Electric cars are a growing segment in PCH. They’re getting lots of attention because they can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumption but how well you do know the facts and the myths?

MYTH:

Electric cars are expensive

Whilst electric cars may be more expensive than non-electric cars, the overall running costs are cheaper in the long run. This is based on EV charging costs which are significantly lower than petrol, diesel and maintenance costs. This seems to be a question many people are asking due to the fluctuating energy prices. However, charged electrics can be more than half as cheap compared to petrol and diesel cars.

At Evans Halshaw Leasing we have plenty of weekly Hot Offers on electric cars, including the popular MG MG4 model

MYTH:

Electric car range is too short

One of the biggest disadvantages of electric cars is that they have a low range. The average range of a new electric car model is less than 300 miles on a single charge. This is far less than the range of a petrol car, which has a range of over 500 miles per tank. If you have a long distance to travel in your electric car, you will have to find a charging station every few hours to recharge, which may make life difficult for long-distance travellers. The good news is that the range is improving all the time. New battery technology and new ways to generate electricity are helping to create longer-lasting and longer-range electric cars. As of March 2022 the Mercedes EQS has the longest range with 453 miles.

MYTH:

There is not enough charging stations

Its our worst fear, being on a long journey and running out of charge, but fear not! The UK government announced that it plans to “support the UK market to reach 300,000 public electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints by 2030” and as of 1 October 2022, there were 34,637 public electric vehicle charging devices installed in the UK, which shows an 8% increase from July 2022.

In addition to this, there are 52 charging devices per 100,000 population.

FACT:

Electric cars have been around for more than 130 years

Despite the significant increase in popularity within the last decade, electric cars have been in existence since the early 1900’s. However, the lack of advanced technology and alternatives to heavy led-acid batteries which were used to power the electric cars at the time, meant that internal combustion engines grew in popularity. However, as decades passed more advancements were made and battery powered cars showed up in different areas, such as the NASA Apollo 15,16 and 17 battery powered Lunar Roving Vehicle ‘moon buggy’ from the 1970’s.