Should you really buy an electric car?
Electric vehicles are hitting the world’s roads and with government support behind them these are hyped up to be the next big thing in the automobile industry . Combustion engine vehicles generate huge quantities of pollution, and developed economies create more than their fair share of this. The US transportation sector accounts for around 30 percent of US global warming emissions which is an order of magnitude more than most countries. In this blog I will tell you what I think on buying an electric car.
Quick and Quiet : It takes just one ride in a battery – powered card to understand the improved ride quality of an EV(Electric Vehicle) compared to a conventional fuel car . The drive is much smoother and you won’t even realize at what speed you are moving at until you look at your speedometer . It makes most regular cars seem clunky and outdated. Acceleration is also smooth and very quick.
Cheaper to operate : Though the initial investment on electric cars may be higher , the cost to operate them is lower what with the higher efficiency of electric engines and the lower cost of electricity compared to conventional fuels such as petrol or diesel .
Emissions : If you are an Indian you would definitely have experienced the nauseating puff of smoke being thrown out by the vehicles in front you on the street .With EVs we can finally say goodbye to that and breathe in much fresher air on the streets .
Cost : The initial investment for an electric car is definitely going to sting you more than a regular car because the technology involved in its manufacture is much higher than a regular car . But on the long run since electricity is usually cheaper than petrol/diesel the cost per mile for an electric car is lesser and the more you drive the more you save . This of course, depends on the fact that you are actually going to keep the same car for a long time which would leave you without the choice of buying a newer car after a few years . Once you buy it , you’ll be stuck with it for years to come .
Refuelling time ; If you have an electric car you can refuel at home at night like you charge you cellphone and use it all day . But what if you have to travel a long distance or between two cities ? Currently we don’t have enough charging stations available and even at those stations if these cars become popular you will have to wait in line for hours if you want to recharge . An even bigger nightmare is if your battery runs out halfway . If it were a petrol/diesel vehicle you could fill in a bottle at the nearest station and use it drove upto that station but what will you do with an electric car ? you will have to tow it all the way to a charging station which I would rather never do .
Pollution : I find it hard to believe that electric cars are very green and eco-friendly . Sure they don’t emit smoke which you can see but where do we get the electricity to run them ? Fossil fuels . And how exactly are we going to get the batteries for the car? lithium mining and extraction . And what exactly are you going to do with dead batteries ? Shoot them into outer space ? Unless battery technology, renewable energy and recycling methods advance hugely we are not helping nature as much as we would like to believe . Good luck to you if you think you are going to save the Earth by buying an electric car .
Well these are the most important things that you need to know if you are planning on buying an electric car .Though It’s pretty clear what I think about that idea :P