Is this the year to buy an electric car or hybrid? It is for Michael Rowan, who wanted to save money and energy during the pandemic. And it is for a lot of other drivers, too.

Rowan, an IT director from Albuquerque, N.M., recently bought a Chrysler Pacifica PHEV minivan and new solar panels for his home to help power the vehicle.

He says the hybrid car purchase made economic sense, from the tax breaks to improved fuel efficiency. 

“We get 45 miles per gallon on our van when we use gas,” he says. “But we rarely use gas. We’ve used two gallons since we started having the ability to run off home electricity.”

As the pandemic has stretched into summer, there’s been a lot of talk about electric cars and hybrids. Tesla’s stock is hot, as my FORBES colleague Camilo Maldonado noted. And the company recently cut the price of its Model 3, Model S, and Model X electric cars by up to $5,000.Recommended For You

For drivers who are often stuck at home and dreaming about being […]