Growing up in a rural village in the Andes mountains of Colombia, Marcos spent his childhood picking wild fruits, caring for pigs and hens, and living in a culture where nothing was wasted. Everything was reused, repaired, and recycled.
“That early connection to nature shaped my deep concern for the environment and for the impacts of climate change,” says Marcos. Fast forward to today, and Marcos, now a college professor in the U.S., challenges his students to think about the environment.
He asks simple but powerful questions like, “Do you know where the electricity that charges your phone comes from?” or “How does water get to your home?”
For Marcos and his spouse Martin* buying an electric vehicle (or EV for short) was not just a choice – it was a natural extension of their values. “It is not about trends or tech hype,” says Marcos. “It is about doing my part to slow climate change, one quiet, battery-powered mile at a time.”
Kannan Thiruvengadam is the co-founder of Eastie Farm, an East Boston nonprofit that grows food for its home community and distributes produce from over 65 farms across Massachusetts. For him, buying an electric truck for deliveries seemed an obvious choice.
“Whatever we do, we also pay attention to how we do it so that our mission of acting on climate is true,” says Kannan. “We have to pick up produce from farms, we have to deliver CSA bags to people, and that involves vehicles. And most vehicles on the road today are driven by fossil fuels. And we were like, ‘If we’re going to transport things, how can we avoid using fossil fuels?’ That was the driver.”
Despite the Trump administration’s relentless efforts to slow the adoption of EVs, including rolling back incentives to EV customers and attacking policies encouraging more EV manufacturing, the interest in these vehicles continues. People are still buying them, and those who own them are fiercely dedicated to keeping them.
The Future of Electric Vehicles in Question
Marcos, Martin, and Kannan are part of an ever-growing group of enthusiasts who are committed to electrically powered transportation. Interest in EVs maintains a steady pace, with total EV sales through the first half of 2025 setting a record at 607,089 sales. According to a survey by JD Power, 25% of vehicle shoppers say they’re very likely to consider buying an electric vehicle, and 35% say they’re somewhat likely. And with the $7,500 EV tax credit set to expire on September 30th, auto dealers are reporting a surge in EV sales.
There’s also the simple fact that automakers can’t easily give up on electric vehicles. Companies that have already heavily invested in electric cars, trucks, and other vehicles can’t simply flip a switch and abandon the millions of dollars they’ve already spent. Not to mention, the rest of the world is moving ahead – and to stay competitive in the global market, automakers must remain committed to electrification. Experts across industries estimate that, regardless of what the federal government tries to do, EVs are here to stay. For the people who already own them, they’ve proven they’re affordable, easy to maintain, and fun to drive. None of those benefits disappear with the signing of an executive order.
EVs: A Superior Driving Experience
There was a lot about going electric that won Marcos and Martin over. For example, both note that their EV is more affordable to maintain. Other than a routine, once-a-year checkup, their electric car doesn’t need oil changes like gas cars or hybrids do.
“I was shocked,” says Marcos. “I thought when we installed our home charger, the electric bill would double. It stayed the same basically.” The two estimate it’s been about half the cost to fuel their car compared to gasoline.
The driving experience also keeps them hooked on electric. “I love the car, actually,” says Martin. “Of all the cars we’ve ever had, I like this one the most. It’s fun to drive, it has good power, it’s a nice-looking car, and it just feels super solid.”
Marcos and Martin describe a peaceful ride to work, the grocery store, or weekend getaways. They talk about trips to their good friend’s house on the Cape or long drives to upstate New York. And as a lover of classical music, Martin is especially fond of the quiet cabin that allows him to hear every note in each track during these drives.
Kannan is similarly enthusiastic – but he also notes the impacts within the community, as it’s not just the farm itself that has benefited from the electric truck.
“We’re doing this so the community can see, in real life, solutions. So they can know that this is possible,” says Kannan. “Seeing that things are possible provides inspiration and hope.”
Thanks to Eastie Farm’s hard work building trust within its home community, residents are much more likely to see these solutions as feasible and credible, he says.
It Hasn’t Always Been the Smoothest Road
While there have been clear benefits to owning an EV, all three admit driving one requires a learning curve. For Marcos and Martin, that was especially true with deciding where and how often to charge their car. Martin details the importance of planning each road trip meticulously to chart out charging station stops and how weather conditions might affect battery longevity.
“You do have to plan,” says Martin. “You have to know where you’re going to charge. You have to know that even if you charge it fully, it’s not going to make it that far because you’re running the air conditioning or the heat, and you’re going up and down hills, or the season even – there’s a big difference between winter and summer too. So, any buyer who gets an EV, they’re going to have to just adapt to that.”
Kannan recalls the extensive research that went into deciding which vehicle to buy, understanding battery capacity in different weather conditions, estimating mileage, and more.
“It’s not like we’re doing something fossil fuel-based,” says Kannan. “Those methods are well established, and you can go right ahead and get started right away. Whereas if you’re going to do something like this, then there’s research involved.”
Eastie Farm’s headquarters even had to add electrical capacity to support the truck’s charging needs.
The Future of Electric Vehicles is Still a Hopeful Road
Although the current federal administration is actively working to stymie progress, there is hope in pushing EVs forward – hope that lies in the hands of state governments.
“This shouldn’t be a political matter,” says Marcos. “This is something that is already growing and it’s going to keep growing. I’m hopeful that we are going to keep progressing, even in this country. That states, cities, towns still care, are concerned, and want to do something.”
Kannan also points to the power of states supporting EVs. “There are local governments and car companies themselves that realize what they need to do. I think we can make an appeal to providers, car makers, state governments, and local governments to figure out how they can make it feasible for people to purchase electric vehicles.” In Eastie Farm’s case, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources was responsible in large part for the nonprofit’s ability to purchase its electric truck, along with funding from the Rose Family Foundation.
Both Marcos and Kannan are right – despite federal hostility towards electric vehicles, state governments are fighting back for the sake of the families they represent. For example, California has sued the administration for its revocation of permission to implement stronger vehicle pollution standards than the federal government’s (attorneys general from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, and other states have joined that suit). Massachusetts’s Department of Environmental Protection is preparing to roll out $46 million in funding for electric vehicle charging across the state. Maine is restarting a rebate program that offers low-income households up to $7,500 on an EV when paired with the purchase of an off-peak charger.
So, What Does the Future Hold? Opportunity.
Marcos has wildly creative ideas about what our transportation will look like 50 years from now. He says he’s going to keep leasing electric – but he also discusses ride-sharing options, co-ownership possibilities, and different types of transportation models with the bubbling enthusiasm of a true technology nerd.
“I even think about flying cars,” he says. “So, I have imagined landing platforms, flying devices, maybe drones that pick you up and bring you wherever you need to go! I like dreaming about this.”
But his core values stay true even in his ideas of our transportation future. “When I imagine these dream technologies, I also imagine that they are going to be zero emissions,” he says.
And while not as fantastical as Marcos’, Kannan’s vision for the future involves changing systems, too. He says we have to do better right now – and we can’t give up on electric vehicles, no matter who the President is or what attacks they launch.
“What we are talking about is avoiding violence against our children,” he says. “Letting climate change be as is, letting the loss of biodiversity be as is, letting an unjust and inequitable economy be as is – it all amounts to violence against our own children.”
EVs are one of the critical ways out of that.
*Marcos and Martin have asked that their real names not be used.