Here’s why I prefer Amtrak over my Tesla Model 3 in the US Northeast
Since I moved to Vermont a year ago, I’ve both driven my Tesla Model 3 and taken an Amtrak train to visit family in Pennsylvania. Here’s why I prefer to take the train in the Northeast Corridor – the busiest railroad in North America.
Convenience. Taking the Amtrak Vermonter from VT to PA is a lot more convenient than driving a car – four out of five of the top cities with the worst traffic in the US are in the Northeast.
When I take the train, I dodge traffic jams on main arteries like Interstate 95, the George Washington Bridge, or the New Jersey Turnpike. If you hit no traffic, it’s an eight-plus hour drive as it is, including stops to charge the car, eat, and take a rest.
And one of the best things about taking the nearly nine-hour train ride is that I can travel on a weekday and work. The free wifi is decent, and if it temporarily falters, then I just hot spot. Plus, the views are wonderful.
However, driving my Model 3 works in a pinch. The Supercharger network on that route is pretty great. Kudos to the New Jersey Turnpike for having fantastic amenities and hosting Superchargers literally right off the route.
Energy efficiency. According to the 2021 US Department of Energy Data Book, Amtrak is 46% more energy efficient than traveling by car and 34% more energy efficient than domestic air travel. The train I take runs from Vermont to New Haven, Connecticut, on a diesel engine, then it switches to electric. The latter produces significantly fewer emissions than cars – even EVs.
Diesel is far from ideal, but diesel trains transport many passengers at once, which means that the emissions per passenger are lower than they would be if each person were driving a car because the majority of people are still driving gas cars. Diesel trains also produce way less emissions than planes.
And this impact matters a lot: In 2020, emissions from transportation accounted for about 27% of total US greenhouse gas emissions, making transportation the largest contributor of US emissions.
Comfort. Amtrak is comfortable, and that’s important to me, as I suffer from chronic pain, so I need to move and stretch a lot. The seats are roomy, I can get up as much as I want, and legroom is fantastic, especially when I snag a bulkhead seat, which isn’t that hard to do.
Luggage size isn’t an issue, and I don’t have to go through the hassle of going through security and putting my toiletries in small plastic bags. You just get on and sit down.
I like that I can go to the dining car to get a drink or a snack whenever I want and that I can sit down at a table and enjoy the passing scenery. I don’t have to wait for a flight attendant to move out of the way with the cart in order to go to the bathroom.
Cost. I can’t argue that my train trip costs less than driving my Model 3, but hear me out.
A round-trip economy ticket on Amtrak between my home in Vermont and my destination in Pennsylvania is $264. Parking at my home station is free, and it’s only three miles from my house.
I estimate a single full charge on my Model 3 with an average 0.25 kWh electricity cost at nearly $13. It’s around an 800-mile round trip drive, so I estimate total Supercharger trip costs to be around $53. Throw in the toll charges (I used TollGuru, and I have an E-Zpass) and round-trip, it costs around $156, excluding food and drinks.
But here’s why I still feel Amtrak is worth the extra cost: I’m a remote worker, so I can work on the train. The time I spend working is a more efficient use of my time than driving, as time is money. Plus, I don’t have to travel on my days off, so I can spend more time with family.
Safety. The 2021 odds of dying as a passenger on a car trip were 1 in 103, and the lifetime odds of dying as a passenger on a commercial airline flight in the US were 1 in 188,364, according to the National Safety Council (NSC).
While I couldn’t find the odds of being in an Amtrak train crash, I did find that there were six passenger fatalities on Amtrak trains in total in the US in 2019 – so the odds of dying are extremely low.
My worst nightmare is getting into a fender bender on the George Washington Bridge. I’m a lot more chilled out on the train in general because it’s safe.
What do you think of Amtrak train travel in the Northeast or in other areas of the US where it’s available? Let me know in the comments below.
Photo: Amtrak
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The State of California is moving to ban the sale of Tesla cars amid claims that the company and its CEO, Elon Musk, have misled buyers about the self-driving capabilities of their cars. We’ve also got market-leading news out of Vietnam and a pricey, pricey lesson for one VW ID.Buzz buyer on today’s lesson-learning episode of Quick Charge!
We also ask what this might mean for the recent Uber/Lucid autonomous taxi tie-up and go through a full rundown of the fastest depreciating EVs on the market (and yes, there are four Tesla models in the top 10 … because the Cybertruck was too new to qualify).
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Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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Sunrun is putting tens of thousands of home batteries to work in Puerto Rico as the island’s electric grid faces a summer of high temperatures and energy shortfalls.
The company says it’s now dispatching energy from over 37,000 residential batteries to help grid operator LUMA keep the lights on. That stored power is being used to prevent rolling blackouts when demand spikes and centralized power plants can’t keep up.
Sunrun’s emergency power contribution has grown more than tenfold since last summer. LUMA expects more than 75 energy shortfall events between now and October, with each dispatch sending electricity to the grid for four consecutive hours. During several recent evenings, Sunrun and other virtual power plant (VPP) operators provided enough energy to offset a 50-megawatt generation gap, LUMA said.
Sunrun CEO Mary Powell said Puerto Rico’s aging infrastructure and intense weather patterns make home battery support increasingly critical:
It’s going to be a very difficult summer, which is why Sunrun has ramped up our dispatch capabilities, using tens of thousands of home batteries to support the grid and people of Puerto Rico.
She added that distributed power plants like Sunrun’s serve the same role as natural gas peaker plants – offering fast, reliable power during high-demand moments – but with clean energy.
Sunrun customers enrolled in the VPP will get paid too. Each participating battery earns about $200 minimum for the season, and customers who allow more of their stored energy to go to the grid earn even more. Sunrun also earns revenue for operating the VPP.
Read more: The US’s largest virtual power plant now runs on 75,000 home batteries
The 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
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Volkswagen is advertising ID.4 leases starting at just $99 a month. It’s hard to find any car lease these days for under $100 a month, but for $45,000 electric SUV, it’s almost unheard of.
Volkswagen offers ID.4 leases as low as $99 a month
The Volkswagen ID.4 was the third top-selling EV in the US in January after the 2025 model year went back on sale.
Volkswagen’s electric SUV starts at $45,095 with an EPA-estimated driving range of 291 miles. It’s available in five different trims: Pro, AWD Pro, Pro S, AWD Pro S, and AWD Pro S Plus.
The base 2025 VW ID.4 Pro RWD is equipped with 282 hp from a single rear electric motor. Inside, it features a 12.9″ infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support, heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, and Volkswagen’s new ID.Cockpit digital instrument display.
Upgrading to the AWD version will gain a tow hitch and an additional 53 hp, for a combined maximum of 335 hp. The added power comes at the cost of some range, with an EPA-estimated range of 263 miles.
Volkswagen was already offering 2025 ID.4 leases as low as $129 a month, but some dealers are listing it for even less this month.
A California dealership, Volkswagen of Garden Grove, has the 2025 ID.4 Pro RWD listed for lease at just $99 per month. The offer is for 24 months with $2,995 down. According to the dealer, the offer includes a $5,000 cash back bonus, good on a new ID.4 purchase or lease.
We thought the 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 was a good deal with leases starting at just $179 per month, but for $99, now that’s a steal.
Looking for deals on the Volkswagen ID.4 near you? You can use our link to find and view offers on the 2025 Volkswagen ID.4 in your area (via a trusted affiliate link)
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