The Electric Minivan

I got my first ride in the front seat of Katie and Todd's electric minivan. I was in it a few days earlier but sat in the very back row with Katie and Violet where I didn't get to see much or experience some of the unique features of this vehicle other than the quiet ride. It was also very nice to fit everyone in the car at the same time. Katie, Todd, Henry, Clara, Violet, Becky and me.

Their old car which was a hand-me-down from Todd's mom was just too small for their growing family. They needed a car that could handle three children's car seats of various sizes. They also wanted an electric car. They had to go with a hybrid because the car companies were not making full electric only minivans yet. They went with a 2022 Chrysler Pacifica Plug-in Hybrid. 

They had to order the car from the manufacturer because of supply problems there weren't any vehicles available anywhere. They had to wait for their car to be built and the dealer kept them updated on the progress. They tried to get the car before the baby was due but Chrysler kept putting off the availability date. The baby came early and the car wasn't ready yet. We were there with them when the car shipped to Philadelphia and Todd was able to pick it up. They had planned to sell their old car themselves because the dealer would not give them a decent price for it but that was a whole other 2 am hit and run story told here.

They also had to get an electrician to run a line from their house across the yard to their parking pad where a post and charging station were installed. Todd had to dig a trench across the backyard where the electric line was buried and then cover it back up. A lot of work. 

Today I sat in the front seat with Kate when we went to pick up Henry from his school. She gave me a rundown on the features which were very cool. I was especially surprised to see the push button transmission. I hadn't seen one of those since Mart's Chrysler back in the early 1960's. I also liked all the safety bells and whistles and the way the car's system integrated with her phone.

The front seat was very comfortable. They drive around the city using electric power and the only time they use gas is on the highway. They have gone over two months on the same tank of gas. They will be driving to Buffalo in a few weeks and they will get a better idea of their gas mileage then.