For years, I was curious about electric vehicles.
I liked the technology. I liked the idea of skipping the gas station altogether. Instant torque, fewer moving parts, and the possibility of lower maintenance costs all sounded appealing.
But I had questions, too.
Would charging become a daily chore? Would road trips turn into logistical puzzles? Would I constantly watch the battery percentage and worry about running out of range?
Eventually, I decided to stop wondering and find out for myself.
A couple of months ago, I bought my first EV: a Cadillac Optiq AWD with an advertised range of roughly 310 miles. By the time you read this, I’ll have driven about 1,000 miles, including a couple of road trips.
That’s nowhere near enough experience to call myself an EV expert. It is, however, enough to form some early impressions.
And the biggest surprise has been surprisingly simple:
For my lifestyle, owning an EV has been remarkably easy.
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Your Driving Habits Matter More Than You Think
My daily routine happens to fit electric-vehicle ownership pretty well.
I work from home several days a week, and my commute is relatively short when I do drive. Most of my mileage comes from errands, family activities, and trips around the Seattle area.
I also have something that makes a huge difference: a garage where I can charge the vehicle.
Those details completely shape the ownership experience.
Someone driving hundreds of miles every day or living without access to home charging may have a very different experience. But for drivers with moderate daily mileage and convenient overnight charging, switching from gasoline to electric can be remarkably straightforward.
After my first month, one lesson stood out above everything else:
Home charging changes the entire experience.
Home Charging Is the Real Game Changer
Soon after taking delivery of the Optiq, I had a Level 2 charger installed in my garage. I chose an Emporia charger and had it professionally installed along with the electrical work needed to support it safely.
Now my charging routine is almost nonexistent.
I get home, plug in, and go about my evening.
By morning, the vehicle is ready to go.
There’s no special trip to a gas station. No waiting for a tank to fill. No need to reorganize my schedule around fueling. Since the car would already spend most nights sitting in the garage, charging while I sleep feels almost effortless.
That convenience is difficult to appreciate until you experience it.
There’s also a surprisingly satisfying technology component. Because I already monitor my home’s energy consumption with Home Assistant, I can see the vehicle’s charging activity appear on my energy dashboard.
The power draw is immediately obvious.
If you’re interested in tracking household electricity usage, an EV becomes another interesting data point to watch. Even without a home energy-monitoring setup, the Emporia app and MyCadillac app provide useful information about charging and energy consumption.
Editor’s note
I also have a standby generator, which made the electrical planning for my charger more complicated than it might be for some homeowners. I cover my backup-power setup separately for anyone interested in the details.
The Driving Experience Is Different—and Better Than Expected
EV acceleration gets a lot of attention, and after driving one, I understand why.
My previous vehicles certainly weren’t slow. But an EV delivers power in a way that feels fundamentally different.
There’s no waiting for a transmission to find the right gear. No noticeable shift between gears. No moment when you press the accelerator and wait for the vehicle to decide what it wants to do.
You simply press the pedal, and the vehicle responds.
The power delivery is smooth, immediate, and remarkably predictable. After my first 1,000 miles, it remains one of my favorite parts of EV ownership.
One-Pedal Driving Took Some Getting Used To
One feature that comes up constantly when discussing EVs is one-pedal driving.
In a conventional vehicle, lifting off the accelerator generally allows the car to coast. In an EV, lifting off the accelerator can activate regenerative braking, slowing the vehicle while recovering some energy and returning it to the battery.
With practice, you can perform much of your normal driving without touching the brake pedal.
I tried it.
Some drivers absolutely love it. Once you learn how to modulate the accelerator, it can become very smooth and intuitive.
I just didn’t develop the patience for it.
Fortunately, the Optiq allows me to disable one-pedal driving. That’s the setting I ultimately chose. The vehicle still uses regenerative braking, but the overall experience feels more familiar to me.
That experience highlighted something I hadn’t fully appreciated before buying an EV: there’s often a surprising amount of customization available.
If you don’t like the default behavior of a particular feature, you may be able to change it.
An EV Still Has a 12-Volt Battery
One of the less obvious things I learned is that an EV still has a conventional low-voltage battery.
In my Optiq, that’s a 12-volt battery similar in concept to the battery found in a gasoline-powered vehicle.
The large high-voltage battery gets most of the attention, but the smaller 12-volt system still plays an important role. It powers various electronics, accessories, locks, lighting, computers, and other vehicle systems.
So even if the main battery is fully charged, a problem with the 12-volt system can still create problems.
It makes perfect sense once you understand how the vehicle is designed. It just wasn’t something I had considered before becoming an EV owner.
That seems to be a recurring theme with electric vehicles: some things are completely different, while others are surprisingly familiar.
It Really Does Feel Like a Computer on Wheels
As someone who enjoys technology, this may be one of my favorite parts of EV ownership.
An electric vehicle can feel less like a traditional automobile and more like a technology platform that happens to have four wheels.
There are settings for:
- Charging schedules
- Maximum charge levels
- Preferred charging locations
- Energy monitoring
- Mobile app controls
- Route planning
- Regenerative braking
- Driver preferences
The Optiq also came with charging equipment and adapters that make it easier to work with different charging options.
Its infotainment system runs Android Automotive, which makes the interface feel more familiar if you’re used to smartphones and other connected devices. The large curved display is highly configurable, and compatible apps can be installed directly through Google Play.
The vehicle even supports entertainment apps such as YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, and HBO Max when the vehicle is parked.
Software clearly plays a much larger role in the ownership experience than it does in many traditional vehicles.
For technology enthusiasts, that’s a pretty compelling part of the package.
Free Charging Was an Unexpected Bonus
Before buying an EV, I assumed most charging would happen in one of two places: my garage or a paid public charger.
That assumption was mostly correct.
What I didn’t expect was how many free charging opportunities I would encounter.
I’ve come across free chargers at:
- Shopping centers
- Public facilities
- Parking garages
- Community locations
- Workplaces
- Medical facilities
- Hotels
Some are slower than others, but that doesn’t necessarily matter if the car is going to sit there for an hour or two anyway.
Free charging certainly isn’t a reason by itself to buy an EV, but finding it available while I was already parked was a pleasant surprise.
Public Charging Still Has Some Friction
Not everything about charging has been effortless.
The biggest learning curve has been public charging.
Gas stations are remarkably standardized. You pull up, choose a pump, pay, and fill the tank.
Public EV charging is improving, but it can still feel fragmented. Depending on the charger, you may encounter different:
- Charging networks
- Mobile apps
- Accounts
- Payment systems
- Activation methods
And sometimes the charger looks ready to go when it actually isn’t.
I learned that lesson firsthand.
On one occasion, I connected the vehicle to a charger, saw a green indicator, and walked away assuming everything was working. When I came back later, I discovered the car hadn’t charged because I had failed to activate the station through its app.
Lesson learned.
Fortunately, the industry is moving toward a simpler experience. Tap-to-pay is becoming more common, Plug & Charge is expanding, and apps are getting better at bringing multiple charging networks together.
But compared with pulling into a gas station, public charging can still involve a few extra steps.
Charging Isn’t Automatically Cheap
Another surprise was the cost.
There’s a common assumption that charging an EV is dramatically cheaper than buying gasoline in every situation. My experience has been more nuanced.
Charging at home generally provides meaningful savings for me. Public charging—particularly non-free fast charging—is another story.
Prices can vary significantly depending on the network, location, charging speed, time of day, and local electricity rates. In some situations, public charging can cost enough to reduce much of the financial advantage compared with gasoline.
For my particular driving pattern, the economics work largely because most of my charging happens at home.
If I depended heavily on public fast chargers, the savings could be considerably smaller and, depending on local conditions, potentially disappear altogether.
So the cost question isn’t simply EV versus gasoline.
It’s also where and how you charge.
Maybe It’s Not Range Anxiety
Before owning an EV, I assumed range anxiety would be one of my biggest concerns.
After a couple of longer trips, I think a different phrase describes the issue better:
Planning anxiety.
The vehicle itself hasn’t caused much concern. The bigger question is knowing where and when to charge on a longer journey.
Fortunately, technology makes that easier.
Tools such as PlugShare let me:
- Find nearby chargers
- Read user reviews
- Check charger details
- Look for available stations
- Identify backup options
Navigation services can also incorporate charging stops into longer routes and estimate when you’ll need to recharge.
A few minutes of preparation can remove much of the uncertainty.
Yes, road trips require a little more planning than they do in a gasoline vehicle.
But in my experience, they haven’t been nearly as complicated as I once imagined.
What I’ve Learned After 1,000 Miles
After roughly 1,000 miles, my advice is fairly straightforward.
If you’re considering an EV, start by looking at your actual driving habits rather than hypothetical worst-case scenarios.
If possible:
Install home charging.
It can make everyday EV ownership dramatically more convenient.
Learn public charging before you need it.
Download the relevant apps, understand activation methods, and know how the major charging networks work in your area.
Try PlugShare or a similar service.
Knowing where chargers are—and having a backup plan—can make longer trips much less stressful.
Understand your normal mileage.
Your daily routine matters more than an occasional long-distance trip.
Don’t build your expectations around edge cases.
The way you use your vehicle every week is usually more important than the rare scenario you might encounter once or twice a year.
For many drivers, that everyday routine is where an EV makes the most sense.
So, Would I Do It Again?
For my lifestyle, switching to an electric vehicle has been easier than I expected—and more enjoyable than I expected.
The driving experience is excellent. Home charging is incredibly convenient. The technology is genuinely interesting. And after the initial learning curve, much of the experience has become routine.
That doesn’t mean an EV is automatically the right choice for everyone.
Someone who drives very long distances every day, cannot install home charging, or lives in an area with limited charging infrastructure may have a very different experience. Charging availability, electricity costs, climate, driving patterns, and vehicle choice all matter.
But for someone with moderate daily driving, access to home charging, and a willingness to learn a few new tools, the transition can be surprisingly straightforward.
After about 1,000 miles, the thing that surprises me most isn’t how different EV ownership feels.
It’s how quickly it starts to feel completely normal.
And perhaps that’s the most interesting part of the experience.
The technology may be new, but the daily routine doesn’t have to be.