As electric vehicles (EVs) come into the limelight, there’s plenty of speculation about how eco-friendly and efficient they are. Perhaps you’re looking to buy or lease an electric car but aren’t quite sold? Continue reading to see the reality of driving an electric vehicle.
Electric cars can’t travel as far as we need!
One of the biggest misconceptions about electric vehicles is that they are still extremely limited by how far they can travel. Early on in the EV days, cars might have been limited to 100 miles maximum. Today, that’s not the case.
There are now over 20 different EV models available from EVision Electric Vehicles that can travel over 200 miles before needing to be charged. What’s more is brand new electric vehicles including the Polestar 2, Volkswagen ID.3 and Tesla Model 3 have over 300 miles of range. And if you need more than that, Mercedes’ EQ family is likely to meet your needs. Both the Mercedes EQE and Mercedes EQS are due to join the UK market with over 400 miles of range.
Plus, the likelihood of needing to travel the length of the UK in one stop is pretty slim. Did you know that 99% of journeys in England are under 100 miles? With this statistic, pretty much every electric car on the market would meet 99% of drivers’ needs. That’s excluding Citroen’s newest EV announcement – the Ami. The tiny EV has a minimal range of only 46 miles, but if you’re only popping to the shops and back it’s more than enough (although you might struggle to fit the shopping in).
Battery prices for electric vehicles have been continuously dropping as more EVs are designed. Today, a battery costs little more than a tenth of what one did back in 2010. With these prices plummeting, we expect to see more EVs available with greater range.
Charging an EV is too difficult and takes too long!
Along with how far electric vehicles can travel, there are plenty of misconceptions surrounding how, when and where you can charge an electric vehicle. The first being that there aren’t enough public charge points in the UK.
However, according to Zap Map there are now over 25,000 public charge points available across the UK. Over 4,500 of these are rapid charging stations, which allow EVs to charge much quicker while on the road. In comparison, currently there are 8,380 fuel stations across the UK and this number is decreasing year-on-year.
If that’s not enough, a recent study found that the UK now has more rapid chargers every 100 miles of road than any country in Europe. The debunks any claims that all public charge points are in big cities, leaving rural areas without.
Of course, we will need more charge points across the UK if we are to meet our net-zero targets by 2050. Thankfully, the Government and local authorities are supporting the installation of charge points on the road, at work and at home. On average, over 500 new EV chargers are being installed along UK roads every month – of which over 100 are either rapid or ultra-rapid chargers.
It takes way too long to charge an electric car!
The reality is that most EV drivers will charge their vehicles at home or near their house overnight. This means that unless you’re using the electric car constantly for 24 hours, it’s likely you’ll be able to fully charge it overnight without hassle.
How long it takes to charge an electric vehicle depends on multiple factors, including the model of car and the charging facilities available. Let’s take the BMW i3 as an example. If you charge an i3 using a 7kW wallbox at home it will take you just over 4 hours. That’s really not a lot! Bump that up to a 50kW rapid charger and your EV will be fully charged in an hour.
Even a bigger electric car, such as the Volkswagen ID.4, comes with rapid charging abilities. The ID.4 can charge from 20% – 80% in 6 hours using a 7kW home charger. Plus on the road, using a 50kW rapid charger, it can charge from 15% – 80% in just over an hour.
Aren’t all public chargers broken?!
To put it simply, no. According to the UK Government, electric vehicle drivers should expect a reliable network of public EV charge points. We know that having charge points out of action is inconvenient and frustrating; however, Zap Map assures us that nine out of 10 charge points are working at all times.
There are too many different charging sockets on EVs!
You may have heard that some electric cars have different charging sockets, meaning that charge points are not universal. Well, that’s true. But back in 2017, the Government brought in new legislation to ensure all new and replacement public charge points must offer standardised connectors.
This means the vast majority of electric vehicles can charge on the entire UK public charging network, with the notable exceptions of the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi Outlander. Even these EVs can charge at over 99% of public charge points.
Electric vehicles are too expensive!
This is true. Electric vehicles do cost more to buy outright than conventional vehicles, but you are benefiting from huge savings on running and maintenance costs. Depending on your electricity tariff, you can run your own electric vehicle for as little as 1p per mile.
As electric vehicles are now costing less to make, forecasts are showing that electric vehicles could be the same price to purchase as conventional cars by the late 2020s. Plus all plug-in vehicles under £35,000 are eligible for a Government grant of £2,500 – making them much more affordable.
However, if you’re worried about how much an electric car could cost you, why not look at leasing one instead? Making the decision to lease an electric car, instead of buying one outright, could save you money and give you tons of benefits.
Here at EVision Electric Vehicles, we believe that the benefits that come with leasing an electric vehicle far outweigh the cons. Yes, you won’t ‘own’ the vehicle you’re leasing but is that a bad thing in today’s day and age?
Instead you have a full choice of brand new electric vehicles straight off the forecourt. Plus, when you lease an electric car through EVision you’ll be excluded from splashing out on maintenance, servicing, tyre wear and breakdown cover. That’s right, all of that is covered in your EVision hire – whether it’s for a day or three years plus.
EV batteries need replacing loads!
Once again, not true (but this is another benefit of leasing an electric car)! In reality, there are over 10 million electric vehicles on the road globally and no evidence to suggest their battery lifespans are shorter than petrol or diesel vehicles.
When buying an electric vehicle new, most of them will come with a battery warranty of around 8 years or 100,000 miles. However, with the increase in green technology we expect batteries will last longer than expected.
The Government is committed to supporting the introduction of electric vehicles. They have committed £318 million into the Faraday Battery Challenge which supports research and development of EV batteries lifespan.
If you’re buying a second hand electric vehicle then you should check whether the vehicle has had a battery change or not. If it has, then it’s unlikely you’ll have to replace it again the whole time you own it. Of course, if you’re choosing to lease an electric car then you eliminate this worry entirely.
As you do not own the vehicle, the need to change a battery lies with your leasing company and not yourself. When you lease an electric car, you’re able to swap your chosen EV for a newer model at the end of your leasing period. This means you’ll always have the latest electric vehicle, with the best tech and newest battery.
The materials used to build EV batteries come from questionable sources!
Lots of people are worried about how EV batteries are built, and more where the materials come from. It defects the objective of driving an electric car if it’s been produced in factories without sustainable materials.
At the moment, it’s true that there are challenges to ensuring the transparency and sustainability of materials. However, this is the same across the board with electric goods, including smartphones and laptops.
The UK is part of international efforts to secure a sustainable and ethical supply of materials in order to develop electric vehicles. Manufacturers are also focused on minimising the use of dangerous elements such as cobalt.
They also can’t be recycled and will just end up in landfills!
Due to current regulations, electric vehicle batteries cannot be recycled by the public. However, it is also banned for these to be left in landfills. Battery producers are obligated to take back EV batteries free of charge and ensure they are disposed to meet the required recycling efficiency standards.
As the production of EVs increases, these regulations are constantly being reviewed. The hope is to create a circular economy for EV batteries in order to maximise the environmental benefits of EVs. The Faraday Battery Challenge’s aim is for 95% of an EV battery pack to be recyclable by 2035.
Lease an electric car at EVision
Here at EVision, we’re dedicated to showing all of our customers how brilliant EVs are! But we also want to make sure that everyone who hires a vehicle from EVision chooses the best vehicle for them.
We have a huge range of all-electric vehicles with over 300 vehicles in our growing fleet. When you’re looking to lease an electric car, EVision is the place for you!
