Farmington, N.Y. (WHAM) — At the Electric Car Corner in Farmington, President and CEO John Iannone said customer engagement is up 25% and sales of electric vehicles have been solid nationwide in recent months.

“The values of EVs went up year over year about 8%, so they’re slowly increasing as more and more people find them to be suitable for their driving habits,” said Iannone.

That’s especially true with gas prices climbing since the start of the war with Iran and 20% of the world’s oil supply out of the market.

“The price of gas has definitely made EVs more top of mind for consumers,” Iannone said.

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Overall, EVs cost about 4 or 5 cents a mile to drive, while gas-powered cars are about 14-15 cents a mile to drive.

And the maintenance for an EV? “Very few repairs,” Iannone said. “They can go for a very long time. Battery degradation really isn’t a big issue. We have seen battery-powered cars go well beyond 200,000 miles.”

Customers at the nearby Crosby’s gas pumps were full of frustration Thursday, with their wallets “on empty.”

“It’s hard, hard to cope with,” said Deborah Woodruff. She and her husband, Michael, said their truck now costs more than $75 to fill up.

But would the couple consider an EV?

“I don’t think so because we traveled to Florida and, to have an EV car, it would take us a long time to get there,” Deborah said, referring to the charging times along the way.

Iannone said for customers like the Woodruffs, the good news is hybrids can also help drivers get off the gas.

“The only way I’d consider anything EV would be if it was a hybrid,” Michael said. “That would work.”

Iannone said hybrids are here to stay.

“I think that we’re going to see a dramatic increase over the next three to five years,” he said. “And I think even the people that are skeptical are going to come over and understand that it may be a better form of transportation.”