WACO, Texas — Electric vehicles have been gaining popularity over the years. Recent data shows they made up for about 14 percent of all cars sold last year worldwide.
There are more than two million on the roads in the U.S. — while that number has been on the rise, it still only makes up about one percent of vehicles.
There were more than 122,000 electric vehicles registered in the state of Texas last year and some people, like Waco-resident Teresa Porter, want to see those numbers continue to grow.
She decided to try her first electric vehicle a few years ago on a whim after she said she did just fifteen minutes of research.
"It was probably one of the most impulsive things I've ever done in my life," Porter said.
"I took the seven-day Carvana challenge and leapt off into the great unknown of electric vehicles."
It did not take long for her to fall in love with the new car.
"We fell off the cliff into the world of electrified transportation," Porter said.
A little over a year later, her husband Ben got his first electric vehicle.
"As soon as I took the test drive or whatever I said yeah it's coming home," Ben Porter said.
The two are now advocates for electric vehicles and bring them out to car shows to talk about the benefits.
"One of the bonuses is you plug it in at your house like your cell phone," Ben Porter said.
"I only plug it in like once a week, so its like two dollars a week."
The couple says the biggest benefit to them has been how much they've saved, but they also feel like they are helping the environment and the state.
"My car is really and truly powered by Texas," Teresa Porter said.
"My car is powered 100 percent by Texas electricity, which in turn supports Texas jobs and the Texas economy."
While the cost of a new EV might be a bit higher up front, experts said you can save a lot over time when it comes to gas and repairs.
"As far as the really big stuff that can go wrong, engines and transmissions, electric motors are really simple," said Keith Barry with Consumer Reports.
"Batteries tend to have a very long warranty on them — usually around eight years or 100,000 miles for a drive battery in a car."
Barry said as these vehicles do get more popular, he's expecting the purchase price to go down as well.
"All the manufacturers have announced something in the future," Barry said.
"That's kind of how technology is. If you remember, from VCR's to cell phones, everything comes down if its on the market for longer."
For the Porter family in Waco, they're just excited to see more cars like them on the roads.
"I keep seeing these registration numbers climbing," Teresa Porter said.
"We've gone from having like 60 electric cars in the county to like 1,100, with the same level of infrastructure."
