Is Now The Right Time To Buy An Electric Car?
The electric car market has grown significantly over recent years but is it time for you to buy an EV?
10 years ago not many people knew about electric cars and almost no one had one. But now there are over 7.2 million EVs on the roads worldwide. While there are loads of people who love EVs, there are still a lot of people who swear by their gas-powered car and would never dream of having an EV. The real question is, is now the right time for you to buy an electric car?
Cost
The cost of an electric car has always been a big talking point because they can be very expensive, however, there are cheaper electric cars that aren’t talked about as much. For example, the Kia e-Niro which start at just $26,000 and the Nissan Leaf from just under $30,000.
This proves that electric cars don’t always have to be so expensive. However, you may ask if they are so cheap, then do they have a really short range? Well, we will talk more about that later.
While there are more expensive electric cars, they are also more luxurious (Most Of The Time). Because they have these more expensive materials, the car weighs a lot more so the range is shorter.
However, over time you will start to make some of that money back as there are many things that are much cheaper in an EV. To power, your car you use electricity and that costs an average of $0.12 per kWh (US). To charge a Tesla Model X battery from 0–100% would only cost you around $12 and that would get you over 350 miles of the claimed range.
To go the same 350 miles in a gas car with an economy 35mpg would cost on average $83. There is a massive difference in price when it comes to fueling your car and over time that difference can really start to add up.
You also save money with maintenance. A gas-powered car has many different components that an EV doesn't have like a timing belt and pistons. This means that there are so many more parts that a gas car has to get fixed and there is a higher chance that something breaks.
An electric car has very few things that can go wrong, most people would say that the breaks would need to be replaced the same amount a gas car would. However, this isn’t true, an EV has a feature called regenerative breaking which is when it uses its motors to slow the car down and charge the battery at the same time. This means that's the breaks are used much less so they have to be replaced much less often.
The range
For the majority of people, a road trip that is hundreds of miles long only happens twice a year or less. Most people only drive their car a few miles a day so the range isn’t much of a problem. But for those who are concerned about the range here is why I think that there is no reason to be concerned about it.
A Kia e-Niro costs only $26,000 and has a range of 280 miles which is probably more than a gas car that costs the same. A Tesla Model X has a range of over 350 miles which is enough for a road trip and your day to day life. The range has come a long way since the start of EVs and it just keeps getting better.
If you are still concerned about the range, read on and you will find out how the range could be better than a gas-powered car.
Charging
Charging has become extremely fast on electric cars, there are now some chargers that can charge at 250kw which is incredibly fast. Home chargers usually charge at around 7kw which might sound slow but it means that they can charge your car overnight.
Imagine getting home from work and you find that your gas-powered car is nearly empty. What are you going to do about it? You could drive to a gas station but you might run out of fuel and then break down. This is an extreme situation but it works for what I’m about to say.
If the same thing happened in an electric car, you can just plug in at home and by the next morning, you will have a full charge. You can then drive another 350 miles without having to stop to fuel up.
The same thing applies to when you are out places likes stores, while you are in shopping you can charge your car. When you come back out you will have a full battery. Most stores and other places that a large number of people visit now have charging points and there are new ones being installed all of the time!
The Environment
This is one of the biggest things about EVs, they are much better for the environment and considering all the problems we have with global warming, this can only be a good thing.
Electric power is much more efficient than gas and as a result, it is much better for the environment. To get gas, there is a lot of complex machinery that need that all give out fumes that are harmful to the planet.
There are many greenways to make electricity that don’t involve fumes from machinery. You can install solar panels on your roof and from that get free electricity that doesn't burn fossil fuels.
Conclusion
I think that electric cars are the future and unless you have very little money or you drive hundreds of miles each day, you should get one. They are far better for the environment and they can do much more than a gas-powered car!
