Electric cars (EVs) have rapidly turned into an interesting issue in the global motoring scene. More producers are getting together with new models, and the framework is ticking along to satisfy needs.
Be that as it may, while the vehicular market is going towards all the more earth economical drives, what are the advantages and disadvantages of electric cars for the normal driver?
In case you’re contemplating getting in the driver’s seat of an electric vehicle, discover what’s in store – the great and the terrible.
What are the advantages of electric cars? Here are the top 4 advantages of electric cars:
- Electric cars are greener
- More Enjoyable Driving Experience
- EVs are safe to drive
- Increased Convenience
Advantages of Electric Vehicles
Have you heard the buzzword – electric transportation? The concept has long departed from futuristic movies and become a reality in the form of electric cars you may have seen speeding past you on the road.
We say ‘seen’ and not ‘heard’ because most electric cars are – silent! But other than a swift driving experience or fuel efficiency – there are a host of benefits of electric cars that you may either be unaware of or have not understood in depth.
This post will cover exactly that – all the advantages of electric cars in full detail so that you have a good idea why switching to an electric car may be one of the most thoughtful decisions of your life.
Even if you were not looking into electric transportation as a viable alternative to a gas vehicle for your next car purchase, these advantages of owning an electric car are worth considering.
Taking a look at them will help you make a decision that is optimum for you and friendly for the environment.
Read Which States Offer Incentives for Electric Cars in the USA?
1. Electric cars are greener
More than one billion of the vehicles in the world are fuel vehicles, and we are all aware of what that has done to our environment – 29% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S are caused by fuel transportation.
In this scenario, electric cars have come up as an environmental saviour – they may not be perfect, but they are eco-friendly for several reasons. We have explained those below.
Source of energy
Critics of electric transportation argue that it is not greener when it shifts the pollution to the power stations where electricity is generated.
The long tailpipe theory – as it is called – explains how even if electric cars use electricity instead of fuel to run, most of this electricity is generated through coal, oil, and gas, bringing them down to the same level as that of internal combustion engines.
While this is true to some extent, the argument fails to identify that most power stations are still greener than an internal combustion engine due to the filtering technologies used for carbon and energy efficiency.
Moreover, not all power is generated using fossil fuels – almost 30% of the electricity generated in 2021 is from renewable sources. This makes electric cars far more eco-friendly than fuel cars.
Check, Types of Electric Cars Available in the US
Energy efficiency
Did you know that electric cars are 85-90% energy efficient? On the other hand, internal combustion engines only have an energy efficiency of 17-21%.
In other words, an electric car will use way lesser energy to get you from one point to another compared to a fuel car that has to travel the same distance.
As critics love to look at the longer energy supply chain – less energy use means fewer carbon emissions – this proves that electric cars are greener and a smarter choice.
Emissions
Another one of the advantages of owning an electric car is zero-emissions whatsoever. When you drive an electric car, nothing is coming out of the exhausts – at surface level, that may not seem too big of a deal, but exhaust emissions are hazardous in more than one way.
Other than causing air pollution in general, they are injurious to the health of people nearby breathing in the same air. They accumulate and destroy the Ozone layers resulting in global warming and adverse climate changes.
Air pollution has been declared a global health emergency, and it does not help to know that internal combustion engines are a leading cause of it.
Exhaust emissions from fuel vehicles have both short- and long-term adverse impacts, some of which are already visible in the form of the Dixie fire and other natural global crises.
Electric transportation is the only solution to eradicate and minimize these emissions produced by road transport.
Read 10 Electric Cars That Are Worth Buying
The making of electric cars
We must be transparent when communicating the advantages of owning an electric car to you, and while we are discussing how they are greener, it is important to highlight how the making of an electric vehicle is more carbon-intensive than the production of a fuel car.
This is mainly due to an electric car’s lithium-ion batteries that use very high amounts of electricity.
However, electric transportation is making massive technological improvements even on this front as big car makers like Tesla, BMW, and Volkswagen make impressive commitments to cut off and offset emissions by 2030.
Economies of scale are expected to reduce the carbon emissions in the manufacturing plants each year. Even at present, the lifetime emissions of an electric vehicle are three times lower than those of a new internal combustion engine.
Read Best Electric Car Vacuum Cleaners
2. More Enjoyable Driving Experience
There are multiple facets of the driving experience, be it the pleasure of a smooth ride or the thrill received from instant acceleration.
From how fast your vehicle runs to how easy its handling is, all are factors that account for an enjoyable driving experience.
While undeniably, some of these factors are a matter of personal preference, few metrics remain standard to judge the driving experience of any car.
Noise Pollution
The driving experience of an electric vehicle is often labeled as to its downside by people who love to hear the noise produced from the revving engine of a traditional car.
You may consider this a matter of preference, but it seems more of a marketing tactic for traditional cars in general.
Since the noise produced when driving a fuel car cannot be reduced or avoided completely, car manufacturers presented it as a thrilling characteristic of an enjoyable driving experience, which some people perceive today.
However, if viewed objectively, a quiet drive is a more peaceful drive, which does not only go for the driver.
If you have lived near a busy road or known someone who does, other than the occasional honking, the noise pollution created by internal combustion engines is enough to give you a headache.
One of the benefits of electric cars is that they are much quieter. In fact, the drive is so quiet and peaceful that electric cars are now required to have an Acoustic Vehicle Alert System (AVAS) to alert pedestrians of their presence when needed.
They are fast
Another advantage of owning an electric car is that it will get you to your destination faster. While traditional cars may have higher speed, it is not much use when driving in the city under a speed limit.
What you really need is for your car to be fast, accelerate quickly and easily every time you have to stop at the signal or slow down on a speed breaker. An electric car gives you just that.
This is mainly possible due to the instant torque provided by an electric vehicle’s battery. The minute you press down upon the accelerator, your car launches forward.
On the other hand, it takes time for an internal combustion engine to rev up and produce the throttle necessary for the car to move.
Read Which Electric Car Companies Are Leading the World?
Regenerative Braking
This phenomenon is still new to some people, but it contributes to a better and more efficient driving experience.
The Regenerative Brake System of an electric car turns the car’s kinetic energy into electricity that is used to charge its battery – this is a direct boost to its efficiency, which is obviously absent from the traditional vehicle where this kinetic energy simply gets wasted.
This technology further reduces the particulates produced due to the wearing down of brakes, which later cause air pollution.
Body and weight distribution
Finally, the benefits of electric cars include increased comfort, safety, and improved handling – all of which can be credited to how an electric vehicle is made.
An EV’s batteries are often placed on the chassis and are distributed in such a way as to provide the perfect balance of weight and a low center of gravity.
This makes the handling of the car much smoother, especially when turning corners. It also provides greater comfort and safety – it may come off as a surprise to you, but you are less likely to be injured when driving an electric car.
One of the most recent findings to back this claim is that Tesla 3 has surfaced as the car having the least probability of getting injured of all cars tested so far.
3. EVs are safe to drive
Even if we keep the environmental benefits and a pleasurable, improved driving experience aside, most advanced electric cars are considerably safer to drive due to many factors.
To put this point into perspective, approximately 1.35 million people lose their lives due to road accidents each year. Safe driving is a bigger concern than it may seem. The following reasons make EVs safe to drive.
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
The ACC is an intelligent control system that allows for the driver to set a maximum speed limit and the distance they want their EV to keep from any car in the front. From here onwards, the front-facing sensor of the car can take care of both things.
The car’s acceleration is automatically changed given its surroundings, all the while staying within the speed limit set by the driver. The sensor also instructs the brakes to keep a set distance from any object or vehicle in the vicinity of the EV.
Read Do Electric Cars Need Oil Changes?
Auto Braking System
Imagine being able to slow down your car when you are unconscious or distracted for whatever reasons. While some very premium traditional cars have this safety feature, it is standard in most electric vehicles.
Upon detecting any obstruction, the system first triggers a warning, but if it senses that the car is approaching an object too fast, it engages the brakes to stop the vehicle. This is an extremely useful safety feature, especially if people are drunk driving.
Lane Assist System
Similar to the Auto Braking System, this safety feature can also be found in some traditional premium cars – however, that does not undermine its importance in an Electric vehicle which is generally safer to drive.
This technology is typically available in self-driving EVs and enables the car to stay within the markings of its lane.
While a lane departure warning system warns the driver to take corrective action when the car starts leaving its lane, this technology goes a step forward and takes temporary control to steer the car back into its lane on its own.
Read World’s fastest electric car
4. Increased Convenience
One of the advantages of owning an electric car is greater convenience on many fronts. You may look at it in terms of the money saved or the time you save, which you would otherwise waste getting your fuel car pumped.
Whichever way you look at it, an electric car is more convenient to drive, especially in the long run after you have paid the initial price.
Charging
Most people who currently own an electric car state that one of the most significant benefits of electric cars is their charging. You could be reading this while your car charges itself, so it is ready for use once you have to head out.
People who switch from a traditional car to electric transportation find a huge burden shaking off of their shoulders as they do not have to constantly check the fuel meter of their car and locate nearby gas stations to make a quick run when the needle is near ‘E.’
With a range of up to 300 miles, any average electric car can be driven to and from work on a single charge. This means that electric car owners only have to return home and put their car to charge overnight as they spend quality time with family and sleep soundly.
The convenience of not having to queue up for petrol or gas and paying exorbitant prices for the same is indescribable until you have tried it yourself.
Read Electric Car with Solar Panels
Pre-heating
If you live in a place where it gets freezing in winter or where it usually stays cold round the year, you will know how troublesome it is to sit in a freezing car. However, an electric vehicle offers the convenience of a pre-heated sitting arrangement once it is fully charged.
So, you could be sitting in a warm blanket inside your house, cozying yourself up, while your electric car is charging and pre-heating itself to be fully ready by the time you have to drive.
Free Parking
Another bane of the life of a traditional car owner is the lack of car parking available in any commercial or even residential area.
Most people living in an apartment have to pay an incredible amount of parking fee, which makes a traditional vehicle less cost-effective in the long run. However, with an electric vehicle, you are most likely to rid of this inconvenience.
Governments in most states encourage ownership of electric cars, and one incentive they use for this is a priority, dedicated, and free parking bays for EVs.
As a U.S resident and EV owner, you can apply for a free parking permit which you will be granted after the application and inspection process.
Electric cars are definitely the way into the future as they offer a more sustainable, eco-friendly, and convenient mode of transportation.
We took care in covering all the benefits of electric cars other than their cost-effectiveness just to show that there are several other reasons for you to consider purchasing an EV.
While it is true that the initial cost of an electric car is higher, and this remains the biggest reason why people still go for a traditional vehicle, with advancements in technology, these costs are rapidly driving down. Soon, electric cars will be seen ruling the roads, given the fantastic advantages of owning an electric car.
Check: Are Electric Car Charging Stations Free?
Disadvantages of Electric Cars
Electric cars (EVs) have rapidly turned into an interesting issue in the global motoring scene. More producers are getting together with new models, and the framework is ticking along to satisfy needs.
Be that as it may, while the vehicular market is going towards all the more earth economical drives, what are the advantages and disadvantages of electric cars for the normal driver?
In case you’re contemplating getting in the driver’s seat of an electric vehicle, discover what’s in store – the great and the terrible.
What are the disadvantages of an Electric Car? Here is the list of disadvantages of an Electric Car:
- Higher Expenses
- Range Impediments
- Battery Recharge Time
- Absence of Charging Stations
- Absence of Different Makes and Models
Read 15 Facts You Didn’t Know About Electric Cars
Let’s explore a few drawbacks of getting electric cars and see whether you should buy one or not.
1. Higher Expenses
Another vehicle is definitely not a modest buy to make, with this particularly valid for electric cars.
The least expensive electric model as of now accessible in Australia – the MG ZS EV – is as yet estimated at more than $40,000, around twofold the non-electric MG ZS variant, with numerous electric cars costing above and beyond $100,000.
The explanation for this value distinction is because of how new electric vehicle innovation is, and that it’s right now not the most famous choice for drivers.
Nonetheless, as the innovation develops more well-known and more makers do the switch, the high forthright expense will probably drop later on.
Likewise, you’ll need to factor in buying charging stations for your home, just as any framework changes that you might have to guarantee that you can charge your electric vehicle at home.
Read How much money can you save by buying an electric car
2. Range Impediments
While this con has generally been tended to, when electric cars originally hit the open street, they were restricted to a scope of under 200km until the battery ran out of juice, which means most drivers needed to adhere moderately near and dear.
Notwithstanding, most current electric cars can accomplish somewhere in the range of 300km and 400km on a solitary charge, for certain models ready to accomplish nearer to 600km.
Nonetheless, a wide assortment of petroleum and diesel cars can go around the 600km blemish on a solitary tank, with some diesel motors even equipped for going over 1,500km (albeit this is subject to an assortment of variables).
While you can alleviate a portion of the issue with a bit of preparation and guarantee that you’re energized before you head off, it is something to keep in your sub-conscience, assuming you need to take off on holiday.
Read 7 Hidden Costs of Owning an Electric Car
3. Battery Recharge Time
Except if you have a couple of beasts in the engine, the majority of us can basically bounce into the vehicle, turn the key and head off.
For electric cars notwithstanding, there’s a bit more arranging included on the off chance that you have tasks to run or a bustling end of the week ahead, for certain electric cars taking above and beyond a large portion of a day to charge contingent upon the battery’s charge level completely and what kind of charger you’re utilizing.
Thus, sticking around until your vehicle is charged affects the accommodation of having a vehicle in any case, even though you can generally put resources into quick chargers to assist cut with bringing down on a portion of the stand by time, albeit this may not suit each family and vehicle model accessible.
Read Which electric car has the longest range?
4. Absence of Charging Stations
While the innovation of electric cars turns out to be broader, drivers right now don’t see many charging stations around as they do gas stations.
Also, regardless of whether you’re sufficiently fortunate to go over a charging station in a public space like an inn, rarely would you discover multiple.
So, in the event that somebody has as of now spiked it, you might be holding up some time before you can begin re-energizing.
5. Absence of Different Makes and Models
While more makers are gradually going to the conflict, drivers all around at present have relatively little assortment with regards to picking an electric vehicle.
While enormous names like Tesla offer various models and makers, for example, Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Jaguar, Range Rover, Mercedes, MG, Mini, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Porsche, and Volvo, each offering some kind of electric model, there’s much less accessible than in contrast with the petroleum or diesel-fueled business sectors.
Subsequently, you may not discover precisely the thing you were searching for.
Read 10 Electric Cars That Are Worth Buying
Is it Worth Getting an Electric Car?
As more individuals are turning out to be all the more naturally mindful, it’s nothing unexpected to see that electric cars are turning out to be more typical out on our streets.
Be that as it may, while there may be a lot of long-haul advantages to driving and claiming an electric vehicle, the higher forthright expenses and slacking foundation might keep on ending up an obstruction for some to get in the driver’s seat of one.
That being said, with more makers putting resources into electric vehicle innovation (and promising to move away from ignition motors), just as more foundation being underlying Australia, electric cars might turn out to be more available later on, which means there are a few advantages to advancing beyond the bend.
Individuals can help a ton from utilizing an electric vehicle, yet a few drawbacks should be considered. In case you’re the kind of individual who esteems nature, a great deal, and charging time isn’t an issue for you, changing to an electric vehicle is a decent alternative.
Be that as it may, in the event that you frequently make long outings and typically have no ideal opportunity to charge a vehicle, then, at that point, an electric vehicle probably won’t meet your requirements yet.
Recollect that purchasing something should consistently align with your spending plan and your requirements, so pick contingent upon your inclinations.
Conclusion
As EVs are extremely new, you might be shocked when you take a gander at the retail cost for EVs. Indeed, even the more moderate brands can be around $30,000 to $40,000. In case you’re searching for an extravagant choice, you might be paying $80,000 or significantly more.
However, innovation is progressing and the cost to deliver electric vehicles keeps on dropping, you actually need to pay $10,000 to $50,000 more for an EV than for a gas-controlled vehicle.
Electric vehicles can likewise be a problem on your energy bill in case you’re not considering the choices cautiously. If in case, you haven’t explored the electric vehicle you need to buy, and you might be making an impulsive and rash venture.
I hope you got a complete idea of, advantages and disadvantages of Electric Cars.
My name is Matthew, staying in Seattle, Washington. Electric Vehicles (Electric Cars & Electric bikes) caught my attention for the last few years and my love for electric cars and bikes is everlasting. I spend many of my weekends traveling to various places all over various cities with my electric vehicle (e-bike and electric car). Here I am sharing my expertise, experience, and invaluable information about electric cars and electric bikes. Check out more.