As the world awakens to the increasingly urgent climate crisis, electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming a hot topic. But no hot topic comes without its myths and misconceptions; from not having as great a mileage range to not being as safe as petrol/diesel models, myths abound on the subject of EVs. In case you want to understand what is a myth versus what is reality, keep reading our myth debunker to gain a clearer picture of why you need to switch to an EV for your next vehicle.
“They Don’t Go As Far As Regular Cars”
The average mileage range of a pure electric vehicle is 197 miles, with different models that can go much further on one charge. That’s roughly the drive from Leeds to London! Still, a 200-mile range is not the longest out there: the 2022 Lucid Air has an estimated range of 520 miles for the Dream Edition Range trim – the longest driving range for a production EV.
“They Take Forever to Charge”
How long the EV takes to charge depends on the size of the battery and how powerful the charging point is. Some can be plugged in for a fast charge, taking as little as 20 to 30 minutes to reach full battery; others may take as long as half a day. In the latter instance, you would simply leave it to charge overnight as you sleep, and it will have a full battery by the morning, ready to be whisked off on a long journey or several shorter ones.
“Finding Chargers Is a Nightmare”
Au contraire! There are now over 42,000 EV charging stations UK in over 15,500 locations! That’s far more public places to charge than there are petrol stations.
We understand that knowing where those are located can be tricky and that you don’t always want to (and aren’t always able to) drive around in search of one. Thanks to EV charging apps that map out all the charging points in your local area, plugging in your car can be done easily and quickly without wasting time trailing around.
“EVs Have Shorter Lifespans”
There is no evidence to support the idea that EVs have decreased longevity compared to their petrol or diesel counterparts. The majority of EV batteries have warranties of around eight years (roughly 100,000 miles). Even then, EVs are expected to last much longer, and their lifespan is ever-improving. Presently, there are more than 10 million EVs on the world’s roads, with this upward trend set to continue.
“They Are Not That Environmentally-Friendly”
On two different counts, EVs are thought to not be so green after all. These are:
- That EV batteries cannot be recycled and will end up in landfill;
- That building an EV generates greenhouse gases.
To tackle the first point: regulations currently ban the disposal of EV batteries in a landfill. As a result, you can return your EV battery to the car manufacturer for free, as they are obligated to take it back and meet the required recycling efficiency standards with whatever they do next. In light of the issue surrounding batteries being less recyclable, the Government has committed £330 million to increase the recyclability of an EV battery to 95% by 2035.
The other contention is that building an EV generates greenhouse emissions, making people wonder: what is the point? The idea that the manufacturing process for electric vehicles produces more greenhouse emissions than it saves has been proven a fallacy by hardcore research. Even when you include the battery production and disposal, a new EV boasts a third of the greenhouse gas emissions of a new petrol car. Furthermore, as electricity generation decarbonises, EVs are becoming cleaner.
“You Don’t Save That Much Money”
This myth is perhaps the easiest to bust. According to recent estimates, an EV can save you around £176 per thousand miles driven. That breaks down to the minute cost of 2 pence per mile to run an EV when charging on off-peak electricity. To put that in perspective, petrol and diesel cars are estimated to cost over 20 pence per mile.
So, where do you save? Well, despite a greater upfront cost, you ultimately save on maintenance, fuel and road tax. EVs have far fewer moving parts, meaning there’s less maintenance to be done and less scope for things to go wrong. Not only that, but charges, while variable depending on the power source and the model of the EV, are much less costly than filling your car with a full tank of petrol or diesel.
EV owners are also unburdened by hefty road tax, paying absolutely nothing for a pure electric vehicle. Some drivers may therefore save over £2,000 per year on road tax. Moreover, EVs are exempt from the London Congestion Zone charge, which ordinarily costs drivers £15 per day.
Finally, it is forecasted that EVs could fall within the same price range as petrol or diesel vehicles within the 2020s, so those higher upfront costs are set to plummet in the very near future.
“You Can’t Drive EVs in Certain Weather Conditions”
Incorrect again! EVs can be driven in various weather conditions, including rain and snow. Manufacturers have to comply with some rigorous rules and electrical safety standards when building EVs to ensure they are safe to drive in any condition.
Naturally, you should still avoid driving through great big puddles and refer to the user manual for specifics on the maximum depth of water you can safely drive through in your electric car.
Drive Away Those Worries
Hopefully, whatever concerns you had about driving an EV have been assuaged by the raw facts in this blog post. Ultimately, the thing to remember is that EVs are where society is headed, so you may as well hop on the bandwagon and begin your journey into a greener future sooner rather than later.
