Amy and Ayax Ron-Carr

“My family is savvy about energy-efficient cars. Within my extended family, five or six people drive electric vehicles,” she said. “And before that they all drove diesel, when it was a more energy-efficient option.” Her father, an engineer, even converted his car to run off veggie oil. Amy and her husband Iyax drove a Pontiac sedan and a van that got about 12 miles to the gallon, but always thought about a better option. “I’m a teacher and worked just a couple miles from home, so I always justified it because I didn’t drive long distances,” she said. When they heard about the special price on the Nissan LEAF through the Clean Charge Network, they made the jump. “It made sense for us. Our LEAF often charges to 130 miles, and with fast chargers we can make even longer drives,” Amy said. She pays closer attention to how many miles remain before she jumps in the car and has had a few close calls. But otherwise, the transition to driving electric has been smooth. She’s enjoyed having access to EV-only parking spaces at busy events, including First Friday and a July 4 celebration at Corporate Woods. “People were walking miles carrying lawn chairs, and we were able to pull up and plug in at an open EV spot,” she said. Amy’s husband Ayax currently has the longer commute, so he drives the EV most weekdays. Otherwise they take the LEAF everywhere, and have been pleased at how well the car fits their needs. “I recently had to get replacement seats for the van, and I was able to fit them in the car even with my son in his car seat,” she said.