America’s heartland is filled with rural communities that are miles away from its major cities, both geographically and culturally — but that doesn’t mean these sparsely populated areas can’t reap the benefits of electricity. In fact, electric vehicles provide more benefits to drivers in rural areas than they do to city dwellers!
“An electric lifestyle will be a boon to our rural heartland,” wrote Maria Cecilia Pinto de Moura of the Union of Concerned Scientists. “Rural communities across the country have their own distinct characteristics, but some common characteristics such as driving distances, type of vehicles driven, and socioeconomic conditions are factors that contribute to this greater potential to benefit from vehicle electrification.”
Pinto de Moura went on to outline five ways drivers in urban and rural areas could benefit from switching to electric vehicles – but that was 2021, and a lot has changed in the roughly five years since.
As such, I thought it was time to revisit some of the reasons why electric vehicles are such a good fit for rural lifestyles, see if we can uncover any new ones, and outline the reasons why we think rural drivers should rush to embrace electric vehicles in the coming calendar year.
1. More miles means more savings
When you hear that line about “the average American drives 30 to 40 miles a day,” remember that in cities like Wellington, Ohio, or Colfax, Washington, 30 miles is a trip for the grocery store. In every way. So when people repeat that old phrase about range anxiety, what rural drivers are actually hearing is not reassurance. It’s a dismissal – a suggestion that they’re driving too far for an electric car to work, when nothing could be further from the truth.
A recent study by the Rural Climate Partnership found that rural drivers spend on average 44 percent more on fuel than city residents, and that the top 3.6 percent of rural drivers — the “super-grinders” who log the most miles — could save more than $4,000 a year by switching to electric fuel.
2. Electric trucks have arrived
Country guys and gals love their pickup trucks, and arguably the biggest difference between the electric vehicle markets in 2021 and 2025 is the proliferation of electric trucks and SUVs ready to help with hauling, chores, camping, and towing.
Why not save your expensive horses from inhaling gas and diesel exhaust. Tow it with your quiet new electric car instead!
3. Home charging only works
With only about 45% of rural counties having access to DC fast charging, public charging still isn’t as visible as many first-time EV buyers might like, but it’s much better than it used to be — and improving fast. However, this is not the real advantage of electric vehicles. Home shipping is.
Unlike many urban drivers who live in apartments, most rural owners can collect tolls directly from home. Over 80% of rural households have a driveway or garage ideal for overnight Level 2 charging, and many already have a 240V outlet, keeping setup costs (if any) to a minimum.
Plug it in before bed, wake up to a full battery every morning, and do it for pennies, especially with off-peak prices.
4. Life-saving battery power
In the event of a disaster and a power outage, many electric trucks have the ability to supply your home and appliances with power stored in their massive batteries – either from the truck itself, or through a V2X home battery system. If you live in an area prone to extreme weather events, being able to keep your medication refrigerated can be a lifesaver!
5. Electric cars are more affordable than ever
It’s been a few years since a working-class man could reasonably expect to get a new pickup truck for less than $50,000. And while a lot has been said about the “high cost of EVs,” the truth is that thanks to killer lease deals, new tax incentives, and companies like Ford Pro and TRC that want to help you find more financing to help pay for them, EVs can often be had for less than a comparable gas model.
As such, getting behind the wheel of a super-powerful, ultra-smooth electric pickup truck from your favorite brand is easier than ever.
6. Energy independence and American jobs
And while they may sound like megalomaniac red hats, rural Americans are proud Americans – just as rural Canadians are proud Canadians. Unfortunately, every gallon of gas burned in their pickup trucks and SUVs came from oil being extracted, refined, and traded on global markets—meaning supporting the oil businesses and economies of countries whose values don’t always align with their own, or may even be outright hostile to them.
Switching to an electric vehicle could help save even more of that money here at home, especially as more and better battery recycling efforts come online and the development of newer battery and anode/cathode chemistries reduces reliance on rare earth metals, cobalt and even lithium.
Better yet, thanks to the rapid expansion and dramatic decline in costs of wind and solar, you can power your electric car on energy that is 100% made in the USA, that doesn’t even indirectly support foreign oil interests, and that creates well-paying construction and maintenance jobs for local workers.
What am I missing?
Obviously there are more reasons to switch to electric cars, from the lower cost of ownership to saving the planet to absolutely killer burnouts that would put the era of one-frame shooting, IROC Camaros hang their 305s to shame — but I think they kind of fade into the background as attractive to everyone, rather than being particularly attractive to rural drivers.
However, it’s been a long time since I’ve been back in Ohio, so I may have forgotten what it was like. You guys are smart, head on over to the comments and tell me what I missed!
Original content from Electrek.
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