Around 2012 new homebuilder KB Home seemed to be the first builder to add the option to prewire electric and hybrid plug-in vehicle charging stations in their new homes. The new “green” option adds an extra few hundred dollars to a new KB home. Other homebuilders have followed suit. Mid Atlantic Builders in Maryland and Virginia announced in January 2014 that electric-car charging stations are being installed in certain models. Terra View Homes in Canada has partnered with SunCountry Highway, a Saskatoon-based company that sells electric vehicle chargers, to show off a Kitchener, Ontario (west of Toronto) model home equipped with an electric vehicle charging station.
Running on a rechargeable battery, an electric car is powered by an electric motor. Until recently, this vehicle type had a limited use, as it couldn’t go too far without recharging, and recharging stations were few and far between. Newer and more powerful batteries allow for much longer distances to be driven before recharging. As an electric car doesn’t use gas, there are no harmful carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide tailpipe emissions.
Many of you are familiar with hybrid vehicles and just don’t realize it. For instance, a moped or a locomotive that pulls a train are both hybrids. Anything that indirectly or directly uses two sources of power to propel it forward is a hybrid. Today’s hybrid car runs on electricity and gasoline, gets 30-40 more miles per gallon than a standard vehicle, and reduces those nasty tailpipe emissions.
Both electric and hybrid vehicles need to be recharged, so an electric plug-in is a plus. They are both good for the planet as emissions are low and less-to-no gas is used. This will save you money over time. Even if you don’t have an electric or hybrid vehicle now, these are the cars of the future. KB Home is smart to think ahead and add another “green” option to their new homes. Maybe you should think ahead, too, and research that new car loan now.