As the years have progressed, electric vehicles have been on the rise. Whether if it’s the amount people spend on gasoline, or the concern for the environment’s health, it cannot be disputed that people’s interest in electric cars have only grown. However, we do realize that there are several concerns about converting to an electric vehicle and we want to address them if you do plan to purchase one, but to also show how electric vehicles are improving.
Cons
1. Electric Vehicles Travel Less Distance
Most economical electric vehicles can only travel 60 to 100+ miles. Luxury electric vehicles can travel 250-300 miles with one charge, but the charge time is extensive. Most gas-powered vehicles can easily travel 300 miles with one fill. Currently, road trips cannot be easily executed because of the lack of public charging stations.
2. Electric Cars Take Too Long to Charge
An electric vehicle can take up to 8 hours to fully charge with a Level 1 battery pack, and 1-4 hours with a Level 2 battery pack. Public charging stations take 30-minutes to get 80% of a full charge. Obviously, a gas-powered vehicle takes nowhere near this time, which is why most people still run with gas-powered vehicles.
3. Electric Cars Are More Expensive Upfront
Electric Vehicles such as Tesla and Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid are expensive! If you wanted to get decent travel capability, you would have to optimize for these kinds of electric vehicles, but their price points are pricier than what a gas-powered vehicle can easily get.
Pros & Improvements
1. Longer Travel Times
Brands are now putting more time into improving the number of miles their vehicles can travel. Brands such as Tesla are leading the push for fully electric vehicles. Not only does this mean more miles per full charge, but it also means that full autopilot that works in any situation will replace driver influence. This leads to less fatalities due to distracted or intoxicated drivers.
2. More Charging Stations
Fleetcarma states, “A new EV Charging Infrastructure report by IHS predicts EV charging stations across the world to grow from more than 1 million units in 2014 to more than 12.7 million units in 2020”. Charging stations will be found more frequently across the nation. As the years progress, the charging stations will replace gas stations for several reasons. First and for-most, gasoline is a non-renewable resource. Eventually, everyone will have to look for alternate energy sources for their vehicles. Second, as concerns for the environment grow, people will want to reduce harm to the planet and a major factor will be reducing the number of people who use petroleum or diesel-fueled vehicles.
3. Lower Upfront Cost
Fleetcarma states, “Electric vehicles usually cost more upfront than their gasoline- or diesel-powered counterparts, but they are expected to be cheaper than conventional vehicles by 2022, even if the conventional cars improve their fuel efficiency by 3.5% a year”. It’s simple supply and demand. As more people want electric vehicles, the price points that car brands mark for their vehicles will decrease. Soon, electric vehicles will be economically viable for every class that can operate with decent to great mileage per charge.
We recommend holding off on an electric vehicle until the 2020’s, but remaining with a gas-powered vehicle is still going to be viable until the late 2050’s.
