Marjorie Garnett: Farmhand-Turned-EV Evangelist
Marjorie Garnett doesn’t like to sit still. She lives on her dad’s farm in Sheridan, drives back and forth to Tualatin every weekday for work, and takes care of three rescue dogs. And during evenings, weekends, and every planting and harvest season, she works extra long hours as her dad’s second set of hands on the farm. She’s a whirlwind of energy and activity.
Marjorie’s EV journey began when her dad bought himself a 2017 Chevy Bolt to save on fuel. His new car barely registered with Marjorie at the time because she was zipping around in a Honda Fit and living in an apartment with no charger or dedicated parking. Her Honda got a respectable 33 MPG so EVs were not really on her radar. But things began to change when she moved to the farm, but wanted to keep her great job at an industrial components company.
The problem was that the job was 41 miles from the farm, in Tualatin. Marjorie loved the job, but she soon found herself driving nearly 500 miles a week and watching her gas receipts pile up. She briefly considered moving closer to work, but she loves living on the family farm, so she resigned herself to a long commute and a hefty fuel bill.
When gas prices hit $5 a gallon she started talking to her dad about his EV. But the real turning point came in late 2023, when constantly shifting her Honda’s manual transmission left her with tendonitis, and her dad offered to let her use his Bolt to ease the pain. Marjorie thanked him, got in, felt the quiet hum of electric power… and never looked back.
“After driving my dad’s car for a few days I did the math and realized that driving electric wasn’t only better for my arm, it was also saving a lot of money. That it was also more environmentally-friendly and a time-saver were what clinched it for me. No more stops for gas. Just plug-in at night and drive away the next day!"
A couple months later, Marjorie had purchased her own second-hand Bolt—a spacious white hatchback with solid ground clearance and a roof rack. “It’s the perfect car for my dogs and me,” she says, grinning as her companions pile in: Tobson, a Maltese-Miniature poodle mix, Pippin, a longhaired Dachshund-Chihuahua blend, and Stora, a 130-pound Cane Corso Italian Mastiff.
She bought her Bolt with only 14,000 miles on it, knowing that it had an open recall for possible battery issues. Shortly after she brought it home, the car threw an error code and the local Chevy dealership replaced her battery with a brand new one for free. Marjorie was thrilled. Her arm has now completely healed, she’s saving about $200 a month on fuel, and her car has a pristine battery.
THE MATH: GAS VS. ELECTRIC
Honda Fit: 2,167 miles/month at 31 MPG = 66 gallons per month. At $3.80/gallon that’s $251 per month, or $3,010 annually, plus $550 a year for 5 oil changes and other maintenance, totaling $3,688.
Chevy Bolt: 2,167 miles/month at 3.8 miles/kWh = 542 kWh per month. At $0.12/kWh on PGE’s residential rate, that’s $70 per month, or $843 a year, plus $250 annually for maintenance, totaling $1,093.
All in, Marjorie is saving about $2,595 a year.
The extended Garnett family is now all-in on EVs. Marjorie’s mom and dad drive black and metallic orange Bolts, respectively. Her sister Alison, who lives in Beaverton, drives a Kia Niro, and her aunt and uncle drive an Ioniq 5N. They’re all driving electric, and they’re eager to spread the word. In fact, Marjorie and her dad regularly participate in PGE-hosted Transportation Electrification Focus Groups, swapping stories, answering questions for EV-curious folks, and talking about all the money they’re saving.