Regarding Patrick Collins’ letter “Rent an EV before buying” (Our Readers’ Views, Nov. 16): I think he has the right idea about renting an electric vehicle before purchasing one. Enterprise lists them on their website.
It depends on one’s transportation needs if an electric vehicle would be practical at this point in time. If you can dedicate this vehicle to around-town driving, it would be great. One additional expense and convenience with owning an electric vehicle is having a 240V charging system at your home. How convenient to start every morning with a “full tank.” Again, not practical in an apartment or if on-street parking is your only option.
I did get a kick out of reading this part: “Further, the range in miles indicated on the dash does not take into account whether one is using the cabin A/C, nav screen, or recharging one’s phone.” No doubt, the cabin A/C does use some energy. However, the amount of energy needed to charge one’s cellphone would be hard pressed to move an electric vehicle more than a couple of feet.
