Meet Electric Vehicle Owner: Jesse Green

Major automakers are funneling millions of dollars into building electric vehicles and an infrastructure to charge them.

But many drivers are still hesitant to make the switch from the traditional gas-powered vehicles they have driven all their lives to a battery-powered ride. They have questions about range, charging, and driving long distances, as well as confusion about EV concepts like regen paddles, one-pedal driving, and more.

Who better to ask these questions, than electric vehicle owners themselves?

In this series, we will be sharing the experiences of Runde customers who have made the transition to an EV.

Meet Jesse Green, of Dubuque, a proud owner of his third electric vehicle.

He recently drove off the lot in the very first 2022 Chevy Bolt that arrived at Runde Auto Group, trading in his 2017 Chevy Bolt.

“I had bought it from Runde when the Bolt first became available for Iowa residents,” he said. “I custom ordered it since that was the only way to purchase Bolts at the time.” 

His first foray into EVs was the Volt, a plug-in hybrid. At the time, he was commuting to a job in Bettendorf, driving about 150 miles a day.

“I saw the Volt and thought it would help cut down on the amount of gas I had to buy, along with reducing the amount of greenhouse gases I generated,” he said. “It helped me save about $400 a month in gas. I still had to fill up three times a week, but I was only using about 1/2 the gas I did before. Plus it cut down on the number of oil changes I needed since oil was only used when the gas generator was running.”

Once he started working from home and driving the Volt less, there were months where he didn’t use any gas at all, or a very tiny amount.

“In June 2016, I only used a tenth of gallon of gas and had driven 556 miles that month,” he said. “That calculated to just over 8,000 mpg.”

He found the transition from gas to electric to be pretty smooth.

“The maintenance costs became much lower since there’s no oil to change or other maintenance associated with a traditional automobile,” he said. “When going on longer trips, I do need to maintain an awareness of where chargers are so I can plan my route around them, and try to always have a backup plan in case I get somewhere and the charger is not working or is blocked. It’s why I try not to let the battery get too low since if there’s a problem then I have a margin of safety to reach another charger.” 

Jesse uses the Plugshare app to find charging stations.

He has had times where he had to stop to charge in order make it to a destination, like during the winter when range decreases.

“Range issues aren’t as bad these days because there are more and more fast charging stations in the region – including Iowa City, Williamsburg, Davenport, Waterloo, Madison, Preston (Minnesota), and Rockford,” he said.

Jesse also uses the Regen on Demand paddle to slow and stop the car as often as he can. When a driver uses the paddle rather than the brakes, the vehicle uses the electric motor as a generator to capture the energy from its momentum and put that energy back into the battery.

He is enjoying his upgrade from the 2017 Bolt to his 2022, which he says has more range (an EPA-estimated 259 miles on a full charge), a smoother ride, and a refreshed interior.

“It is quite an improvement over the previous generation of Bolts,” he said. “It looks a lot nicer. The seats are more comfortable. Plus I really like the new infotainment GUI as it’s based on the same one other Chevys use. It feels cleaner and more responsible.”

He said the Bolt’s cargo room meets his needs, and he folds the seats down when he needs room for bigger items. He often gets questions and comments on his new ride, and is excited to add a bike rack to it.

“People have been pretty impressed with the vehicle and think it’s pretty nice,” he said. “My parents went for a ride with me and liked the new Bolt. People really like the red color.” 

Here’s Jesse’s advice to someone considering purchasing an EV:

“They’re getting better with each passing year, he said. “Every year there are more and more chargers available, both level 2 and fast chargers in places where people actually want to stop and spend time, such as by shopping centers, restaurants, and entertainment venues. The range is getting better on EVs as well. EVs are also so much fun to drive. EVs are very responsive due to the instant torque (Note: The 2022 Bolt goes 0-60 in 6.5 seconds!). While the range does go down in the winter, I’ve found that EVs handle quite well in the winter due to the extra weight of the battery and the low center of gravity. If you’re buying a Bolt or any other EV, make sure it has a DC fast charging port.  Even if you don’t regularly use DC fast charging it pays for itself the first time you make an extended trip.” 

Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your experience, Jesse!

Interested in an electric vehicle? Shop Runde Auto Group’s EV inventory here.

Read the other posts in this series here and here.