Leanne W.

So when she received a small inheritance, she dragged her husband to the Tesla dealership. The couple had shopped around for an ICE vehicle the year before and found EVs compared very favorably. Now, Leanne is celebrating a year of EV ownership — and she’s found the experience so satisfying she’s already inspired her sister to purchase an EV of her own. Leanne has a short commute to work and drives her EV — which she’s nicknamed Elektra — almost exclusively. “It took me a while to get used to the regen braking, but now I find it strange to drive the ICE on the rare occasion we take it out of the garage,” she said. She charges at home and occasionally out and about, and has enjoyed the premier location of the Clean Charge Network charging stations at Kauffman Stadium and the Kauffman Foundation. She thinks most drivers of ICE vehicles would be surprised by the speed and pick up an EV offers. She still hears some worries about range anxiety on road trips, but sees that diminishing as more charging stations pop up in the region and across the Midwest. Her favorite thing about driving electric? Meeting other EV drivers, who she describes as “the coolest people on the planet.” It’s an apt description for Leanne too, as evidenced in her volunteer work for the AFS USA foreign exchange student program. “EV families make great host families — they’re curious, encouraging and interested in making the world better,” she said. “Plus, the exchange students are always surprised and amazed to be ferried around in an EV!”