6 spine-chilling myths about electric cars that just aren’t true!
There are a lot of misconceptions about buying and owning an electric car.
Since it’s the spooky season, we’ve loaded up with silver bullets, sharpened stakes and cloves of garlic to bust these monstrous myths once and for all.
Here are six spine-chilling myths about electric cars that we’ll hopefully make a lot less scary.
Myth 1: Invasion of the wallet snatchers!
Some people think that electric cars are too expensive and therefore out of their budget. But an electric car isn’t going to cause as much damage to your bank account as you might think.
The truth: Electric cars aren’t expensive
The initial cost of an electric car may be slightly more than a comparable petrol or diesel car, but prices have dropped significantly over the past five years.
In fact, a recent report forecasts that electric cars ‘will be cheaper than fossil fuel vehicles by 2027’.
Plus, as soon as you drive off the forecourt, you’ll start to make savings when it comes to fuel. This means that the savings you’ll make on running costs could offset the extra cost of the car.
Find out about more things you should know before buying an electric car.
Myth 2: Scream (in frustration)!
You may have heard that electric cars are unreliable and that repairing them costs a lot. Well, we might like scary movies, but we don’t like this myth. Because it’s just not true.
The truth: Electric cars are reliable
With fewer moving parts there’s less that can go wrong with an electric car.
In fact, over the vehicle’s life, owning a 100%-electric car is likely to cost you a lot less than a petrol or diesel car, because:
- the cost per mile driven is significantly lower
- electric cars have fewer parts, so they require less maintenance
- servicing costs are lower, since oil, spark plugs, clutches, etc. won’t need replacing
- pure electric cars are exempt from vehicle tax
- there are government grants for electric car buyers
Find out more about the running costs of an electric car.
Myth 3: Dawn of the dead batteries!
The lifespan of the battery in an electric car has been a common horror story. But the dawn of the dead batteries is not upon us.
The truth: Electric car batteries last longer than you might think
100%-electric cars that run solely on battery power are also known as Battery Electric vehicles (BEVs).
A study of 6,000 electric cars concluded that after 7 years, the typical electric car battery will still retain over 85% of its original capacity.
Most manufacturers have a five to eight-year warranty on their battery. However, the current prediction is that an electric car battery will last from 10 to 20 years before they need to be replaced.
Myth 4: A nightmare on recharge street!
A common cry of despair from people who don’t own electric cars is that they will take too long to charge and there aren’t enough charge points. We can take out both of those myths in one strike.
The truth: Electric cars needn’t take a long time to recharge
When you need to charge your electric car, you can choose to do it at home, at work or a public charge point. How long it takes to charge will depend on the size of the battery, the speed of the charging point and just how depleted the battery is.
Here’s an example from our own range of electric cars.
A standard 7kW home charger will fully charge an MG ZS EV in approximately six to seven hours.
A 50kW rapid public charger will charge it from 0% to 80%, giving 100 miles of range, in approximately 35 to 40 minutes.
When you need to charge on-the-go, public charging points can be found at service stations, car parks, supermarkets, cinemas and sometimes just at the side of the road. Apps like Zap Map and WattsUp can show where your nearest charging points are.
Find out more about charging an electric car.
Myth 5: Range Rage!
As well as sharing scary tales about charging electric cars (which just aren’t true), some people rage about their range as well. But losing charge in your EV near a cabin in the woods is an unlikely scenario.
The truth: Some electric cars can go more than 200 miles on a single charge
When electric cars were first introduced, the phrase “range anxiety” described the concern that some people had about not completing longer journeys.
Modern electric cars can now offer more than 200 miles of charge, making “range anxiety” a thing of the past.
Statistics reveal that the average UK journey is around 10 miles, with the average petrol car in 2019 covering just 21.4 miles a day. Based on this, an electric car would only need to be charged once every six or seven days.
Our own 100%-electric cars have ranges of between 112 and 214 miles. This is based on WLTP combined. WLTP stands for Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure, the industry standard test for comparing fuel efficiency.
Find out more about how far you can drive in an electric car.
Myth 6: Little car of ecological horrors!
There’s a horrifying misconception that electric cars are no better for the environment than a petrol or diesel car! This is clearly not the case. In fact, the opposite is true.
The truth: Electric cars are better for the environment
Electric cars don’t have an exhaust pipe, which means no carbon-dioxide-filled fumes while you drive them. Because of this they can help to improve air quality in towns and cities.
Electric cars also have lower carbon emissions than petrol or diesel cars when you charge them and lower carbon emissions across their whole lifecycle.
An electric car is only as clean as the power it uses to keep it moving. This means that an electric car does have the potential to be 100% green, so long as it uses 100% renewable energy.
Find out more about why electric cars are better for the environment.
Choosing the right EV for you
If you’re thinking about buying your first electric car, and you’d heard one of these monstrous myths, we’ve hopefully set your mind at rest.
If you have any further fiendish questions about electric cars, the unscary EV experts at Nathaniel Cars are here to help. Just fill in the “Ask our EV Experts” form.
Or pop in to speak to us in person (we promise we won’t bite!) and check out the range of electric vehicles on offer at our Cardiff and Bridgend showrooms.
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