Today marks a significant shift in my career as I publish my final article as a full-time writer at Green Car Reports. It’s time to power down my laptop and officially transition from an automotive journalist to something I’ve long aspired to be: a dedicated electric car advocate. This is a role that truly ignites my passion, even if, as many know, it’s not always the most financially rewarding path.
My journey with Green Car Reports has spanned several enriching years, but my fascination with plug-in vehicles stretches back much further, to 1984. At the tender age of five, I eagerly awaited the weekly arrival of The Tree Of Knowledge, an encyclopedic magazine aimed at teenagers that landed in our mailbox for my elder sisters.
This magazine was a treasure trove of information, covering everything from the intricacies of cell division and the principles of thermodynamics to the evolution of classical music and the remarkable process of bone repair. Once my sisters had devoured its pages, I, the inquisitive younger sibling, would sneak into their room, sit cross-legged on the floor, and pore over the illustrations, attempting to decipher the words.
It was within these pages that I had my first encounter with an electric car. A cutaway diagram of a 1976 Enfield electric car in The Tree of Knowledge captivated me. It showcased the vehicle’s surprisingly large yet underpowered motor, its substantial 48-Volt lead-acid battery pack, and an innovative electrically-heated front windshield.
The Enfield 8000, painted a vibrant red and comparable in size to a Morris Mini-Minor, simply clicked with me. It made perfect sense. That moment sparked a lifelong love affair with all things electric.
My childhood became a blend of music practice, schoolwork, occasional farm chores, and, most importantly, tinkering with radios, motors, and eventually, computers. However, it wasn’t until 21 years later, after my graduation as a professional musician, that electric cars truly re-entered my orbit.
My 1965 Morris Minor, a cherished purchase fulfilling a childhood dream, had begun to show its age, suffering from neglect under its previous owner. Its replacement, a boisterous 1.8-liter Morris Minor hot-rod woody wagon from 1962, was a gas guzzler and less practical for daily commutes than I had envisioned.
Ironically, the very car I bought to outpace BMW M5s on local freeways was sold just months after purchase. I held onto the ’65. Then reality struck. Gasoline prices soared, draining my finances. The fumes were unpleasant, and my aging car was leaving oil stains everywhere.
I yearned for something simpler, more economical, and easier to manage. So, I began dismantling my beloved Morris Minor, stripping its interior by hand, selling off parts, and relying on a cheap electric scooter for transportation. Sadly, the 40-year-old car was riddled with rust in areas beyond my repair budget. Scrapping her was the only option.
During this transitional period, my passion for electric cars intensified. I acquired a budget-friendly, three-wheeled neighborhood electric vehicle: the City El.
The City El, with a modest top speed of 35 mph, rudimentary handling, and a 30-mile range on a good day, wasn’t exactly a smooth ride. Yet, it was electric, and that was all that mattered.
Since then, I’ve become a vocal advocate for electric vehicles, sharing their merits with anyone who would listen. I even co-founded a local plug-in car owners group, which recently celebrated its sixth anniversary. My personal fleet of plug-in vehicles has also expanded and become increasingly exciting over the years.
My EV history includes a plug-in Prius hybrid that I converted myself (a project that ended prematurely due to my amateur workmanship), a G-Wiz NEV, and a remarkably rare 1984 Volkswagen Golf CityStromer.
The CityStromer holds a special place in my heart as it served as our wedding car in 2009, proudly transporting my wife and me to and from our civil union ceremony.
Currently, the Gordon-Bloomfield household stable includes a 2011 Nissan Leaf, a 2012 Renault Twizy, and a 2008 Toyota Prius.
A pivotal moment arrived in 2010 when my friend and fellow EV enthusiast, Chelsea Sexton, contacted me. Knowing my dissatisfaction with my music teaching career, she proposed a potential solution. “There’s someone heading to London who I think you should meet,” she suggested.
I didn’t hesitate to book a train ticket to London for this meeting. The person was John Voelcker, an automotive journalist and the editor of GreenCarReports. Over breakfast at Paddington Station, John and I discovered shared passions: Morris Minors, excellent tea, and, of course, green cars.
Weeks later, an offer to write for High Gear Media materialized. That was in March 2010. Since then, I’ve penned approximately 1,400 articles, test-driven vehicles ranging from a Tesla Roadster to a questionably converted Range Rover, and found myself in the privileged position of earning a living doing something I genuinely loved. My work at Green Car Reports allowed me to travel the globe and connect with incredible individuals.
Memorable highlights abound, but a few stand out: playing a part in revealing the final specifications of the 2012 Tesla Model S, witnessing the sunrise over the ancient city of Jerusalem, and, perhaps most unforgettable, venturing into the frigid Arctic.
However, life as an automotive journalist isn’t always glamorous test drives in exotic locations. It often entails early mornings, relentless deadlines, and countless hours spent in train stations and airport departure lounges.
In recent months, a growing wave of skepticism towards electric cars has emerged, with politicians, media outlets, and even some scientists questioning their viability. While I’ve diligently worked to debunk flawed science, challenge misinformation, and champion plug-in vehicles through my articles on sites like Green Car Reports Scanned by many for the latest EV news, I’ve come to realize that being a journalist can sometimes limit my capacity to be a full-throated advocate.
My desire shifted from reporting on plug-in cars to actively getting people to drive them.
About a month ago, Zero Carbon World, a UK charity dedicated to enhancing the visibility of plug-in cars, approached me. They champion accessible, membership-free charging infrastructure and are committed to demonstrating the long-term viability of electric cars. Zero Carbon World offered me a role as an advocate, event organizer, and media relations coordinator.
I eagerly accepted.
Today, I bid farewell to my colleagues and friends at Green Car Reports, a team I consider to be among the finest automotive journalists globally. They uphold journalistic integrity by resisting hype, rigorously fact-checking, and providing a level of candor and honesty that is increasingly rare in today’s media landscape.
As I transition to electric car advocacy, I intend to remain connected with Green Car Reports, contributing occasionally as an unpaid guest blogger. And, of course, I will continue to host the TransportEvolved podcast, my weekly live internet show dedicated to electric cars, which I’ve been producing for the past two years.
Perhaps the most fitting culmination of my time at High Gear Media is a phone call I received last Sunday from my wife’s parents in Virginia. My father-in-law, a devoted NASCAR and Chevy Corvette enthusiast, and my mother-in-law, a lifelong SUV driver, had exciting news.
They had just purchased a brand-new 2013 Chevrolet Volt. They credited the advice and articles published on platforms like GreenCarReports for influencing their decision to embrace electric driving.
It seems my work here, in one chapter, is complete.
