FPL to help SWFL drivers install electric vehicle chargers at their homes

Gas prices are driving electric vehicle sales, with AAA reporting one in four people say their next car will be electric, so Florida Power and Light is launching a program to let drivers install charging stations at their homes.

WINK News hears some drivers say they love their Teslas—that the cars drive and it doesn’t cost $70 to $100 to fill a gas tank—while others say they would never make the switch to electric because they feel they won’t actually be saving that much money.

Electric vehicle sales continue to rise throughout the U.S.: In 2021 alone, almost 450,000 were sold. Carlos Hinojosa with FPL says Florida ranks second in the country for the most EV sales, which is why the company is launching the charger home installation program, FPL EVolution Home.

“Fuel savings, CO2 savings, and then even time: Customers can basically come home, plug in, forget about it, and next day, in the morning, they can drive off to work and their vehicle’s completely charged,” Hinojosa said.

WINK asked people around Fort Myers if they would switch to an electric car. Janice Smith says she pays around $70 every time she buys gas but won’t get an electric vehicle because she believes they come with a lot of problems.

“Absolutely not,” Smith said. “I mean, to me, people wait in line longer to charge their vehicles than they do to get gas. And it seems like it’s almost as expensive to charge your vehicle than it is to get a full tank of gas, and all these issues with the batteries and trying to recycle them and not being able to and there’s mounds and mounds of batteries. What’s the benefit?.”

FPL EVolution Home launches within the next few weeks.