The Hidden Benefits of EVs — Silence
Since buying our first EV a year ago, my wife and I have enjoyed the learning process of getting to know our EVs – how they work, what they’re good at, and what we appreciate about them. Several unexpected things about EVs surprised me early on, but the one thing that I really wasn’t expecting was the quiet of the cabin… the silence of the drive and how much peace it brings me.
Those of us who have driven EVs know that they are quieter than gasmobiles. EVs don’t have engines and the motors they use instead don’t make more than a light whine that, to me, makes me feel like I’m driving around in a car from the future. Taking the engine noise out of the equation doesn’t just make it quiet in the cabin, but I’ve realized that it also removes a subconscious stress builder. There’s no more constant revving of the engine or trying to predict when the car will start accelerating… it just goes when I press the pedal (not a second or two later like many gasmobiles).
EVs have made the ride home from work into a place where I can decompress and let the stress of a long workday slip away. I find I’m driving slower and more relaxed, and that it’s now a very calming experience. I was never a stressful driver or prone to road rage, so I’m not saying that EVs are a magic pill, turning the Hulk back into Bruce Banner, but it helps – and I’ll take it.
What’s tough about this is that it’s hard to quantify the mental benefits of this. How do you put a dollar figure on stress relief? Can peace and quiet be a selling point of a car? I believe that it should be, but given my experience in brick and mortar dealerships talking to “traditional” salesmen about EVs, they hardly know anything about EVs, let alone some of the niche benefits that might actually be the ones you enjoy most. But hey, don’t take my word for it, reach out to someone you know with an EV or stop by a local dealership to try one out and see if a little bit more peace and quiet is something you could use more of in your life.
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