Pros and cons of owning an electric vehicle

Pros and cons of owning an electric vehicle

Electric vehicles have been posed as the future of automation. Powered by their electric battery packs, these vehicles cut out the need for petrol entirely.

Environmentally-conscious and chic, countries across the world are investing in this new technology and encouraging residents to buy into it too. However, are they as great as they seem? As with anything in life, electric vehicles have their benefits and downsides.

Before you pay up, make sure to weigh up the pros and cons:

Pros:

– More environmentally-friendly

With zero-emissions, the biggest benefit of an electric vehicle is that it helps you reduce your carbon footprint. By not pumping out emissions, EVs help keep the air cleaner and emits fewer greenhouse gasses that are harmful to the environment.

Another plus is that EVs are powered naturally with renewable resources like solar, wind, and water power. In comparison, mechanical vehicles run on oil, which, while a natural resource, is not renewable.

– Saves money on petrol

Since the car is powered by electricity, there is no need for you to purchase petrol, thus eliminating the stress when prices go up thanks to the global oil market. Beyond this, it also saves you the time of having to wait in line to pump that gas into your vehicle.  If you have a charger installed in your home, you won’t even need to leave your driveway to power your car.

While the initial price of an EV is incredibly high, in the long run, it is a great investment. EVs typically cost one-third the cost of gas-powered vehicles in order to run.

– Low maintenance

Traditional mechanical engines are a lot of work. With so many moving parts and things that need attention, you’ll need to take it in to be serviced more often. In contrast, electric vehicles tend to have fewer compartments and last longer than their gas-powered counterparts in terms of wear and tear, making it the lower maintenance option.

– It’s chic and quiet

One benefit EV drivers love the most is that their motors are much quieter, contributing to less noise pollution and creating a much more relaxing ride in the process.

Cons:

They are expensive

Fully electric car models can cost a pretty penny. Basic models start from around $30 000 (about R458 661) and luxury models can go for $80,000 (1 223 096) and more.

– Less range

EV technology is constantly improving, but at the moment they cannot travel very far. On a full charge, most EVs can travel a range of 96-160km whereas gas-powered cars, depending on their fuel efficiency and size of its tanks, can cover about 643 km on a tank of petrol.

Finding charging stations can be tough

EV technology is still relatively new, and cities are still in the process of equipping EV charging stations in parking lots. If you don’t have your own home charging station, finding one out in public can be tough. On a road trip, finding a charging station can be even harder and you’ll likely need to do your research beforehand on where you can stop to recharge.

Recharging takes a long time

Spending a few minutes in line to fill up your petrol tank is nothing in comparison to how long EVs take to charge. Spending on the model, an EV can take upwards of 20 hours to fully charge its battery. However, newer models can fully charge as fast as four hours.

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