How many times have you asked yourself the question:
"Should I buy an electric car?".
Electric vehicles (EVs) can be a great choice for many drivers, but only you know what will be best for you. There are a lot of things to consider when thinking about buying any vehicle, and the same goes for electric cars. Authors Chris Johnston and Ed Sobey are here to help with their new free e-book, Is an EV Right for You? A quick guide to buying an electric car.
This free short guide takes the mystery out of electric vehicles. Check out these five quick tips that can help you on your car buying journey.
1. EVs are cheaper
to maintain Maintaining a gas engine car isn't cheap – between brakes, tires, oil changes, radiator fluids and other annual maintenance, there are quite a few moving parts that need to be serviced regularly. With an electric car, it's as simple as "less is more". Tires serve as the main source of regular maintenance costs, needing to be replaced approximately every six months. Having a battery as the only drive system, rather than multiple drive systems typically found in internal combustion engines (ICEs), saves EV drivers twice as much in maintenance and repairs as car owners with DHW. When it comes to annual maintenance, running electric vehicles turns out to be much cheaper.
2. Electric cars are more efficient
The efficiency of a vehicle is measured by the amount of energy put into the vehicle - gasoline or electricity - compared to the amount of energy needed to move the vehicle forward. According to the US Department of Energy, electric vehicles convert about 77% of the energy they receive into power for the wheels, while cars with gasoline engines only convert between 12 and 30% of the energy for the wheels. This energy conversion makes electric cars two to three times more efficient than CNG cars. In general, the higher efficiency of electric cars leads to less waste that pollutes the environment.
3. Electric vehicles are safer and more reliable than CNG cars A
fully electric car has significantly fewer moving parts than CNG cars, making electric cars less prone to mechanical errors. With this lower chance for error, driving an electric car makes you as the driver and everyone else on the road safer than driving a car with a petrol engine. Electric cars also have a lower center of gravity due to the placement of the battery inside the car, between the car's wheels and under the passengers. This lower center of gravity reduces the likelihood of the vehicle tipping over in the event of an accident, thus ensuring the safety of you and your passengers.
4. Electric vehicle fuel costs are constant and cheaper
The price of gasoline depends on supply and demand in the global economy. With gasoline being an often uncertain and non-renewable resource, prices rise and continue to fluctuate, making switching to an electric power source a much more stable cost. Electric vehicles have divorced the gas pumps and found a more reliable partner - electricity.
Most EV owners who have installed a charger in their home report a modest to no noticeable increase in their electric bills, and many cities provide free public charging stations that make charging affordable. Overall, a comparable car with a petrol engine can cost an average of six times more to fuel.
5. Electric vehicles are priced competitively with traditional hybrid models
With the rapid growth of the electric car market, more opportunities to buy different sizes of cars and used electric cars are on the horizon. If the market continues to expand as it is now, the current price gap between electric cars and cars powered by an internal combustion engine will continue to shrink. Newer models of electric vehicles now offer longer battery life than their predecessors. These longer ranges reduce the cost of manufacturing these batteries, which lowers the overall cost of the car.
