As a keen advocate of electric vehicles, I thought I would take the time to explain why in a few bulletin points.
1. Financial savings: While many think that the initial outlay for an electric car is expensive, the long term savings can make electric motoring a hugely appealing proposition. From as little as £14,000 (price including government funding in the United Kingdom) buying an electric car is not far off the price of many small hatchbacks. Not only that, but running an electric car can be as little as £2 per charge meaning that the average range of 80 miles from an electric car is approximately 70-80% cheaper than a internal-combustion engine (ICE) vehicle.
2. Credentials: What you drive speaks volumes about you or at least so 'they' say. We chose a car from many different reasons but if you are a business, or self-employed or just buying an electric car for your own personal use, your choice will certainly up your eco-image and if you are a business this means attention in all the rights areas. Not least if you decide upon one of the more quirky electric cars such as the BMW i3 or Renault Twizzy you certainly will get publicity driving either of these.
3. Driving fun: Believe me or believe me not, electric cars are great fun to drive. Electric motors have torque available straight away and acceleration (depending on the weight of the vehicle in question) is second to none. I have driven a handful electric cars that come in all shapes and sizes and even the most un-naturally electric (what I mean by that is that the car was not purpose-built to carry about several lithium-ion battery modules) has surprising lift from standstill and this makes city driving very, very fun indeed.
4. Perfect for sub/urban commuters: Always in and out of town? Rarely exceeding your 10,000 miles per year mileage limit on your PCP agreement? Well why would you not purchase a car that is perfect for that purpose? Most present day electric cars have a minimum range of 80 miles which, when you total your daily and weekly mileages is ideal for many people. As a city-dweller myself I drive 8 miles to work and 8 miles back - some evenings I may go out for a 'drive' and do an extra 10 miles on top of my usual commute to see a friend or pop out to the shop, making my average daily mileage below 30 miles. In short, I am an ideal candidate for an electric car and range anxiety is something only to worry about if I am driving more than 80 miles in one day along a route that has no public charge points or a house for me to stop at to recharge, which may happen once or twice a year and it is next to impossible to not find a means to charge the car (as outlined below).
5. Public charging: Depending on where you live, your local government may not be fully on board with electric cars, but where I live (which is known to be a very backward place) people here are blessed with an abundance of public charging parking spaces and corresponding charging units to charge an electric car in public. So with regard to my point above, it would be virtually impossible for me to 'run out' of electric if I decide to go for a longer than usual drive. Moreover, these facilities are monitored 24 hours and should I ever encounter a problem with one of these units, most issues can be fixed remotely and if not, an engineer is deployed to fix the charger within two hours.
6. Home charging: Many electric car manufacturers have designed charging units to match their car, however if you do not want to sway to the manufacturers choice you can shop around to find a home charging unit as many companies specialising in electric distribution have come to market with home charging units at a range of different prices. The UK government are endorsing the installation of home charging units for electric car owners with a grant to install a charging unit at your home and for a time grants were available for anyone whether you owned an electric car or not (but this is no longer). Many electricians have spotted this opportunity and are now suppliers of such charging units meaning that home charging is becoming increasing accessible.
7. Manufacturer support: As electric cars are still a relatively new concept to most people, manufacturers are keen to see their investment be successful and by and large are going the extra mile to ensure that owners and prospective buyers are happy and feel reassured with their purchase. Many people have fear that lithium-ion batteries will suffer from deep discharge meaning that and their vehicle will ultimately become obsolete and no longer fit for function at some point in future. However, depending on the manufacturer, they have various different methods to reassure consumers about these concerns. For example, Renault require that owners rent the battery from them, meaning that it is Renault who are ultimately responsible for what happens to the battery because they own it. Manufacturers who do not rent out the batteries in their vehicles tend to offer a more exhaustive warranty on the battery than that of the car. However legitimate concerns of this nature may be, manufacturers have also spent millions in developing these vehicles with a huge amount of time invested in testing the battery technology before going to market.
8. Early-adopter status: Finally, it is worth pointing out that by purchasing an electric car, especially now when they are still not mainstream, means that you would fall into the early-adopter category. Some people live for being early-adopters, others do not and simply have found a product that suits their needs and have inadvertently become an early adopter. Either way, it is an exciting time for the motor industry and for consumers who decide to invest in this technology.
I would like to add that I do not own an electric car but this post was born out of a year of research on electric cars, which included driving many electric cars, some on 'overnight' test drives and having attended several local government talks on owning an electric car. The opinions in this post are my own and not of anyone else. I have endeavoured to make this post as factual as possible, however I apologise in advance if there are any inaccuracies.
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