The Shocking Downside To Owning An Electric Vehicle
Electric vehicles are seemingly taking over the market with a lot of buzz going on about how electric vehicles are going to save the world. Whether it be the fact they don't use gasoline, or they don't put off as much pollution, many individuals seem to be convinced they are all good. In reality, electric vehicles do have some downfalls, and in fact, they have so many you may want to reconsider purchasing one, had you been thinking about it. In this article, we will provide an in-depth look at the most significant pitfalls of owning an electric vehicle.
Lack of Infrastructure
The fact electric vehicles have a lack of range is a major turnoff for most buyers. Essentially, it works like this: electric vehicles charge and then run off of the battery. Well, the batteries do not last as long as a full tank of gas would, which means you will need to recharge your car somehow if you run out of energy. With that being said, you can't pull over on the side of the road anywhere and recharge your car, so unless you drive a very short distance to work, this can be quite frustrating to deal with. The lack of infrastructure range anxiety is one of the reasons many individuals do not buy an electric car.
Continue reading to learn about the influence of cold on electric vehicles.
Cold Weather
Another reason owning an electric car is partially bad is they do not run nearly as well in the cold weather. For most of us, winter is cold, and already being cold and coming to find your car won't start is lining you up for a bad winter day. But, why wouldn't it work as well in the cold? Other cars do, don't they? Well, anyone who has a smartphone can relate to this. When you are outside and it is cold, your phone battery dies much faster and your phone does not work as well since the cold weather slows the chemical reaction within the battery providing the electricity. Because electric cars depend on electrical circuits and a battery rather than gas, the cold weather can make it run less efficiently, effectively reducing an already limited range.
As anyone with electronics knows, batteries decay with age. Read on to learn more about this in relation to electric vehicles.
Battery Degradation
Another pitfall with electric cars is battery degradation, a term referring to the fact that over time, batteries lose their holding power, meaning they don't hold their charge as long and could die. While batteries are used in all cars for things like radio and lights, electric cars rely on the battery for everything. When the battery is used so much as it is in an electric car, it can quickly lose its ability to maintain a charge. As the battery ages and degrades, buying a replacement can become necessary, which is a hefty expense if not covered under warranty(a replacement battery in the Leaf is about 5,500 dollars). However, new technology allows for individual cells to be replaced as they degrade, which helps to offset the massive cost. Still, the idea the battery will likely need replacement may be a deterrent to some.
Continue reading to learn about the upfront cost of an electric vehicle.
Higher Initial Cost
When it comes to physically buying a car, the cost is one of the major factors affecting what you get. As alluded to earlier, electric cars can be expensive to maintain per single visit, though since there are fewer moving parts, they often require less maintenance throughout their lifespan. On top of that, they are pretty expensive to buy in the first place. As they have a high initial cost and low market share, companies can market the cars as something special. In reality, they may just cost more because it costs a lot to make the batteries for the car. Once EVs take up a larger share of the road space, we should see these niche prices drop to comparable levels.
Continue reading to learn about refueling time on electric vehicles and how it compares to gas.
Refueling Time
The refueling time of your car can actually be pretty important. Think about if you are in a rush and need to refuel quick. With a normal car that runs on gas, you will be able to very quickly and easily pull into any nearby gas station. In fact, you probably won't even have to go into the gas station to pay, meaning getting refueling in a fuel-powered car is quick and easy. On the other hand, refueling an electric car is a little tricky. First of all, charging is a long process that won't get you much without committing a few hours to the job. If you are on a schedule, this could prove to be quite frustrating. In the end, don't get an electric car if you think you are going to want to refuel quickly.
While this article probably gave you a bad opinion on electric cars, they aren't all bad. In fact, they are quite useful for some individuals. However, for the vast majority of us, they are sadly just not living up to our expectations. Thankfully, the future of electric cars is far ahead of us and we will hopefully see something amazing in the coming years. Until then, you may want to stick with your gas-powered ol' reliable.