Recently, my chosen mom and dad surprised me out of the blue. They had ditched their gas-powered Lincoln Corsair and Mini Cooper, replacing both cars with a Hyundai Ioniq 6. It kind of came out of left field. And although I was impressed, I couldn’t help but worry.
They’re a couple in their 60s and 70s who live in rural North Carolina, with the nearest major city being an hour away. They’ve never asked me too much about EVs outside of polite conversation. I don’t even know if they know much about electric vehicle ownership or charging. What if something happens? Are they prepared to deal with what comes with driving an EV as their sole car?
After spending a weekend with them and their new car, it became crystal clear that there was nothing to worry about. They absolutely love it. More importantly, they quickly saw the benefits and superiority of EV ownership without me having to say or demonstrate a damn thing. There’s a lot of noise about how hard it is to get everyday folks, especially those who live far outside of big cities, to go electric. It turns out that EV living kind of sells itself—even to those you’d least expect.
Come From Nowhere?
Now, I knew passively that my mom and dad were in search of a new car, but I kind of figured they’d continue on the Ford Motor Company route. Both have historically worked for Ford, with my dad retiring from the company in the 2010s. He gets a sizable retiree discount, and his cars over the years have been some sort of Ford product lease, often a small crossover. A few years ago, they tried and failed to lease a Ford Maverick Hybrid, so I had an inkling that maybe they’d want something electrified.
Yet, I was thinking they were interested in a hybrid vehicle, not a full EV. Over the past 18 months, occasionally they asked me what I thought about some hybrid models, like the Toyota Venza or Honda Civic Hybrid. But I could tell that maybe they weren’t super familiar with any form of electrification. They thought that a lot of the hybrids on the market needed to be plugged in, and they weren’t sure if they could (or wanted to) accommodate the charging infrastructure necessary for a . I reassured them that some of the models they’d asked me about (particularly, the new ) were actually available in non-PHEV form, and wouldn’t need to be plugged in.
Ionna Charging
In March, my dad sent me a text: “What do you think about the 2025 Ioniq 6?” In hindsight, this was less than coincidental. The car had been canceled in the U.S., and news sites were running stories about the move including us. I wrote one of them, which I passed along. I knew they wanted to make a move on a car soon. Still, I thought this was a passive interest; they hadn’t said much about going full EV, aside from a one-off conversation about the .
Imagine my shock when five days later, my dad texted me an image of a black Ioniq 6 SEL AWD. “Yesterday, we drove the and liked it, but I thought they wanted too much even with my retiree discount,” he wrote. Today, we drove the Ioniq 6. I loved it, and the price was right. It’s in our garage now.”
On paper, I knew that the car met their criteria. Both wanted something that was low to the ground, meaning a big SUV wasn’t really in the cards. Their garage is very small, so they can’t have a big car in there anyway. They wanted to reduce some expenses, so some of the pricier options (Mini Countryman S and SE, Toyota Prius Prime) weren’t in the cards.
When they came home with the Ioniq 6, I was proud, but kind of shocked and maybe a little blindsided. My parents don’t have home charging, and there are no nearby EV charging stations where they live. I was nervous; would going electric even work for them?
They Made It Work
Over the next few months, I heard nary a peep out of them. Silence is good news, right? My nervousness subsided. Clearly they weren’t struggling with EV ownership or use, since neither had complained about range issues or getting stuck. I have driven rental EVs to their home before; it’s not easy. The nearest DC fast charger was about 30 minutes away. I knew the challenges that they’d face, but I hadn’t heard anything from them about it.
When I finally saw them weeks later, they confirmed my hunch. “Yeah, those first couple of weeks took a bit of adjustment; charging bills were a little more expensive than we thought they’d be, and sometimes it doesn’t go as fast as we thought, either,” said my mom. But the convenience of EV driving was too hard to ignore. Especially since after the first month of ownership, they had officially sold their Mini Cooper and used that money to install a Tesla Universal Wall connector. At 48 amps, this thing could recharge their Ioniq 6’s 77.4 kWh battery from flat to full, easily overnight.
Ioniq 6 NC Trip Owner
With home charging, the two have been unstoppable. Both acknowledged that now that they have a plug at home, they realized how easy the car is to live with. “Yeah, we don’t really even notice the power bill, to be honest. It’s gone up a little bit, but we really don’t even feel it,” said my mom.
They’ve even taken the Ioniq 6 on a road trip. I was worried about this as well, since they’re both the type to drive rather than fly, whenever possible. Yet, they said road-tripping was seamless. On a 400-mile drive to Atlanta, they said they only did two charging stops (one on the way, the other on the way back). The Hyundai’s 270-mile EPA-rated range has been plenty, aided by the fact that they don’t drive very fast. Also, since they’re getting older, they said the 30-minutes or so needed to charge is the perfect time to take a rest and eat a meal. They said it was “relaxing.”
In a lot of ways, this was very validating. Online or in conversations with friends and family, I’ve long said that living with an EV is easy. But most in my life aren’t listening—or maybe they’d push back, insisting we just weren’t ready and that they can’t ever see themselves going fully electric. It turns out that my parents, at the very least, were listening closely enough to take the plunge. And they don’t regret a thing.
“I never realized how much I didn’t ever really like going to gas stations. I don’t really ever want to have to go to them again,” said my mom. My dad shared similar sentiments, enthralled at just how easy the charging process and even the public charging apps (to some extent) have been to use. They just unplug and hop in the car and go wherever they like. There’s no range or charging anxiety for them.
Ioniq 6 NC Trip Owner
Their experience says a lot about the future of EVs in America. Yes, it’s tough to sell everyday Americans on electric cars. And yes, there will be speed bumps along the way. But if EV life can win over my parents—a couple of retirees in rural North Carolina with practically zero prior knowledge about electrification—it can win over almost anyone.