Lisa Larson-Bunnell

She always thought there was a better way to fuel a car than with gasoline, but her beliefs took on new urgency when she became a mom. “Trips to the gas station not only felt like an additional chore, they felt dangerous,” she says. “There was a string of gas station robberies near my house when my son was still an infant, and I was terrified something would happen while I was filling up.” That’s no longer a fear now that Lisa can “fill up” in her own garage. She mostly charges overnight for her 70-mile round trip commute and daily errands, but she can charge at work if needed. She also loves to be able to heat up her car in her garage without fearing carbon monoxide poisoning. Lisa has been greeted with enthusiasm from both the EV community and the public, with lots of honks and waves from fellow drivers and questions from prospects. Within the EV world, she is hoping to see more engagement from women and minorities, believing that the viewpoints and perspective of these populations is vital to the success of EVs in the mass market. She believes the future of EVs is especially bright in the Kansas City metro. “Kansas City is way ahead of most cities, especially those in the Midwest,” she says. “What a tremendous gift the Clean Charge Network has been to the community. There are more places to charge along with more premium parking spaces than almost anywhere else in the country.” Her transition from an internal combustion engine (ICE) to electric has been easy. In fact, her biggest surprise is how similar driving an electric car is to an ICE vehicle. “The battery in my car is large enough to take care of my everyday needs without any additional thought. And charging the car is just as easy as plugging in my cell phone at night,” she says. Lisa also reports one thing is exactly the same: a toddler can make messes in an EV just as quickly as a gas car! Interested in being profiled for our next issue? We’d love to hear from you.