Should I buy a second car?

[Queen Frugal]

I recently bought a 2011 Toyota 4Runner for camping trips. I love the car but the cost of gas to drive around town is making me cringe! For now, I'm not willing to sell the 4Runner.  I have been kicking around the idea of buying a used Nissan Leaf for around $7500 as a commute around town car.

I probably would not buy a 2nd car until my daughter starts junior high in a year and a half.  Once she starts junior high, I will have 7 years of driving across town 2x/day to drop off/pick up - about 24 miles a day. Eventually she could start driving herself if we had a second car, saving me a ton of time. I'm still working and time is money!

Today I crunched numbers and it looks like it actually could save me a fair amount of money over time - PLUS it's good for the environment. PLUS my daughter could drive herself to school when she is old enough.

I was kind of surprised how good the numbers looked. Of course they are all based on assumptions and the assumptions are just that - assumptions!

Here are the assumptions I used:

I drive 12,000 miles a year.
If I had an EV like the Leaf, I would drive it 7k/yr and the 4Runner 5k/yr.
Gas is $3/gallon and it will increase by 10% a year.
Electricity will cost 5% what gas costs per mile. (I would charge only at home I imagine)
Cars will depreciate at 10% per year, except that if I have a second vehicle, the 4Runner will only depreciate 8% per year.
Car repairs will increase at 10% a year
4Runner repairs will be cut in half due to decreased driving with a second car.
Both cars can last another 10 years

My apologies I can't figure out how to make the table format correctly. I have attached a spreadsheet that is easier to view.

At the end of the day, it looks to me like the second car would actually SAVE me $23,000 over a period of 10 years.

Now, instead of buying a leaf I could INVEST $7500. Assuming an interest rate of 6%, I would end up with about $13,000 from the investment.

If that were true, and I take into account the opportunity cost of not being able to invest my money, I would still end up ahead by $10k.

True Cost to Own over 10 years                                                                          Option 1: 4Runner Only   2020   2021   2022   2023   2024   2025   2026   2027   2028   2029   2030   TOTAL Value of Car    $13,500.00                                   4Runner Depreciation    $1,350.00     $1,215.00     $1,095.00     $984.00     $885.60     $797.04     $717.34     $645.60     $581.04     $522.94     $470.64     $9,264.20 4Runner Repairs    $1,200.00     $1,320.00     $1,452.00     $1,597.20     $1,756.92     $1,932.61     $2,125.87     $2,338.46     $2,572.31     $2,829.54     $3,112.49     $22,237.40 4Runner Gas    $2,250.00     $2,475.00     $2,722.50     $2,992.50     $3,291.75     $3,622.50     $3,975.00     $4,380.00     $4,815.00     $5,302.50     $5,355.00     $41,181.75 Insurance & taxes    $65.00     $65.00     $65.00     $65.00     $65.00     $65.00     $65.00     $65.00     $65.00     $65.00     $65.00     $715.00 TOTAL OPTION 1                                     $73,398.35                                      Option 2: 4Runner + Leaf - drive leaf 7k/yr, 4Runner 5k/yr                                     4Runner Value    $13,500.00                                   4Runner Depreciation    $1,080.00     $993.60     $945.60     $838.46     $771.39     $709.68     $652.90     $600.67     $552.62     $508.41     $467.73     $8,121.06 4Runner Repairs    $600.00     $660.00     $726.00     $798.60     $878.46     $966.31     $1,062.94     $1,169.23     $1,286.15     $1,414.77     $1,556.25     $11,118.70 4Runner Gas    $937.50     $1,031.25     $1,134.38     $1,247.81     $1,372.59     $1,509.85     $1,660.84     $1,826.92     $2,009.61     $2,210.58     $2,431.63     $17,372.97 Insurance & taxes    $65.00     $65.00     $65.00     $65.00     $65.00     $65.00     $65.00     $65.00     $65.00     $65.00     $65.00     $715.00 TOTAL                                     $37,327.72                                      Leaf    $7,500.00                                   Leaf Depreciation    $750.00     $675.00     $607.50     $546.75     $642.08     $427.87     $385.08     $346.57     $311.92     $280.72     $252.65     $5,226.14 Leaf Repairs    $300.00     $330.00     $363.00     $399.30     $439.23     $483.15     $531.47     $584.62     $643.08     $707.38     $778.12     $5,559.35 Leaf Electic    $112.50     $123.75     $136.13     $149.63     $164.59     $181.13     $198.75     $219.00     $240.75     $265.13     $267.75     $2,059.09 Extra Insurance and tax    $20.00     $20.00     $20.00     $20.00     $20.00     $20.00     $20.00     $20.00     $20.00     $20.00     $20.00     $220.00 TOTAL                                     $13,064.57                                      TOTAL OF OPTION 2                                      $50,392.30                                      RECAP                                     OPTION 1    $73,398.35                                   OPTION 2    $50,392.30                                   DIFFERENCE    $23,006.05

[RWD]

I'm not sure cutting repair costs for the 4Runner in half is reasonable as a lot of maintenance and repairs are time-based. But otherwise I think you've done a good job running the numbers and a cheap EV as a second can make a lot of sense for you.

[bloodaxe]

I don't see the need to have a 4Runner for camping trips.

[ReadySetMillionaire]

I think the analysis would be (a) how much can you get for your 4Runner, and (b) how much would it cost to get a rental for your camping trips?

Say you could get $10,000 for your 4Runner. And renting a car would be $200 per camping trip. You could take 50 camping trips before you break even, and that does not include cost of repairs and insurance on the 4Runner.

I've thought about this because, in 15-20 years, my brother and I want to travel the country to college football games. We will likely rent, as over the long term it will be cheaper.

For you, also, I would echo the above post and question whether a 4Runner is necessary. I think there is something to be said for probably living your entire life seeing commercials of Suburus and 4Runners and Jeeps plowing through the snow and mud. It eventually makes you think you *need* a 4x4 to go into the woods.

But do you really? Could you not get a rack for a smaller car, pack more mindfully, etc.? I'm not a camper so genuinely asking here.

[Queen Frugal]

Thanks for the responses.

Really was trying to keep the analysis to whether a second car makes sense.

The 4Runner pulls a small camper. We've spent 6 weeks on the road with it since June when I bought it. We'll probably spend 2 months a year in it. Could I do it cheaper? Yes, but there are opportunity costs lost. I've done plenty of car camping out of a Prius and it was rough and I couldn't work on the road. With a kid, 2 dogs, etc, it was just too hard.  It would be stupid to rent with as much time as we like to spend on the road.  I figure it adds at least another year to my FIRE date and I decided when weighing all the things in my life that are important to me that this was what I wanted. I am comfortable with my decision. I'm not looking to sell the 4Runner at this point.

[bloodaxe]

Thanks for the responses.

Really was trying to keep the analysis to whether a second car makes sense.

The 4Runner pulls a small camper. We've spent 6 weeks on the road with it since June when I bought it. We'll probably spend 2 months a year in it. Could I do it cheaper? Yes, but there are opportunity costs lost. I've done plenty of car camping out of a Prius and it was rough and I couldn't work on the road. With a kid, 2 dogs, etc, it was just too hard.  It would be stupid to rent with as much time as we like to spend on the road.  I figure it adds at least another year to my FIRE date and I decided when weighing all the things in my life that are important to me that this was what I wanted. I am comfortable with my decision. I'm not looking to sell the 4Runner at this point.

I didn't know you had a camper. And it looks like you use it enough to justify it. Your plan sounds good.

I would get a leaf if you don't think the range will affect you. If it does, take a look at plug in hybrids like the Volt or Prius.

[ReadySetMillionaire]

Thanks for the responses.

Really was trying to keep the analysis to whether a second car makes sense.

The 4Runner pulls a small camper. We've spent 6 weeks on the road with it since June when I bought it. We'll probably spend 2 months a year in it. Could I do it cheaper? Yes, but there are opportunity costs lost. I've done plenty of car camping out of a Prius and it was rough and I couldn't work on the road. With a kid, 2 dogs, etc, it was just too hard.  It would be stupid to rent with as much time as we like to spend on the road.  I figure it adds at least another year to my FIRE date and I decided when weighing all the things in my life that are important to me that this was what I wanted. I am comfortable with my decision. I'm not looking to sell the 4Runner at this point.

I didn't know you had a camper. And it looks like you use it enough to justify it. Your plan sounds good.

I would get a leaf if you don't think the range will affect you. If it does, take a look at plug in hybrids like the Volt or Prius.

Seconded. The camper is a material piece of information that changes the analysis.

I'd buy an extremely cheap second car; sounds like your plan is solid.

[Just Joe]

FWIW the early Leafs had a 24 kwh battery. The newer 40 kWh and 62 kWh batteries can be installed as upgrades. You come away with either ~150 mile range or 225 mi range.

I'll leave the homework up to you. Sources for the battery are crashed cars. There are also aftermarket companies doing battery rebuilds/upgrades.

[WSUCoug1994]

I just did a very similar exercise to help me decide if I should sell our second car with the way the pandemic has impacted our driving.  Since I will be retiring in 2022 - things likely won't be back to normal by then.

I think you are thinking about this the right way and the math supports the purchase of a second vehicle.  As you know the math can always take a hit based on unexpected maintenance (I just had a $5000 transmission bill this year that was unexpected) but your averages seem to be pointing to getting a second car.  I also appreciate the environmental improvement ;).

[Queen Frugal]

Thanks for the responses everyone. It logically seems a bit crazy to me that a second car makes it cheaper!

Here's a third option. Sell the 4Runner and buy a Tesla Model Y in a few years.  Why a Tesla Y? It could actually pull my little camper. On paper it looks great with a total cost over 10 years of roughly $34,000. (see new spread sheet).

Off paper, I would need to weigh the negatives - decreased range while pulling a trailer, charging on the road while pulling a trailer (how often would I have to unhook just to get to a charger?), and an increased use of campgrounds that have electricity (right now I mostly boondock/camp for free), plus the coolest feature of the 4Runner which is that it will take me places that a Tesla never could (i.e. off road).

[lutorm]

Electricity will cost 5% what gas costs per mile.

This seems extremely cheap to me. Where I live (Hawaii) running our PHEV costs about the same if you run it on gas or if you pay for utility electricity. Granted we probably have the worst combination of gas vs power price in the US, but does a leaf really use that much less energy than the 4-runner?

[Queen Frugal]

Electricity will cost 5% what gas costs per mile.

This seems extremely cheap to me. Where I live (Hawaii) running our PHEV costs about the same if you run it on gas or if you pay for utility electricity. Granted we probably have the worst combination of gas vs power price in the US, but does a leaf really use that much less energy than the 4-runner?

Thank you for pointing that out. I did some more research and updated my figures but OMG I just have to say Hawaii is expensive! Anyway, I am struggling to put an exact figure to kwh used to calculate the electric cost but I know to charge at home costs $.065 per kwh which is pretty cheap. My best guess is that this works out to a cost of about $.033 per mile.

And I filled up my tank yesterday and paid $2.10/gal instead of the $3/gal I used in my projections, so I modified the gas prices in my calculations to be accurate in my neighborhood. My figures assumed a starting rate for gas of $3/gal. I typically plan on spending an average of $3/gal when traveling because gas is way more expensive in other parts of the country but really for an accurate comparison I think I should use the price of gas locally since locally is where I would be driving the Nissan Leaf.

I'm not sure cutting repair costs for the 4Runner in half is reasonable as a lot of maintenance and repairs are time-based.

Yes that is probably true so I changed the assumption to 80% of repair costs instead of 50%.

Based on these updates, the true cost comparison over 10 years would be:

 $61,403.19 4Runner only
 $57,182.81 4Runner + Nissan Leaf

These numbers are much closer obviously but still the Leaf could pay for itself over a period of time.

[lutorm]

Thank you for pointing that out. I did some more research and updated my figures but OMG I just have to say Hawaii is expensive! Anyway, I am struggling to put an exact figure to kwh used to calculate the electric cost but I know to charge at home costs $.065 per kwh which is pretty cheap. My best guess is that this works out to a cost of about $.033 per mile.

Don't I know it. Utility charges $0.35/kWh here. Luckily the sun is free (once the investment is paid off)!

Fun experiment: The MPGe calculation assumes that the energy in a gallon of gas is 33.7kWh. So to see what the "gas price equivalent" of electricity is, you multiply the price per kWh by 33.7. So your electricity costs $2.19/gallon, and mine $11.79/gal! It's no wonder electric cars aren't really any cheaper. I really don't understand how gas can be so cheap relative to power, since most of our utility power comes from oil anyway.

[Queen Frugal]

Thank you for pointing that out. I did some more research and updated my figures but OMG I just have to say Hawaii is expensive! Anyway, I am struggling to put an exact figure to kwh used to calculate the electric cost but I know to charge at home costs $.065 per kwh which is pretty cheap. My best guess is that this works out to a cost of about $.033 per mile.

Don't I know it. Utility charges $0.35/kWh here. Luckily the sun is free (once the investment is paid off)!

Fun experiment: The MPGe calculation assumes that the energy in a gallon of gas is 33.7kWh. So to see what the "gas price equivalent" of electricity is, you multiply the price per kWh by 33.7. So your electricity costs $2.19/gallon, and mine $11.79/gal! It's no wonder electric cars aren't really any cheaper. I really don't understand how gas can be so cheap relative to power, since most of our utility power comes from oil anyway.

Oh wow! That's crazy expensive!!!

A little more research on part - here is what I think is the right way to calculate the electric cost.  It's kwH battery size x price per kwH = cost to fully charge. Divide that by the miles you can get out of a full charge for a per mile cost and multiply that by annual mileage. So, for example, if I buy a used Leaf allowing for a full charge of only 70 miles, the annual cost would be $111.43.

Here's the math:

24 kwH battery x 0.065 (my cost) / 70 (miles I can travel on a full charge) x 5000 (my annual miles) = $111.43.

It seems like a good move on my part.

One dilemma I am having though is I don't have a garage. I have an alley and I park my vehicle about 50' from my house. I would have to run a pretty long extension cord to plug in. Otherwise I would have to spend a fair sum to make electric available right next to my car.

[Paper Chaser]

Most EVs average around 4 miles traveled per kwh of electricity used. So you can calculate cost per mile and compare it to your 4Runner pretty easily. There is of course a caveat: Just like a gas powered vehicle, that efficiency drops in colder temps, or when HVAC is used, when there's a lot of rolling resistance from standing water or snowy road surfaces, or when the vehicle in question is particularly large, heavy and inefficient. I think using 4miles per kwh of charge is fine for rough calculations, but if you're going to be close to the maximum range of the battery with your normal travels I'd probably want to be more cautious and use a more conservative value like 3.5 mile per kwh to account for less efficient travel at times.

The other thing to consider is that charging from a typical 120V outlet adds a bit over 1 kwh of juice per hour of charging. For a Leaf that works out to a max around 4.5 miles of range for every hour spent charging:

https://www.quick220.com/blog/electric-car-charging-ultimate-guide/

So an overnight charging period of 12 hours would add about 54 miles of range under ideal circumstance with your extension cord. And remember that in the winter or middle of summer when you're using a lot of heat or AC that 50 miles of charge probably won't actually take you 50 miles. That might be fine since you'd have a back up vehicle to use in the case of the EV being too low on charge, but it's worth noting that a typical extension cord is probably going to take 20+ hrs to go from "empty" to "full" charge in a Leaf.

If you want maximum flexibility and the minimum of hassles from an EV, charging at home with a 240V outlet is really the only way to go. That's usually doable with a little work, even without a garage, but the cost of purchasing and installing that charger should be considered in your payoff calculations.

[Paper Chaser]

Also, fueleconomy.gov has a handy comparison tool that can be customized.
I entered some info that you've given for the two vehicles in question, put 7000 miles driven for each (miles driven must be the same unless you "compare" with the two vehicles separately), 70% stop/go driving:

https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=30828&id=30979&#tab1

I think they use a default $/kwh of $0.13 and $/gal of $2.17 so your numbers may vary if your fuel price is much different or if you're only paying $0.065/kwh. Hopefully the side by side comparison and cost/mile might be helpful anyway, and you can play around with it if you need to.

[researcher1]

One dilemma I am having though is I don't have a garage. I have an alley and I park my vehicle about 50' from my house. I would have to run a pretty long extension cord to plug in. Otherwise I would have to spend a fair sum to make electric available right next to my car.

Why on Earth are you even considering an electric vehicle if you don't have a practical way of charging it?

I also think your calculations are wildly optimistic in favor of two cars.  Think of it this way...
The Leaf costs $7500.  Fuel costs $2.10/gal.
You can buy over 3,500 gallons of fuel for the price of the Leaf.
If your 4Runner gets 20 MPG, you can drive more than 71,000 miles for what it costs to buy the Leaf.

This doesn't even account for the additional expenses that come with owning the Leaf...
Electricity costs, insurance, taxes, registration/plates, maintenance, ect.

[Paper Chaser]

One dilemma I am having though is I don't have a garage. I have an alley and I park my vehicle about 50' from my house. I would have to run a pretty long extension cord to plug in. Otherwise I would have to spend a fair sum to make electric available right next to my car.

Why on Earth are you even considering an electric vehicle if you don't have a practical way of charging it?

I also think your calculations are wildly optimistic in favor of two cars.  Think of it this way...
The Leaf costs $7500.  Fuel costs $2.10/gal.
You can buy over 3,500 gallons of fuel for the price of the Leaf.
If your 4Runner gets 20 MPG, you can drive more than 71,000 miles for what it costs to buy the Leaf.

This doesn't even account for the additional expenses that come with owning the Leaf...
Electricity costs, insurance, taxes, registration/plates, maintenance, ect.

This may be a particularly onerous and unexpected cost for OP since they're located in Kansas who now charges an additional $100/yr fee for all EV owners to register their vehicle:

https://www.wibw.com/content/news/New-fees-on-electric-hybrid-vehicles-start-Jan-1-in-Kansas-566633411.html

[Queen Frugal]

One dilemma I am having though is I don't have a garage. I have an alley and I park my vehicle about 50' from my house. I would have to run a pretty long extension cord to plug in. Otherwise I would have to spend a fair sum to make electric available right next to my car.

Why on Earth are you even considering an electric vehicle if you don't have a practical way of charging it?

I don't know that it all that impractical to plug it in with an extension cord. I think a Level 1 charger will be sufficient for my needs. But, maybe I'm thinking about it wrong. I use to plug in the diesel all winter running an extension cord outside back in the day on the farm. Is it really all that different?

This may be a particularly onerous and unexpected cost for OP since they're located in Kansas who now charges an additional $100/yr fee for all EV owners to register their vehicle:

https://www.wibw.com/content/news/New-fees-on-electric-hybrid-vehicles-start-Jan-1-in-Kansas-566633411.html

Good to know! Thanks Paper Chaser.

[researcher1]

I don't know that it all that impractical to plug it in with an extension cord. I think a Level 1 charger will be sufficient for my needs. But, maybe I'm thinking about it wrong. I use to plug in the diesel all winter running an extension cord outside back in the day on the farm. Is it really all that different?

Stringing a 50'+ long extension cord through an alley to charge an electric vehicle doesn't sound all that practical to me.
No worries about someone messing with the cord, stealing it, unplugging it, running over it with a lawnmower, ect?
And what is the voltage loss through a 50 foot run of standard electrical cord?

Either way, I'm just not seeing a major benefit to owning a second car.
Like I said, you can drive more than 71,000 miles for the purchase price of the Leaf.
This translates into SIX YEARS of driving before you'd break even on the purchase.

And the additional yearly costs of owning/operating the Leaf would pay for a lot of fuel.

[Just Joe]

Nissan recommends that you don't charge with an extension cord. Its right there in the owner's manual.

If have done that with a Leaf but it takes a good extension cord. Otherwise the wires in a cheaper (typical) cord can be undersize for the continuous current being delivered. Also - the ways the wire is connected to the ends of the cord also add resistance. Both situations lead to heat and potentially fire. The cord ends on the cord I used were quite warm.

A good extension cord is more expensive and subject to theft. Also - that means your EVSE is laying on the ground somewhere and subject to theft. Those are several hundred dollars to replace (~$500 in my 30 second search). Your living arrangements might not be ready for an EV.

There are videos on YouTube showing the effects of towing with a Tesla EV. Nice vehicles but may not live up to your needs yet. With your 4Runner you can just stop at a gas station. With an EV you may need to unhitch the trailer to charge. There might not be a fast charger along your route.

I used a fast charger with a Nissan Leaf I was driving yesterday. I had to leave it for about ~45 minutes to recharge after a nice drive through the country for my employer to do a technology pickup. No big deal. I just hitched a ride for the mile to my office and ate lunch. Then I caught a ride back to the fast charger to retrieve the car. Car delivered ~3.8 miles per kwh on that trip.

[Queen Frugal]

Nissan recommends that you don't charge with an extension cord. Its right there in the owner's manual.

If have done that with a Leaf but it takes a good extension cord. Otherwise the wires in a cheaper (typical) cord can be undersize for the continuous current being delivered. Also - the ways the wire is connected to the ends of the cord also add resistance. Both situations lead to heat and potentially fire. The cord ends on the cord I used were quite warm.

A good extension cord is more expensive and subject to theft. Also - that means your EVSE is laying on the ground somewhere and subject to theft. Those are several hundred dollars to replace (~$500 in my 30 second search). Your living arrangements might not be ready for an EV.

There are videos on YouTube showing the effects of towing with a Tesla EV. Nice vehicles but may not live up to your needs yet. With your 4Runner you can just stop at a gas station. With an EV you may need to unhitch the trailer to charge. There might not be a fast charger along your route.

I used a fast charger with a Nissan Leaf I was driving yesterday. I had to leave it for about ~45 minutes to recharge after a nice drive through the country for my employer to do a technology pickup. No big deal. I just hitched a ride for the mile to my office and ate lunch. Then I caught a ride back to the fast charger to retrieve the car. Car delivered ~3.8 miles per kwh on that trip.

Eek an extension cord is more than I though! Thanks for the information. I'm not too concerned about theft but bikes get stolen regularly in my neighborhood as does change from vehicles. Given that the thieves may not want an extension cord I don't know that it would be all that likely to be taken.

I did watch some videos about hauling with a Tesla. It convinced me that we are a LONG way from making that a practical reality. No way do I want to be unhooking regularly to charge. No way. I watched one where they tried to haul a horse trailer up a mountain in Colorado and it ate up half the batter charge in 8 minutes. LOL!  Nope. Not doing that. I like camping in Colorado a lot.

For now, I'm going to sit on this information. My first inclination was that it would be way more expensive to have a second EV vehicle but my research say maybe it's a break even or better over time. Mostly that tells me my 4Runner is pretty darn expensive. Honestly I am less troubled by an extension cord than having another vehicle to worry about. I am a minimalist at heart and more vehicles are more clutter. Maybe it's worth it if it is better for the environment. I don't know.

My daughter is 10 and I bought the camper in part to enjoy some time with her before she becomes a teenager. When she does, I worry I won't be able to use the camper enough to justify keeping it. Therefore, I may part with both the camper and the 4Runner in a few years. We'll see.

This has been a great exercise for me. Thank you all for your input.

[bmjohnson35]

What is your average mpg?  If it's below normal, maybe you can do some maintenance to improve your mpg on the 4runner.

[Queen Frugal]

What is your average mpg?  If it's below normal, maybe you can do some maintenance to improve your mpg on the 4runner.

The vehicle is in good shape and gets great mpg all things considered. The way I drive it, though, I'm either in town which is averaging about 15 mpg or I am hauling a trailer which I am averaging 16 mpg (which is really good hauling a trailer in my opinion!). I haven't really tracked highway mpg without the trailer because... welp never happens.

[bmjohnson35]

Have you considered a scooter or motorcycle or even bicycle.  If you live in a small town or one with light traffic, it could provide an alternative during nice weather days.

[Queen Frugal]

Have you considered a scooter or motorcycle or even bicycle.  If you live in a small town or one with light traffic, it could provide an alternative during nice weather days.

I use to bike to work and I commend all those on this thread that ride their bikes! But normally my in-town driving necessitates a car. I am visiting clients and bringing a computer with me and trying to look put together as their lawyer or I am driving my daughter somewhere or driving my dogs to the dog park or driving to and from the grocery store.

[Plina]

Is there a smaller more fuel efficient car that could do the job of pulling the trailer?

[Queen Frugal]

Is there a smaller more fuel efficient car that could do the job of pulling the trailer?

Not in my mind, no. I did my homework when I bought the 4Runner and I think it's the best vehicle for the job I gave it. It just sucks up gas driving around town.

When I bought it in February, I hadn't driven much around town for years. I live a few blocks from my office and a block from school. Once a week I would go grocery shopping, once a week I'd drive across town to see my mom, occasionally I'd drive to see a client. But lately I have been driving every single day just because of unexpected stuff. My child can't go to school thanks to COVID so I have been driving her to my mom's 3x a week so my mom can help with online learning while I get some work done. My grandmother lived an hour a way and got sick and so I drove out of town for that several times. It's all this temporary stuff that will pass but filling up that big tank just grates on me! I had a Prius before - miss that 40mpg now! Anyway the thought of buying an EV hit me because I know in a few years I'll have to drive more to get my daughter to and from school. Her current school is just a block away.