What to Know BEFORE Buying Your FIRST Electric Vehicle!
Hello and welcome to Jim’s Eevee Adventures. I’m in California for an event that will take place tomorrow. This video will probably come out after that event, but I wanted to take some time and talk about a few things that I’ve been watching on YouTube and other social media over the past few weeks. Let’s talk about electric vehicle ownership. [Music] As I was saying, I have been watching quite a bit of information off of social media, uh, primarily YouTube, but also Instagram X. been following a lot of people lately and I’ve watched a lot of videos about those who hate EVs and those who love EVs. But before you buy an electric car, I want to talk to you about a few things that I have written down here. The first thing I think you should do before you buy an electric vehicle is talk to a Rio owner. go to a local DC fast charge charging station and find someone who’s driving an electric vehicle, a model that you may be interested in, one that you’ve considered, one that maybe you’ve even test driven, and ask them how they are enjoying their EV ownership. Because what I see on YouTube are a lot of negative ownership experiences and those get high view ratings because they play into the notion that EV ownership is difficult. Well, as someone who’s been driving an EV for over six years, I can tell you that EV ownership is not difficult. But that’s my opinion. No, it’s actually a fact. I’ve got six years experience and those who are causing the problems on social media have six days, six weeks or six months experience and they did not pre-plan their ownership experience. Let me explain to you what I’m talking about here. The very first thing you should do before you buy an electric vehicle is ensure that you have a place to charge. If you own a home, it’s a no-brainer. You’ve got a place to charge. It’s called a garage or a driveway. All you have to do is run your cable out to the car and plug it in. As simple as that. And if you have a 110 outlet or here in the US, if you have a 110 outlet, you have something to charge from. Really is as easy as that. But if you live in an apartment and you don’t have a nearby easy to access DC fast charge location or your apartment doesn’t allow you to charge from your apartment dwelling or if your apartment doesn’t have some level two charging in its parking area, then you’re in a bad situation and you may want to consider holding off your purchase until the infrastructure is in place. That is a possibility. But if you’re willing to take a few extra minutes each week to charge your vehicle at a local DC fast charge station, you should be okay. And the second thing also has to do with charging. Learn the difference between level one, level two, and DC fast charge. And I’m just going to lay it out here simple as I can. Level one is what you plug into your wall, your 110 outlet here in the US, and then plug into your car. Level two requires something like a drier plug, like you plug your electric dryer into. It’s a little bit higher voltage and a little bit higher amperage, which means your car is going to charge a little bit faster. And DC fast charge is just exactly what it sounds like. You’re taking direct current from the charger and putting it into your your car, which is a direct current system. my battery is DC. So, uh, those are the three different types of chargers. I’m not going to go into any more detail than that because there’s tons of information out there already on YouTube and other social media. I am not going to repeat what’s already out there. And then finally, if you’re going to be road tripping your car, see number two above, learn the difference between level two and DC fast charge. You’re not going to drive across the country charging your car at a level two charger every seven or eight hours. It’s just not going to work. You need quicker charges than that if you’re going to make distance in a day. The next thing is you should watch as many YouTube tutorials as you possibly can about the vehicle that you’re considering or just EVs in general like here at Jim EV Adventures. I will say this straight upfront and it may offend a few people, but EVs are not for the intellectually weak or the emotionally impatient people that do not have the capability to handle a few extra minutes if they’re on a road trip. You don’t have any extra time wasted when you’re charging at home because you drive into your garage or your parking lot or your driveway and you plug your car in and you go to sleep. Next morning you get up, your car is full. Lot easier than going to the gas station, which is usually out of the way and sometimes crowded. The next thing I would ask you to do is understand the software of your car before you try to purchase one because the software can be rather complex on an EV, but no more complex than it is for an internal combustion engine car. Let me make it very clear. If your EV is not going to start because of an electrical problem, I can guarantee you neither will an internal combustion engine vehicle. They both run on computers. I dare you to say that a modern internal combustion engine car does not have as many electronic components running it as does an EV. The only difference between an EV and an internal combustion engine car is the drivetrain, batteries, and motors versus an internal combustion engine and a transmission. That’s the only difference. Everything else is pretty much the same. I was just in a very nice 2025 Chevy Suburban today and it had more complex software than my EV ever thought about having. And I guarantee you if something happens to the computer system in that Suburban, it’s not going to crank any more than my EV would. So keep that in mind. The next thing I want you to do is to take a test drive. Take a test drive. Take a test drive. I cannot stress enough that you need to go out and test drive this vehicle before you consider purchasing it. In addition to all those things, I want you to research the potential extra costs. If you’re going from a 2016 Nissan Sentra that’s completely paid off to a 2026 Model Y from Tesla, you’re going to have extra costs in taxes and in insurance. That would be true if you were buying a brand new Chevy Suburban or a brand new Ford F-150 internal combustion engine version vehicle. If you’re going from a lowerric car to a higher priced car, you’re going to have extra costs in taxes and insurance. It is as simple as that, and it has nothing to do with whether it’s an EV or not. And finally, there’s an app on your phone that I would suggest that you download and study a little bit before you start thinking about buying an electric vehicle, and it’s called Plug Share. And what that does is gives you a sense of the density of chargers that are installed in your location. If you don’t know how many chargers you have installed where you live, then don’t even consider buying an EV because you’re only going to get frustrated because you haven’t done the steps that I’ve outlined here below. Research, test drive, understand the infrastructure. We are moving just now out of the early adopter phase into the early access phase for electric vehicles here in the United States. We are literally 5 to 10 years behind the rest of the world because of the influence that fossil fuels have in our media and in our government. They buy their way into the American psyche and they have most people believing that we can never escape from the addiction that we have to fossil fuels. You see it in shows like Landman. You hear it from the pull pit of the White House. You hear it from the steps of Capitol building from our leadership. And they are just simply misleading the public. It is as simple as that. The information that I hear nine out of ten times about the addiction to oil here in the US is just simply a lie. There’s no other word for it. I’ll stand toe-to-toe with anybody in the big oil industry today and tell them that they are lying to you, the public and they are making their way into the inner circles and our hallowed halls of government in Washington DC and they have more influence over what policies that our government affects than do you and me. And that is wrong because this is a country of the people, for the people, and by the people. We are in charge. We have the final say. The bottom line is we are on the cusp, the very edge of moving away from fossil fuels. And it frightens those who have the influence now because they’re going to lose it. And there’s nothing more dangerous than somebody who has unseen power losing that unseen power to a movement, a grassroots movement of of the people. And I want to finish this up right here by saying if you’re the kind of person who waited until 2012 to trade in your flip phone for a smartphone, then it is very possible that owning an EV is not for you. It’s not time for you to take the plunge yet. As for me today, I would not hesitate to jump in either of my EVs, the Bolt or the Ionic, and drive from Florida all the way to where I am in California right now without a plan because I know the infrastructure is in place and I know how to find that infrastructure to make sure that I can charge along that entire route. But I will say this, it takes a bit more brain power to figure that out than it does to get in your car and not worry about gassing it up. Because gas stations are a dime a dozen. They’re on almost every corner. They’re along every major route. You’re not going to find an exit hardly in the United States that doesn’t have a gas station. Charging infrastructure is being developed. There’s more than twice as many fast charging stations in the United States today than there was just three short years ago. And by the end of next year, there will be 20% more. And by 2030, there will be almost three times as many fast charge stations as there are right now. It is happening quickly. You need to understand that and you need to be aware that you can adopt EV ownership but it takes planning and it takes understanding and it takes a little bit of knowledge. The internal combustion engine is over. Its days are numbered. It is just like the horse and buggy was in 1902. And by 1920, you could not find a horse and buggy moving down Madison Avenue in New York City. Think it through. Be prepared. Get ready because your turn is coming. It may not be today. If you can plan and you can have a place to charge, you can adopt. But if you’re still nervous, step back and wait for that infrastructure to fall into place. And eventually you will own an EV, guaranteed. See you all real soon. [Music] Hey, [Music] hey, hey.
Thinking of making the switch to an electric vehicle?
Jim reflects on his **ev experience** with his **electric vehicles**. I will touch on various aspects of **electric vehicle** ownership, including **ev charging** and offering **ev tips** for potential owners. Get the perspective of an **ev owner** navigating the world of **electric cars**.
Buying your first EV can be a daunting task, especially with all the new technology and terminology. In this video, we’ll break down everything you need to know before buying your first electric vehicle. From the different types of electric vehicles available, to charging options and cost savings, we’ll cover it all. Whether you’re looking for a compact city car or a family-friendly SUV, we’ll help you navigate the world of electric vehicles and make an informed decision.
Learn about the benefits of owning an electric vehicle, including reduced emissions, lower operating costs, and a smoother driving experience. Get ready to take the first step towards a more sustainable and environmentally friendly transportation option.
If you are inclined, you can give a Super Thanks, or join me for a coffee at:
☕️ https://ko-fi.com/jimsevadventures
⏱️ Chapters:
00:00 – Welcome
00:29 – Intro Credits
00:40 – Introduction and Overview
02:28 – 1, Where Do You Charge
03:40 – 2, Learn the Difference (L1, L2, DCFC)
04:40 – 3, Learn How to Road Trip
05:09 – 4A, Watch Tutorials on Charging
06:05 – 4B, Watch Tutorials on the Car Software
07:32 – 5, Test Drive! Test Drive! Test Drive!
07:44 – 6, Research the Costs!
08:43 – 7, Download the PlugShare App
09:05 – Why the Slow Adoption?
11:20 – Still Have Your FLIP PHONE?
13:00 – You CAN Own an EV, But You MUST Plan!
13:35 – An EV IS in Your Future…it is Inescapable!
14:00 – Outro
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Track: The Juice, D Sirrom / David Morris
Music provided by Slipstream Music
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