The need to know before buying an electric vehicle
If you haven’t looked outside recently or paid attention your spending, I should tell you fuel prices have escalated a lot recently. Did I say a lot? I really meant to say a LOT. Do the higher fuel prices change how you drive? Do you drive less just to spread out your fuel usage between fill-ups? Are you working from home a little more often because of this or, are you thinking or purchasing a hybrid or electric vehicle? If an electric vehicle (EV) is in your future, you should know a few things first.
For the past few years, vehicle manufacturing has been slowed due to the fact some of the electronic parts have been slow to arrive with the manufactures. This is no different for EVs. However, dealerships were unprepared for so many requests for consumers to purchase EVs. If you don’t mind waiting, you can still get your EV in a decent time frame.
During a recent KPMG poll, many Canadians said they are ready to switch to EVs. The poll stated “71 per cent saying they will consider an EV for their next purchase and half of all respondents saying their desire to buy an EV is greater today than it was a year ago.” There are three categories of EVs available in Canada, which would all be considered as zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). There are hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs), battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).
It’s a known fact that many electric vehicles are far more expensive to purchase than gas-powered vehicles. The cost of the batteries and the added electronic parts seems to be the factor here. However, getting a government rebate to purchase the EV can help to offset the cost of purchase. In Canada, the federal government will offer a rebate on both new and used EVs and most (not all) provincial governments will also offer a sizable rebate.
Despite significant advances in the range an EV can travel between charges, they might not be ideal for some one vehicle households. However, plug-in hybrid vehicles solve the range problem, but they still need a place to plug in the vehicle to take full advantage of their propulsion system. This can become somewhat of a challenge for those who do not have access to off-street parking, but not impossible.
EV owners will need to have consistent access to an outlet (or a 240-volt EV charger) and a regular parking spot to have their vehicle charge overnight. If that’s not possible, another option would be charging their vehicle at their workplace instead of at home. Planning when and where the car would be charged has to be taken into consideration prior to purchasing an EV.
Consider this; unlike refuelling a gas-powered vehicle, which usually takes just a few minutes, recharging an EV can take anywhere from 25 to 60 minutes using fast chargers in public places. Under normal circumstances, it would take roughly 10 hours to fully recharge an EV using 240-volt chargers when the battery is almost fully drained. Owners of an EV should also realize in cold weather or even in extreme heat, a vehicle’s range can severely drop off because of the physical limitations of the chemistry of the battery.
So, there are a few things to consider before purchasing an EV as you can see. It’s time to list your pros and cons before being added to the list to purchase. Doing your homework ahead of time will help you make the right decision.
I’ve had an EV since January 2020. The typical range is 225 km and on Ecco mode I get up to 310km.
Something most people forget is that every morning a you start your day at full range. So for most people 310km or even 225 is more than enough daily range.
Most evenings I am changing about 70 to 80 %. My monthly hydro bill is about $22.00 a month. So annual cost for changing is less than $300.00 (taking in to account the odd time I have used a public charging station)
As for the comment that the initial cost is far greater. I would disagree. Slightly more yes, but when comparing comparable vehicles it’s not that drastic. My car in am EV version was about $40,000. A comparable gas vehicle would have cost me around 30,000.
Finally remember most researchers have found that a fully electric vehicle will become carbon neutral after about 8000km.