So our great nation wants to pull out of Paris Agreement. Fortunately states and corporations are picking up some of the slack. Individual Americans and families can pick up some slack too by getting serious about electric cars.

Of course electric cars don’t yet match gas-powered vehicles in their range and refueling convenience. But by changing the way you think about your car, the electric cars of today are made more practical.

Our individualistic American culture has us thinking in a family about “his car”, and “her car.” What if we shift that thinking to having one car for short range/low capacity use, and another car for long range/high-capacity use?

A family can then have one electric car and one gas car, and by discussing who needs what car for a given day or week an electric car can be used effectively with minimal restriction on freedom.

Even a single person who is dedicated to reducing their “gasoline guilt” can put their money where their mouth is and get a second car that is electric. It ends up less expensive than you might think because of the large fuel savings.  The cost can also be offset by reducing the mileage on the insurance of the gas car, and there is practically zero maintenance on electrics.

Your new electric car doesn’t have to be a Tesla. Even one of the 80-100 mile range cars can be effective when another vehicle is available (BMW i3, Nissan Leaf, VW eGolf, Mercedes B-class, Fiat 500e). The next generation of more affordable electrics have 200 mile plus ranges (Chevy Bolt, Tesla 3, 2018 Leaf).

So if you are really serious about reducing pollution, reducing pipeline and offshore oil spills, reducing cancers for people living around oil refineries, and of course reducing the chance of ever more dramatic climate change, make a few adjustments to your lifestyle and go lease an electric car.

As a side note, if you want to learn some interesting electric car history, watch the documentary “Who killed the electric car?”