EV guide by Sierra Club helping buyers learn about electric cars

There are all sorts of headlines regarding the various electric vehicles (EV) out in the marketplace at the moment, but it’s important to remember that there lots of options out there and the EV guide is here to help you decide!

To aid consumers making the correct choice in order to meet their personal needs, Sierra Club has drawn up an online EV guide. The EV guide will help you decide whether an all-electric car or a hybrid is the better option for you. It also details the latest prices, ranges, driving styles and the all-important trunk capacity of the vehicle.

EV guide created by Sierra Club to help consumers

The EV guide has a convenient built in calculator which helps in finding local incentives. The site also displays a link to the various manufacturer websites and provides tips to the consumer to concerning the longevity of car’s technology.

Though the EV guide does not delve much into the overall specs and technical details on any one car, it is an helpful starting point, especially for first time electric vehicle buyers.

There are other tools such as the U.S. Department of Energy; eGallon calculator, which highlights to drivers the benefits of electric cars.

The eGallon calculator another option to learn about electric vehicles

The eGallon calculator allows a driver to assess just how much they would save on gas by opting for an EV instead of a gas run vehicle.

The eGallon is the equivalent to the electricity needed in order to drive the same distance as a gallon of gas would take you (which is estimated at 28.2 mile by the U.S. Department of Energy). An example would be using New York, whereby a gallon of gas goes for around $3.70, while an eGallon will run about $1.80.

Though it has been noted that eGallon may be inaccurate in certain instances as well as failing to take into account the free charging offered in certain public places such as Walgreens. Electricity prices are relatively stable when compared to that of gas, and many companies that employ EV drivers do offer or are thinking about offering a variable pricing rate concerning overnight car charging at a reduced price.

The eGallon also doesn’t account for maintenance costs; as a recent study by EPRI stated that almost all EV’s are within 10% of the lifetime costs associated with regular gas driven cars.

EV’s and hybrid alike, all contribute in lowering toxic CO2 emissions

As we are all aware that there are major benefits to the environment when driving an EV, the Sierra Club’s EV guide goes just that little bit further by providing an annual oil and carbon dioxide emissions savings as well as a link to the NGO Solar Homes website in order to figure out if solar is an option within your home (whereby such a decision may aid in your potential purchase of an electric cars).

Sierra Club is very much involved with trying to get electric vehicles and hybrids to go mainstream and are very positive concerning their assessment of such vehicles within the market. A unique feature within the EV guide is the upbeat quotes from both car and techno magazine reviews for each car featured.

Photo by: Venus Kitastojgawasic on Flickr

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Motivated and dynamic journalist with a strong interest in sustainable solar powered technology. My work in journalism and new media has provided me with a medium to produce content concerning emerging renewable energy.