by Doron Amiran, The Climate Center | November 4, 2015
I recently leased an all-electric Fiat 500e, and it is
definitely the coolest and most fun car I have ever driven. Not only will it
run on Sonoma Clean Power’s local and renewable electricity, but it’s fast,
fun, and head-turningly cute. As I was driving home I started mulling over the
deal I had just gotten at the Santa Rosa Jim Bone Fiat dealership: $2000 down
and $118 per month.
$118 per month?! Wait
a second, I thought to myself, that’s less than my monthly satellite TV bill,
and less than my family pays for our AT&T phone service.
Sure I enjoy watching my beloved Giants and Breaking Bad on
my slick flat screen. I also don’t dispute the amazing utility of our smart
phones, although I may spend a tad too much time checking Facebook updates and other
distractions.
But a car? And not only a car, but a rocket-off-the-line,
100% emissions-free, never-go-to-the-gas-station, charge-at-home-easy-as-pie
CAR? In a blue color that my wife loves, which reminds me of a smog-free sky?
For less than the price of our phone or TV service? It even comes with
something no car of mine has ever had: a new car smell!
Zipping down the road toward my home, with Sonoma County’s
beautiful sky sparkling through the sunroof, I couldn’t help thinking what an
amazing deal this is. Since I’ll be saving about $100 a month on nasty old
gasoline, and only paying about $30 a month on increased electric charges, the
net monthly cost to me is closer to $50.
Plugging in the car at home with a satisfying click and
watching the charge indicator lights on the dashboard start to blink, all I
could thing to myself was: what took me so long?
Doron Amiran is the
Electric Vehicle Program Manager for The Climate Center.
