota's capital city invested in the state's first electric fire truck. Firefighters from Station 1 report it drives great in ice and snow!”
“My family walks, bikes, and uses transit when we can. But sometimes, like for my four-year-old's swim lessons across town or visiting the grandparents in the suburbs, we still need to drive. That's why we were so excited to get an EV a few months ago. Thanks in part to federal and state rebates, our new car (a Chevy Equinox EV) was very affordable -- less expensive than most comparable gas-powered cars. And we're saving money on fuel. Our EV is quiet, clean, enjoyable to drive, easy to charge, and saves us money. In short, it's the perfect family car.” – Sierra Club Clean Transportation for All Deputy Director Jesse Piedfort
Clean Transportation for All Director Katherine García has a lot of love for all kinds of EVs! She frequently rides her Aventon e-bike to beautiful Rock Creek Park in DC. This Urban Arrow cargo e-bike is Katherine's favorite way to get around town with her son. The picture in the collage is from the 2024 DC Bike Ride with an incredible 20-mile scenic course around the District. This summer, her family rode the Acela, which is an all-electric Amtrak train, from Boston to DC! Also pictured is the WMATA electric bus in DC and the new Caltrain electric commuter train in the Bay Area in California.
“My partner and I love exploring the city on our e-bike! Living in D.C. we were often getting stuck in traffic or worrying about parking when we drove; now, we go on weekend rides through the park and enjoy the fresh air or find hidden gems around the city with ease.” – Sierra Club Deputy Press Secretary Christine Ho
“I love zero-emission electric school buses! Peer-reviewed randomized research shows that students exposed to less fossil fuel emissions in their school buses had 8 percent lower absenteeism, improved standardized test scores, and better lung capacity!” – Friend of Sierra Club Dr. Dan Trajano
Sierra Club Chief Communications Officer Jonathan Berman loves “never worrying about the fumes my children are or will inhale as they run circles around the car as I try to usher them to climb in so we can leave.”
Alex Kim, a friend of Sierra Club and Board Secretary/Executive Committee Member of Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate, enjoys “skipping the gas station, saving money, and reducing my individual carbon footprint. I can double down on the second and third items on the list because I have solar panels on my house as well.”
And his favorite part of riding on an electric bus is “the lack of engine noise, which reminds me that I'm not directly contributing to greenhouse gas emissions!”
We even had a transit agency pitch in with what they love about their electric buses (we personally love the name and the bright color):
“Here's what we love about MVTA's five new e-Jest buses: Each bus reduces carbon emissions by more than 50 metric tons per year compared to standard internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. ICE vehicles release climate-warming carbon dioxide and other pollutants from their tailpipes.
“According to Environmental Protection Agency estimates, using an E-Jest instead of an ICE vehicle is comparable to planting 1,100 trees annually or removing 11 cars from the road. With five e-Jest buses in service, that's equivalent to removing the carbon emissions of 55 cars or planting 5,500 trees every year.”