EV Updates

Our latest blog series "Driving on Sunshine," features the real-world experiences from our co-owners and customers as they navigate New England in electric vehicles (EVs). From Smart Cars to Ford Lightnings, from Chevy Bolts to Ioniq 5s, these stories will highlight the variety of ways to drive electric, and explore how pairing EV with solar can turn everyday driving into a cleaner, quieter, more enjoyable and more cost-effective experience.

Fortunat Mueller, Co-Founder, President

I've been driving in EVs since 1999 (with a short interruption in the early ReVision days, when I was driving gas pickup trucks and then a plug-in hybrid). Each vehicle has been so dramatically better than the previous one that it is pretty amazing to experience. EVs are already so much better than gas cars, but they are also improving so much faster, so the gap just keeps getting wider. As of this summer, we're now a 2 EV household and soon to be 3 since my oldest daughter has just started Drivers Ed (yikes).

Scroll for a timeline of Fortunat's EV journey:

1988 VW Jetta (converted to EV in 1999 as an independent study project in grad school with friends) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1984 Pontiac Fiero (converted to EV in 2005) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2017 Chevy Bolt: 

I think the Bolt is a great EV. It isn't flashy and doesn't set anyone's heart aflutter, but when it came out it was the first affordable EV with range over 230 miles (both the affordability and the range have improved considerably since then). Though it is FWD, I put winter tires on it and have always felt confident driving it, even in poor winter weather. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2024 Ford Lightning 

I really love most everything about the Ford Lightning. It is quick and comfortable to drive, and quiet. The frunk is huge, which is an awesome feature in a pickup; it's great to have some meaningful storage space that is out of the weather for tools, etc. My only complaint is that I think it is just too big. Since I live in the country, that doesn't usually bother me, but whenever I drive into the city (or frankly even to the grocery store), I am reminded that the truck is really just absurdly large. I hope that by the time I'm shopping for my next vehicle, an electric midsized truck is an option.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1997 Solectria Flash (Daihatsu Hijet) (obtained in 1997 but currently a work-in-progress in my barn)