About four years ago, I decided to go gas (petrol) free. It was due to the cost of constantly fueling my car due to my business. When I test drove the Nissan Leaf for the first time, it was so quiet. No background noise from a noisy engine. I often found myself in sensory overload due to driving. I could hear and feel the vibrations from the internal combustion engine. I did not realize how noisy  and shaky a gasoline powered car was before I got behind the wheel of an electric car.

When driving an ICE car, I often got a headache. I felt overwhelmed by everything around me. I was a very impatient driver. The sensory stimuli was too much.It felt like I had a pounding headache every time the automatic transmission shifted gears or there was an combustion. I had to pull over for a break very often. I was very tired and did not realize why.  I did not realize that the sensory stimuli was  the issue.

Since I have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), my executive functioning is not where it should be. ICE cars do need an oil change every 3,000 miles. It needs to be filled with gas, I often forgot to refuel my car). There are different maintenance procedures an ICE car needs. It needs more repairs than an EV. I often forgot to do these maintenance procedures.

With an EV, if you are going on a long trip, everything needs to be planned. Its like having a routine when going on a trip. It really calms my autistic brain. I have a plan. I know exactly where I am stopping. I know for how long and why. There are certain thing that need to be done in a certain order. The different charging stations were very familiar to me and nothing was foreign.

When I come home from work, there is a routine I follow. I pull into the garage. If the dryer is plugged in, then I unplug the dryer and then plug in my car charger. Then I plug in my car. There is no sensory stimuli that I cannot handle. After this, I go inside and do what ever I am going to do.I can decompress from the day’s activities.