EV Owners Need To Lend Out Their Cars If They Want Regular People To Go Electric

Electric vehicles will probably never fully replace the internal combustion sports car, but mainstream daily drivers are living on borrowed time. It's not like anyone with no idea which wheels are powered or how many cylinders their car has cares about a missing exhaust note. But while EVs are taking off in the rest of the world, the U.S. lags behind, thanks in large part to pro-oil propaganda. People believe all sorts of myths about EVs, and I'm sorry, but short test drives won't fix it. Which means EV owners need to start acting like they have an obligation to lend friends and family their cars. 

A few days in an EV won't change anyone's mind if their lifestyle doesn't match what EVs currently offer, and that's fine. But if they've been tricked by a bunch of pro-oil myths, you may find that a few days with your car is all it takes to convince them that EVs are the best thing ever. Because even an hour-long test drive doesn't show you the benefits of living with a gas station in your garage. It's the kind of thing that probably requires a three-day loan at a minimum, because they have to see how it fits into their regular lives.

Ideally, the automakers would take the lead here, but that's probably not happening anytime soon. I've discussed this idea with employees at several automakers, and so far, I don't think anyone wants to take on the cost and complexity of dealing with dealerships to make longer-term test drives happen. So without the automakers, it falls on the EV owners who want to see EVs become more popular. We need to be the ones pushing our cars on people like they're the supposed free samples that Deputy D. Diggity Dawg Dawson insisted drug dealers would force me to take. 

At least anecdotally, I don't know of anything more powerful for changing minds about EVs than time spent with your butt in the seat. Most recently, a friend had to replace their beloved Mazda CX-5 after someone hit them; they asked me about EVs, and almost before I knew it, they were the proud new owners of a Hyundai Ioniq 5. So they were already open to a car that would save them money on gas, but even they quickly realized the things they were worried about weren't actually a big deal. 

According to the friend, who I will call Bill, "driving them is super f—ing fun," and he did not think he "would enjoy trying to max out the mi/kWh using the regenerative braking... But [he does]." After only a few days of driving an EV, someone experiencing their first EV was already realizing how strong the oil propaganda is and how much better EVs are at things beyond saving money on gas.

An example of a borrowing experience changing minds is my brother — he borrowed my Fiat for a week while he was in the process of replacing his company truck. With three (soon to be four!) kids, he was never going to buy a two-door hatchback, but he loved being able to charge at home so much that he went out and bought a non-Fiat EV. All it took was a little time living with an electric car that he didn't even have any interest in owning, and it changed his mind about EV ownership before he'd even driven a competitive one.

I know it's scary letting other people borrow your car, and I certainly wouldn't want you handing the keys to someone you know is irresponsible. But without automaker or federal support, we're going to have to do this on our own, and the best way to get people to change their minds about EVs is to get some real time with the cars. And what better way to make that happen is there than trading cars with someone for a few days? Friends and family help each other out, after all.

If you lend your car to someone who decides they probably shouldn't buy an EV, that's fine. No harm, no foul. But just think how happy you'll be if a few days if your car convinces someone they've been wrong about EVs and should actually get one. It's pretty nice, I'm not going to lie, and definitely worth the risk of letting someone you know drive your car. They quite literally sell themselves.