POLL: Does your spouse refuse to drive an EV?

[VAF84]

This...I have been into EVs for many, many years...She hated them because they were boring and slow.

Totally get that. Personally, I didn't get lured in until they got fast and fun; with decent range. Even thought it's a bit big and flashy for my taste, it wasn't until I saw the Hummer capabilities that I thought, hey this is pretty cool, I may want one. That and the Rivian with its truck capabilities, but lux sports car driving characteristics. Then of course LER that did most of these things for less than the price of an ICE.

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[VAF84]

Total deal breaker, I'm takin the kids!

Just kidding, it's not a big deal. If she's paying for the car then she can drive whatever she wants. My spouse would happily drive an ev because it's faster.

Since I'm paying for her car too, she will be forced to get into an EV soon enough! Once there's a full size, three row, SUV with 450 mile range she's going to have to learn how to live with one.

 

[flypony53]

Since I'm paying for her car too, she will be forced to get into an EV soon enough! Once there's a full size, three row, SUV with 450 mile range she's going to have to learn how to live with one.

Lucid Gravity is on its way with near these specs. But, for me, I do not like the styling of the Lucids...For some reason, I have not found a design/color combination that made me want to buy one.

 

[VTbuckeye]

I think ALL couples or families will have a single person who embraces things such as EVs... and while it may 'seem' to mostly be us 'husbands' or 'fathers', both in my case, yes, I have been the one to push the move...

My wife, on the other hand, and maybe like most, was not terribly interested one way or the other, but WAS VERY INTERESTED in getting what she 'wants', regardless of the powertrain. She went from a '14 Ford Focus, which worked fine, to a '14 Nissan Leaf, which got her feet wet, to a more recent '22 1/4 EV - the KIA Sorento SX Prestige PHEV 3-row seating(which she grew to love the electric drive for 30 miles, then the 'unfortunate' sounds of the engine firing up for the 30 miles back).. to move 'finally' to her brand NEW KIA EV9, All Electric battery-powered THREE ROW SUV with amazing tech and wonderful and comfortable INTERIOR - the rear space is AMAZING, too.

Our two youngest sons got their feet wet with two '14 Nissan Leafs, and now in '17 and '19 all-electric CHEVY BOLTS... and can't imagine 'why' they'd ever handle gas and oil.

Once we replace our phev I will still need bar oil for the chainsaw. Also there is no affordable battery powered snow grooming equipment for the local mtb trail network. After driving the snowdog for an hour or two I will come home put my jacket and snow pants in the lanyard take a shower. Before EV, that smell never bothered me.

 

[djwildstar]

I thought I was the only one, but on another thread there were two others who had comments about their wives hating EV's.

My wife loves riding in the Lightning so much that we bought her a Mach-E GTPE to replace her 2012 gas-powered Mustang when the factory cash and financing incentives hit in March.

She adores her Mach-E above all other vehicles that either of us have ever owned.

 

[VAF84]

Once we replace our phev I will still need bar oil for the chainsaw. Also there is no affordable battery powered snow grooming equipment for the local mtb trail network. After driving the snowdog for an hour or two I will come home put my jacket and snow pants in the lanyard take a shower. Before EV, that smell never bothered me.

Oil and gas will always have its place. However, its needs will increasingly be found to be further from your local neighborhood. Heck, I still had to charge my LER on a diesel generator for most of the winter; and if I keep this Lightning, and don't get something with more range, I foresee that for the duration of my ownership.

It is interesting to me how many people have commented on smell. I've never noticed the smell fueling up my ICE vehicles. Sure, lawn equipment, work tools, etc, but refueling unless I'm using a truck stop; I don't notice. I guess it will become more obvious over time.

 

[VTbuckeye]

Oil and gas will always have its place. However, its needs will increasingly be found to be further from your local neighborhood. Heck, I still had to charge my LER on a diesel generator for most of the winter; and if I keep this Lightning, and don't get something with more range, I foresee that for the duration of my ownership.

It is interesting to me how many people have commented on smell. I've never noticed the smell fueling up my ICE vehicles. Sure, lawn equipment, work tools, etc, but refueling unless I'm using a truck stop; I don't notice. I guess it will become more obvious over time.

With the snow dog it is really the exhaust smell. Small Briggs and Stratton motor exhausting 4 feet in front of you will do that. I also notice it if my parents need help after a big snow storm. They have a big snow blower and after 30 minutes walking behind that you smell like engine exhaust as well. Gasoline has its place, but if we can avoid using it in routine travel we prefer not to use it.

 

[VAF84]

With the snow dog it is really the exhaust smell. Small Briggs and Stratton motor exhausting 4 feet in front of you will do that. I also notice it if my parents need help after a big snow storm. They have a big snow blower and after 30 minutes walking behind that you smell like engine exhaust as well. Gasoline has its place, but if we can avoid using it in routine travel we prefer not to use it.

Totally get that! I have a mix of electric and gas landscaping tools. Aside from being attached with a cord to my chainsaw/weedeater/leaf blower I much prefer it to the gas options.

 

[FreshDaddyE]

She adores her Mach-E above all other vehicles that either of us have ever owned.

This statement really resonates. We spent lunch at the Ford dealership looking at a used Mach-E 4X with 1200 miles. The last owner turned it in for a Lightning.

I just want my truck back so I'm willing to pull the trigger.

 

[ChrisCon]

…So my wife just ordered a new vehicle yesterday …

Background: So my wife loves my truck and we’ve recently rented Model Y’s and the Mach E . My business is strictly Ford Vehicles (350 super dutys and Transit vans) and I’m a Ford guy before I am an EV guy. We have two boys who are 10 and 12 .

So it just came time for her to buy a new vehicle and this is how far we got- Loves the Mach E but wants something bigger for the boys. Won’t buy a lightning because “you already have one and pick ups are work trucks “ .. A model y was out of the question because when we had the Mach e and the y together , you quickly learn how bad the model y’s ride really is.


Where to go from there ? Rivian R1S ? Even though I live in New York the closest dealer is 50 miles away and we want to know we can get service . The KIA ev? It’s a kia … the lyriq??? True story here: my ex wife just bought a cx400 so my wife “doesn't want to copy her” …an entire fleet of 20 grand Fisker oceans ? A free vinfast ?

At the end of the day it came down to my license plate.. I drive a lot and have to charge nightly. We are also on a discounted time of use energy plan .. so short of derating my charge station pro and adding a second charger and sub panel , we’d have to move the charge cable at 2:00am ..


So how did it end? 2025 Ford explorer platinum with ultimate package on 21”s . It’s killing me to buy another ice vehicle , but once Ford announced the delay of their three row EV, it sealed the deal. At least it has bluecruise 1.4 and the new ford digital experience. Like I said , we are a Ford family first with a dealer we love. I know many of you have horror stories about dealers but Otis Ford in Quogue is the real deal . They are awesome. I ordered my truck via text with the owner of the dealership and just let him know I’m using an X plan . Painless . Amazing . Perfect . If you need a new dealer , reach out to me and I’ll get you connected .

The worst part of being the future owner of a 2025 explorer ? There are no active forums !

 

[VAF84]

…So my wife just ordered a new vehicle yesterday …

Background: So my wife loves my truck and we’ve recently rented Model Y’s and the Mach E . My business is strrictly Ford Vehicles (350 super dutys and Transit vans) and I’m a Ford guy before I am an EV guy. We have two boys who are 10 and 12 .

So it just came time for her to buy a new vehicle and this is how far we got- Loves the Mach E but wants something bigger for the boys. Won’t buy a lightning because “you already have one and pick ups are work trucks “ .. A model y was out of the question because when we had the Mach e and the y together , you quickly learn how bad the model y’s ride really is.


Where to go from there ? Rivian R1S ? Even though I live in New York the closest dealer is 50 miles away and we want to know we can get service . The KIA ev? It’s a kia … the lyriq??? True story here: my ex wife just bought a cx400 so my wife “doesn't want to copy her” …an entire fleet of 20 grand Fisker oceans ? A free vinfast ?

At the end of the day it came down to my license plate.. I drive a lot and have to charge nightly. We are also on a discounted time of use energy plan .. so short of delaying my charge station pro and adding a second charger and sub panel , we’d have to move the charge cable at 2:00am ..


So how did it end? 2025 Ford explorer platinum with ultimate package on 21”s . It’s killing me to buy another ice vehicle , but once Ford announced the delay of their three row EV, it sealed the deal. At least it has bluecruise 1.4 and the new ford digital experience. Like I said , we are a Ford family first with a dealer we love. I know many of you have horror stories about dealer but Otis Ford in Quogue is the real deal . They are awesome. I ordered my truck via text with the owner of the dealership and just let him know I’m using an X plan . Painless . Amazing . Perfect . If you need a new dealer , reach out to me and I’ll get you connected .

The worst part of being the future owner of a 2025 explorer ? There are no active forums !

Congrats! Unfortunately, the vehicle needs to meet the tool requirements first of a vehicle, then the nice to haves. Service was a key aspect for me. Has to be Ford, GM product, or maybe Ram because I never know what dealers will be available in the places I work, and Ford/GM are the only assured ones. Then my wife visits me when she can, so she too is limited in case something happens.

I've had good Ford Service up north, but less so in Central Texas. If I was living up here full time, I'd be more likely to buy a Ford. For example, D-Patrick was excellent for service, and easy low pressure purchase in Paducah. I've had better experience with GM products in Texas though, so it has slowly become my default even though I don't have brand attachments. Tie breaker is widely available HUD/Rearview Camera in GM's favor.

 

[G-Zeus]

Hey now, there's no malice in my poll. If you read the first post, I thought I was the only one who had a wife that was firmly against driving an EV, and then noticed some comments that made me wonder if this was a little more prominent than I thought.

I changed the title to the thread, as I now realize using the word "hate's EV's" can illicit a defensive response. I should clarify that she doesn't "hate" EV's, she just refuses to drive one and prefers something she knows and is comfortable with.

BTW if having a difference of opinion on car preferences leads to relationship problems, there's probably something else going on and it would the least of one's problems.



This basically describes my wife. Doesn't use the auto climate, instead flings it to "low" or "high" depending on temps. Only recently learned to use CarPlay at my insistence. Has adaptive cruise, but refuses to use. Has remote start, but never remote starts and instead gets in and flings climate controls to lowest or highest settings instead of auto, etc. LOL, just like you, she'd go for the base model vehicle. I'm the high maintenance one when it comes to vehicles. If it weren't for me, she wouldn't care what she was driving.

"Doesn't use auto climate" = my wife. I think there is a common thread here... tech aside, my wife also has experienced roadtrips with me and the awfulness of the DC fast charging situation, it really turned her off. As much as she hates filling up her own gas, it's not enough to get her into an EV... yet...

Plus, the squishy ride when driving over those longer dips on faster roads make her car sick. Eventually I will upgrade the shocks...

 

[Yellow Buddy]

I thought I was the only one, but on another thread there were two others who had comments about their wives hating EV's. Mine is totally against it, then again she's not big into tech and uses a fraction of the options in her fully loaded late model SUV. It's funny how against it she is though. So much so that my April Fool's prank on her was telling her I got a good deal on an EV and she needed to clear out the stuff from her SUV because they were on the way to swap them out. She threatened not to drive it .

Anyway, just curious if this is a pervasive thing or maybe a couple of us unlucky guys.

BTW this isn't focused on pro/anti or politically motivated feelings. More-so about whether if all things being equal the spouse would accept the EV, or complain about having to drive one.

Great, now my wife needs to sign up just to check “My husband refuses to drive an EV”

 

[CRAIGC540]

After her driving the Lightning I had to get her a Volvo C40 that she loves.
At first she didn't know why I was getting the lightning and said she wouldn't use one pedal driving if she drove it at all. She loved both the Lightning and one pedal driving instantly. I tell her why do I always have to drag you into the future kicking and screaming, like when I brought home the first HD Tivo DVR (800.00) I was trying to sneak it in and she was there in the garage hallway when I opened the door. Told her what it was and she said why do we need that? And showing her the first 24 hour HD channel Mark Cubin started, she said she couldn't she the difference yeah right..

 

[VAF84]

After her driving the Lightning I had to get her a Volvo C40 that she loves.
At first she didn't know why I was getting the lightning and said she wouldn't use one pedal driving if she drove it at all. She loved both the Lightning and one pedal driving instantly. I tell her why do I always have to drag you into the future kicking and screaming, like when I brought home the first HD Tivo DVR (800.00) I was trying to sneak it in and she was there in the garage hallway when I opened the door. Told her what it was and she said why do we need that? And showing her the first 24 hour HD channel Mark Cubin started, she said she couldn't she the difference yeah right..

Don't get me started on trying to get her to one-pedal drive . I have the exact same argument about having to drag her into the future kicking and screaming. Since she doesn't use her adaptive cruise, I told her one day, "why don't you pretend that your car has hands free driving so you'll finally start using your adaptive cruise?"

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