There are many myths and rumours about EVs
combined with a general lack of understanding and awareness. It is our mission to overcome this lack of awareness and any misunderstandings, some of which originate in misinformation or “fake news” from those who have self interests to protect.
Below are some of the most common anxieties.
Roll over each one to see the answer.
Range Anxieties:
I can’t recharge anywhere on a journey.
Limited range
They take hours to charge.
I can’t recharge anywhere on a journey.
All EVs are clever enough to know exactly how many miles you may have left in the “tank” at all times, based on your current or recent driving style. There are many smart phone apps available today that will tell EV owners where the nearest charge points are, based on the technical charging needs of the particular vehicle.
They take hours to charge.
A dedicated wall mounted Home Charger, which is Government subsidised, only costs a few hundred pounds to install at home and is available for all EVs. Your very own service station. So, we get home, take the lead from the wall mounted charger, plug it in to the car and forget about it. Then we get on with our lives – greet the family, have dinner, watch tv, share a bottle of wine maybe and then go to bed. All the time the car is being fully filled up and will be good to go its maximum range as soon as it is required the following day. 20 seconds to unplug it and reverse the process the following morning. More about home charging.
Limited Range
It is not generally appreciated that the purchase of an electric vehicle comes with a Home Charger Kit which can be installed inside or outside your home or office. By plugging in every night while you sleep for 6 to 8 hours all EV’s will charge to their maximum range, so you have a full tank (of electrical power) when you wake up each morning. The same Charger Kit can be installed at a place of work (6 to 8 hours) or a hotel (6-8 hours) or a golf club (5-6 hours). The miles available in a “full tank” depends on the size of the battery, the best of which currently provides 380 miles (NEDC), although Samsung have recently announced an EV battery pack that will provide 430 miles of range from a single charge!
Value Anxiety:
The Electric Motor will wear out.
The Battery will wear out.
If I wait they will be cheaper.
The Electric Motor will wear out.
There are currently no cases of EV motors having to be replaced due to excessive use. Given the huge difference in the design and function of the EV versus an ICE, it is eminently logical to expect more life from an electric motor (20 moving parts - no gearbox) than an ICE (2000 moving parts many of which are moving at a rate in excess of 5000 revolutions (revs) per minute). Tesla's most recent EV reveal of a truck has promised a 1 million mile warranty for the motors.
If I wait they will be cheaper.
This is of course true. As the population of the 2nd hand EV market grows and the raw cost of the battery technology reduces, combined with rapid increases in volume sales worldwide and increased competition amongst EV manufacturers all chasing a rapidly expanding market segment. However, this will always be true at any point in time, particularly as this is now a technology market driven by software & firmware. Not an industrial manufacturing market stuck in hundreds of years of gentle evolutionary habit.
The Battery will wear out.
EVs use a completely different Li-Ion battery technology to that of smart phones and laptops (which do degrade over time). A great example of this is a very early adopter of a Tesla who has completed 500,000 miles and the battery still charges to (and maintains) 85% of original efficiency.
Cost Anxiety:
Servicing must be expensive.
Electricity is expensive.
Servicing must be expensive.
With so few moving parts, no gear box, no oil, no radiator, no carburettors, no spark plug and no explosions, the servicing demands of an EV are limited to the mechanicals of the vehicle, excluding the engine. The annual servicing is often a fixed annual price of £150 for a simple inspection. The real anxiety is within the motor trade, who will be hampered in margin recovery from the practice of continually escalating service charges. In fact, because EVs use regenerative braking by the motor to add charge back to the battery, there will also be substantially less brake pad and brake disc wear.
Electricity is expensive.
The cost of electricity combined with the ever increasing range of EV batteries, when compared to the costs of petrol and diesel, suggests that this barrier is in fact a myth. A charge giving you a range of around 100 miles will cost approximately £2 to £4 in electricity. Driving 100 miles in a petrol or diesel car will cost around £12 to £15 in fuel. The cost savings will be greatest when owners have access to an overnight low rate electricity tariff and charging from home.
Performance Anxiety:
If I wait the performance will improve.
They must be as slow as a Milk Float.
If I wait the performance will improve.
The quickest production saloon car in the world is a Battery Electric Vehicle, achieving 0-60 in less than 3 seconds!
What more do you want?
They must be a slow as a Milk Float.
Simply not an issue. Electric motors have constant "always on" torque, no gears, not even automatic gears. They are surprisingly quick, they are smooth and they are well balanced. Often with a low centre of gravity, as the battery pack makes up the floor pan (in most ZERO emission cases) making for a superb handling experience. The top of the range ZERO emission cars can achieve 0-60 in less than 3 seconds.
Style Anxiety:
If I wait I might have more choice.
Surely they don’t look like normal cars.
If I wait the performance will improve.
There are over 148 different EV models to choose from in the UK Market TODAY. They range from full electric (ZERO) to Plug in Hybrids (PHEV), 7 seater family cars down to nippy 2 seaters. Already plenty of choice!
Surely they don’t look like normal cars.
The fact is, they do! Many manufacturers have extended their existing ranges to include an EV version, such as the VW e-Golf. Most people do not realise they have driven or walked past an EV, or how many of them there are and this is the problem! We want to educate the population about EVs and just how good they are.
I’m getting there, please tell me more
Review our EV database by clicking on EV Options on the main menu.
Still need more convincing?
Check these out...
Video 1 'Top 5 Fastest All-Electric Cars'
Video2 'The World’s Fastest Electric Car'
But you do not have to rush out and buy an electric vehicle!
Although we do recommend it, it is not essential for you to assist in the acceleration of EV adoption. You can make a real difference today by simply joining EV-Alliance as a supporter.
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