With the rising inflation, interest rates, and gasoline prices, it’s getting harder for an average person to drive a gasoline-powered car. If you occasionally use your car, the price difference may not matter much to you. However, there is more than one benefit associated with EVs, which is why they may be worth considering. Keep in mind that electric vehicles also have some limitations that you must be aware of before getting an EV.
To make things easier, we’ve researched and listed eight essential things about EVs that could help you reach a decision quickly. Without further delay, let’s get into it.
Over-the-air updates
Gone are the days when you had to take your car to the shop if you wanted any work done on it. This included anything from performance tuning to sorting out your car’s electronics. Thankfully, the software part is covered in the case of EVs, and you don’t have to take your car to the shop for that. EV manufacturers like Tesla routinely issue over-the-air updates, which you can download in your car using the internet. You can even increase the performance of some EV models with such over-the-air updates.
Ideally, you should set your update schedule on auto and choose the hours when you aren’t usually driving your car. For example, you can set it to download and install during the night when your car is parked in your garage. Since these updates require a good internet connection to download, make sure your internet is super-fast and reliable. Consider switching to Cox Internet, which offers speeds up to 2 Gbps and comes with 4 million Wi-Fi hotspots so you can stay connected even when you’re on the move.
You can charge your vehicle with solar panels
Since there is no internal combustion engine, an EV only needs an electrical power source to charge up the batteries. It could be a socket in your garage, a charging station on the way, or even solar panels. The main critique that EVs face is that they are usually charged using the electricity produced by burning fossil fuels, which adversely affects the environment.
But if you use a renewable energy source like solar panels, you’re effectively minimizing your car’s running cost and reducing your carbon footprint.
The maintenance cost of an EV is lower than traditional cars
A traditional car requires periodic maintenance where you have to change different fluids and filters depending on your usage. While these things aren’t very expensive to replace, they do add to the total cost of ownership. The total ownership of an EV is lower than an internal combustion engine since there is no replacement of fluids and some filters. Moreover, you can claim a tax credit when you file your tax return.
You can recharge your car’s battery at any time
Although most EV owners charge their cars overnight at home, this is not mandatory. You can charge your car at any public charging station, some of which also come with superchargers that fill up your car’s battery in under an hour.
EVs are more environmentally friendly than traditional cars
EVs don’t emit anything hazardous to pollute the environment, unlike gasoline cars that emit tons of carbon into the atmosphere during their usage. Admittedly, the lithium batteries in EVs are extracted from mines, which negatively affects the environment, but that’s about it. After that, there is no more smoke coming out from the exhaust.
Higher insurance costs
EVs are a relatively newer addition to the market, and the adoption was slow up until the past few years. This is why most insurance companies don’t have any precedence that could set up the prices. But as of now, they don’t know what kind of claims could fall into their lap down the lane, so the insurance cost of an EV is usually higher than a gasoline car. However, this may change as more car manufacturers shift to making EVs, and they become readily available everywhere.
EVs are more efficient and powerful
EVs come with a lot of optimization and efficiency-increasing mechanisms that help increase the performance and efficiency of the car. EVs come with electric motors that provide linear torque as opposed to an internal combustion engine vehicle that provides the maximum torque at certain rpms. Forget the likes of Rimac Nevera, which are priced very high. Take a Tesla Model S, for example, which does 0 to 60 in 2.3 seconds while also being a four-door family sedan, as opposed to a Bugatti Chiron Sport that takes 2.4 seconds to reach 60 mph from a standstill. And it costs a fraction of the price of a Bugatti.
The EV market is growing rapidly
Nowadays, almost all the car manufacturing giants are gradually shifting to making their cars more sustainable and environmentally friendly by adopting EV technology. McKinsey[RN1] estimates that EVs will be the largest automotive market by 2035. Multiple governments are offering tax reliefs and exemptions to the general public if they switch to EVs, which is something that’s directly increasing the adoption of EVs.
Conclusion
To conclude, the total cost of ownership is lower in the case of EVs, and they’re more environmentally friendly than traditional cars. Not only do you save money on gasoline, but also minimize the periodic maintenance. Moreover, it all comes with a nice power upgrade that you won’t get otherwise in a gasoline engine car at a similar price point.
