Electric vehicles (EVs) are popping up everywhere these days. There are sleek, high-end EVs that evoke the oohs and aahs of those watching them drive by. There are also utilitarian EVs that range from subcompact runabouts to SUVs and heavy-duty trucks.
Newer EVs are every bit as powerful as gasoline-powered cars, so there’s no longer any reason to worry about them getting you where you need to go. Also, the range of EVs is growing wider, and charging stations are commonplace in many areas.
In a world that is becoming increasingly conscious about the effects of carbon-heavy fumes being spewed into the atmosphere, the advent of electric vehicles isn’t all that surprising. Something pretty astounding about them, though, is how affordable they’ve become.
With the Fair Financing Program by Forth, it is now incredibly easy for drivers to own EVs, and use them for rideshare and delivery driving. We’ll talk more about this later, but first, let’s explore five good reasons for driving an EV:
- No more high fuel bills
- Fewer visits to the mechanic
- Smaller carbon footprint
- High-quality ride
- Affordability
1. No more high fuel bills
It’s really true. When you drive an EV, you do not have to buy gasoline, diesel fuel, natural gas, ethanol, or any other kind of fuel to keep your car moving.
As the driver of a vehicle with an internal combustion engine, you probably spend at least 9 or 10 cents per mile on gas. Multiply that by the 100 or 200 miles you travel in just a few hours of gig driving, and you’re spending a lot of cash just keeping that engine running; at least $10.00 a day, and probably more.
According to Kelley Blue Book, the average EV owner who drives around 1,000 miles per month, would pay from $50 to $56 monthly to charge the vehicle. Here’s how the math works:
- 1-kilowatt hour = 3.5 driving miles (approximately)
- 1,000 miles = 286-kilowatt hours
- 286-kilowatt hours x 20 cents per kilowatt hour = $57.20
So, if you drive 1,000 miles per week as a full-time rideshare or delivery driver, you would pay at least $100 per week on gas, or $400+ per month. With an EV, your cost would be $14.30 per week or $57.20 per month. That’s a huge difference and a great reason to consider an electric vehicle.
2. Fewer visits to the mechanic
Electric vehicles are much easier and cheaper to maintain. Many don’t require as much maintenance as an internal combustion engine, and they have fewer moving parts. Your battery, rather than that complicated contraption that consists of belts and valves and gaskets, is the focus of most maintenance concerns.
It’s easy to care for a battery. Although some vehicles have trouble charging in extreme cold or heat, there isn’t much else you have to worry about to maintain your car’s battery. Most manufacturers offer a warranty on their batteries, and today’s modern batteries are expected to last 10-20 years.
You will still have to deal with coolant and brakes, of course, but overall, owning an EV is much less taxing on your maintenance bills than a conventional vehicle could ever be.
3. Smaller carbon footprint
EVs, at least those that are not hybrid engines, emit nothing into the air, which is a huge advantage. Not only can you, as an individual, be free of any guilt for belching out extra fumes into the atmosphere; you’ll also be setting an example of how easy and convenient it can be to drive a vehicle that’s powerful as well as environmentally sound.
Of course, energy is still being consumed and there is some pollution caused by charging these vehicles, but it’s far less than emissions from traditional gas cars. If you’re still concerned about the pollution, consider using solar panels, or some other alternative energy source, to power the charging station you use. In this article, a company called EnergySage provides instructions about doing that.
There’s also the matter of the battery itself, and what happens to it after it’s no longer usable in your vehicle. The industry is working on better ways to recycle batteries because the current methods are less than great. But there are innovative ways of repurposing batteries, which you can read about in this The Next Web article.
Another interesting article about repurposing batteries is this one by the Institute of Energy Research. The authors point out that once EV batteries can no longer be fully charged in order to propel a vehicle, they can be used to power street lights, elevators, home generators, and data centers. Once the batteries fully expire, they can be recycled to utilize metals such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel.
4. High-quality ride
As you drive your EV along a city street or county road, you’ll notice how quiet and smooth the ride is. The engine is almost silent. You’ll still hear the tires on the road, and maybe a few clicks here and there, but for the most part, the lack of engine noise is a welcome change from combustion engine vehicles. Your customers will appreciate the quiet too.
Also, because there are no gears in electric cars, you won’t notice shifting when you speed up or slow down. Everything runs smoothly, and yet also powerfully.
Also, the smooth and quiet nature of the EV’s ride will keep you more relaxed as a driver. When you take a test drive, you might find that the only question left is: “How can I afford an electric vehicle?”
5. The real shocker: affordability
You read that right. You don’t have to be a high-tech corporate mogul to make an EV your next ride—especially now. Thanks to Forth, and its Fair Financing Program, owning and driving an EV is well within reach for rideshare and delivery drivers.
The program was designed, in fact, to help offset the detrimental effects of rideshare on the environment. Forth’s pilot program in Portland, Oregon was launched in response to data from the Union of Concerned Scientists. This well-respected environmental organization found that rideshare trips are about 69 percent more polluting than the rides they replace.
Forth saw the need to transform the smoggy clouds from all those rideshare and delivery vehicles’ fumes into a cloudless, smokeless sky, thanks to EVs and their ability to operate with zero emissions. Forth’s Fair Financing Program is designed to help drivers buy high-quality used EVs—regardless of their income.
With this innovative program, drivers get low-interest loans capped at 9.9 percent, enabling them to enjoy the lower maintenance and fuel costs of EV ownership. With smaller loan payments and lower operating costs, owning an EV actually allows you to increase your gig driving income.
As of December 2020 Forth Mobility’s Fair Financing Program is available exclusively in the Portland area. But it could expand, as more drivers experience the difference driving an EV can make to their rideshare and delivery gigs.
Owning an EV and using it for rideshare and delivery could save you money and let you drive with a clear conscience about your impact on the environment. Now, with the help of Forth’s Fair Financing Program, it can be within your financial reach. Check out Forth’s Fair Financing Program, and you’ll see!
