As an electric car owner, I’ve been watching the recent disasters and wondering how my car would fare in an evacuation. Recently I saw some videos of electric vehicles crossing flooded roads where gas vehicles had become stranded. While both gas and electric cars can become severely damaged by flooding, the possibility that an electric vehicle (EV) might be able to get myself and my family out of a life threatening situation is important to me, even if the vehicle is damaged afterwards. Aside from this, there are several proven advantages to an EV during natural disasters and other emergencies.

During hurricane season, we are accustomed to seeing reports of long lines of vehicles evacuating from the danger zone. What if I must evacuate using my EV, and I’m caught in that long line? It’s a comfort knowing that an electric car is extremely efficient in stop-and-go traffic, unlike gas-powered cars that continue to burn fuel while idling.

What if there is a power outage in the evacuation area? When I owned a gas car, its gas tank was, on average, about half full. With my electric car, I plug my car in whenever it’s at home, so it’s almost always charged to 80% to 90%. Even if the power goes out, I will still have a couple of hundred miles worth of battery power stored to evacuate.

In major natural disasters, there can be widespread destruction of infrastructure, e.g., energy production and grid, roads, ports and other major systems. In a situation like this, all transportation systems will be impacted. This includes “fueling” for gas and electric vehicles. An EV can recharge once it’s in a location with power, but because gas stations need electricity to operate their pumps, gas-powered cars will need to find a gas station with both power and fuel supplies remaining. In many disasters, power is restored a long time before gasoline deliveries resume.

Off-grid, solar EV charging solutions are available today. These stations store energy in batteries and are completely independent of the electrical grid. This technology could make EVs an even better choice to help us become more resilient and adaptable to natural disasters. Because this type of station operates independently, it could even be brought into a disaster area to immediately start providing a power source for the impacted area to help recovery.

Some EV owners will not have access to home charging. To enable the broad adoption of EVs and to increase our communities’ resilience to natural disasters, we must accelerate the expansion of our public charging infrastructure, especially in disadvantaged and rural communities and areas with a significant number of apartments and condos. Hawaii will receive more than $17 million over the next five years to fund electric vehicle charging stations statewide.

What if I need to shelter in place? Will my EV still be useful? Many EVs allow owners to “camp” inside the vehicle, providing air conditioning, light, entertainment and mobile device recharging capabilities, with the battery lasting for several days, depending on how much air conditioning is used. The battery could last weeks if air conditioning is not used. Some models allow stored energy in their battery to be accessed through a standard 110v household outlet. There is even an electric truck that can power an entire home for days during an outage.

A 2016 U.S. report from the nonprofit National Association of State Energy Officials emphasized the potential of electric vehicles during disaster relief efforts, saying, “The ability to bring power where it is needed, even on a local scale, can be an invaluable resource during emergencies.”

On top of having almost no maintenance, reduced operating costs and a ton of other benefits, EVs will make my family and me safer and more resilient to natural disasters. Owning an electric car will only get better as more infrastructure is installed over the next few years.

Matthew Geyer is a founding member of Hawaii Environmental Change Agents.