My Earth Day Commitment by Drew Hubbell                                                 4-27-18

Electric car or not? That was the question I was grappling with as the lease ran out on my Volkswagen Passat. I have been seeing more and more news regarding the devastating effects that climate change is having on Mother Earth. Having experienced first-hand the destruction fires can have when losing our boyhood home in 2003 and more recently to the effects an extended drought has had in the southwest. I just recently learned that 50% of the coral reefs on Earth have died in the last 30 years due to the temperature increase in the oceans. These are startling facts that made me want to make changes to reduce my impact on the environment.

I knew I wanted to do more to help solve the issue, so I started to look at electric and plug-in hybrid cars. Since both of these options are fairly new, they cost more than gas engines, but I learned that current federal and state rebate programs can bring their prices down to equal the price of a gas engine (Electric car rebates are currently $7,500 federal and $2,500 state, plus $200 annual credit from SDG&E). After researching and test driving numerous electric and hybrid cars, I settled on the BMW i3 with the REX 2 HP backup engine. The i3 has a 120 mile electric range and additional 80 miles with the REX engine. I love the style and engineering quality of the i3 and found the cost to be very close to the Volkswagen Golf and Nissan Leaf. BMW also includes two years of free charging at “Charge Now” stations and 15 days of free loaner cars for days I need to travel further than the 200 mile driving range. I am still figuring out the best locations to charge the car but it feels great driving an emission-free car and plugging in to charge it rather than fill it up with gas. With solar panels on our home and the free “Charge Now” option, I will have virtually no fuel costs. A quick comparison at current gas & electric rates gas engine costs roughly .22 cents per mile & electric engine.06 cents per mile to drive. So I can potentially save close to $1,600 per year.

More importantly to me, I hope to lead by example and to represent a more sustainable way of living. 24 years ago I started our architectural firm with a focus on green buildings- structures that are built with sustainable materials and use much less energy than traditional buildings. In San Diego, where 50% of our greenhouse emissions come from the transportation sector, I feel it is important to make drastic changes in our community. There are even better options, such as walking, biking, or utilizing public transportation.

I hope my story helps a few make the move to greener transportation. Feel free to contact me with any specific questions you have.

Thanks,

Drew Hubbell