When Brittany LaClair moved to Snowmass Village, Colorado from Massachusetts, she drove cross-country in a 2008 Toyota Corolla with almost 200,000 miles on it. But thanks to Colorado’s Vehicle Exchange Program, she recently traded it in to purchase a new Kia EV6, greatly improving her driving experience, wallet, and day-to-day life. Recently, VXC increased rebates for new and used EVs to $9,000 and $6,000, respectively, greatly increasing the financial incentives to trade in older, high-emitting vehicles.
We sat down with LaClair, associate director of development at the Community Office for Resource Efficiency (CORE), to learn about her transition to electric, and how she’s managing charging for trips both near and far.
What made you want to get an electric vehicle?
The environment and climate have always been incredibly important to me. I wanted to do whatever I could to have an impact and to decrease my carbon footprint as much as possible. When I saw the Colorado vehicle exchange program, I was like, ‘Oh, this is a great opportunity to get a new EV!’
What was your experience with the VXC program and dealerships?
It was incredibly easy to apply to VXC and they even let me resubmit my application after the 90 day window to trade in for an EV when my accepted application deadline had passed. I knew that my car at the time was not worth the $6,000 [VXC would pay me for it]. It was probably only worth $2,000, so it was a great deal. Most dealerships know about the opportunities and want to make it as easy as possible.
What did it feel like the first time you took your EV for a spin?
It felt like I was in a spaceship. It’s really luxurious and high tech with the touch screens, heating and cooling seats, and heated steering wheel. It is also so quiet. With a touch of the pedal, you’re going, and when you take your foot off the brake, it can stop the car with certain settings [regenerative braking]. It also tells me if there’s ice on the road, if it’s wet or other road conditions. These are features that I had never experienced.
What’s your EV charging routine?
I love not having to go to a gas station. I love not having to pump gas and not think about going to gas stations. I don’t have to get an expensive oil change. It feels so much cleaner to plug into an electric system.
We don’t have a charger at my condo complex in Snowmass Village, but across the street, there are three cheap chargers for between $4 and $7, or I charge while at work. I never let the battery get lower than 20%. With gas, I would let my car get down to where the light is on, and you’re pretty much empty. But now I have to be a little bit more thoughtful about charging and where the battery is at.
The fast charger at Target in Glenwood Springs is awesome. I’ve done that a few times when I’m running errands down there or at the Target at Dillon when I got the car. I charged the car in about 20 minutes; it felt like I walked into Target for one second, and then came out and thought ‘oh, it’s already charged!”
Have you taken any road trips in your EV?
We did take it on a little road trip to Cedaredge and Grand Mesa. For charging, we used an app and found a fast charger at Cedaredge’s historic area (Pioneer Town), where we walked around while we charged. We then drove through Grand Mesa Scenic Byway. It was all very easy. As long as you’re planning things out accordingly, you can make it work. Just use the apps (like ChargePoint, Plug Share, or Electrify America) to find chargers and plan ahead.
What are some myths about EVs that you found to be untrue?
People seem to think that cold weather decreases your charge, which I haven’t noticed. If it’s cold out and my car is at 40%, maybe it goes down to 39% but it’s not like all of a sudden my battery is draining because it’s cold. It also drives well in the mountains, way better than my old Toyota Corolla did.
To learn more about EV ownership, VXC rebates, multifamily housing charging opportunities, and fleet electrification, visit CLEER’s ReCharge Colorado page and contact us for coaching.
