The holiday season is approaching, and with it, all kinds of uncomfortable conversations with family members who think they know everything; a living example of the Dunning-Kruger law in action. Not coming home for Christmas is always an option, there’s no reason to spend your free time with people you can’t stand. But if you’re headed to Christmas dinner and feel like chatting with your uncle or parents while eating Grandma’s special recipe, we’ve put together some talking points to debunk their most absurd claims about electric vehicles (EVs).
“They take too long to load”
The first complaint from people without experience driving an electric car is that they take too long to recharge. On the one hand, this statement is understandable; For more than a century, we have become accustomed to vehicles that can be reset in minutes, using very energy-dense liquids that can be pumped into a fuel tank at a rate of up to 37 liters per minute. This does not happen with ion batteries, especially if they are connected to an alternating current (AC) charger.
Even the fastest fast-charging EVs connected to a DC fast charger will need 18 to 20 minutes to go from 10 to 80 percent state of charge, and that’s apparently longer than some desperate drivers are willing to wait. as they drive from coast to coast as fast as they can.
The problem is that an electric vehicle represents a paradigm shift compared to a gasoline car. Yes, refilling a traditional car’s tank is faster, but it’s also a big inconvenience if you live in a place where all the gas stations are constantly closing. Instead of weekly trips to the gas station, EV owners plug in their cars each night and wake up the next morning with a full battery.
“You can’t plug it in at home”
If we could list the myths from the most popular to the least heard, this would undoubtedly be the second. It also makes sense: if you can’t reliably charge your car at home or work, you don’t have to buy a plug-in vehicle. There is the option of fast charging at a nearby location like a gas station, but driving there twice a week is expensive compared to doing so at home, and the repeated fast charging feature is not especially good for batteries.
Direct current (DC) fast charging is for road trips, when you don’t have enough range in your vehicle to get to your destination. But it doesn’t apply to most daily trips. However, you don’t have to worry, there are plenty of hybrid cars you can choose from that will meet your needs.
Some owners of Tesla’s electric pickup truck paid for this feature when they bought it last fall, and it’s only now starting to work.
“It’s too expensive”
Unfortunately, the promised reduction in the cost of lithium-ion batteries to the level of a gasoline system has not yet arrived. This means EVs remain more expensive than their fossil fuel-powered equivalents. However, diesel cars in the United States, for example, do not qualify for the tax credit of up to $7,500 provided by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for their clean counterparts. In their rush to sell electric vehicles, many manufacturers are offering incentives to customers who don’t qualify for the government credit.
But beyond the incentives, and although it may seem like every new EV that hits the market costs $80,000 or more, this is simply not true. There are at least 11 different electric vehicle models to choose from for under $40,000, and 17 that cost less than the average price of a new gasoline car of $47,000. Additionally, 75% of American car buyers purchase used options, why should it be any different for electric vehicles? The used ones are a real bargain.
They depreciate more than internal combustion engine vehicles in part because of the tax credit, and there is now a used electric vehicle financial incentive of up to $4,000 for qualifying buyers. We even expect a large number of electric vehicles to hit the second-hand market in a year or so, when leasing begin to win.
What if it rains, snows, or I have to evacuate due to a hurricane?
The issue of inclement weather and electric vehicles is another frequently heard topic among naysayers and fearmongers. First of all, charging an electric vehicle in the rain or snow is no less safe than filling up a gas car in the rain. And while you’ll lose some range in very cold weather, the same goes for every other car and truck on the road, it’s just that those drivers don’t keep a close eye on it.
The possible need to evacuate an area due to extreme weather conditions, such as a hurricane, also raises a lot of concern among those inexperienced in EVs. And, once again, this is a misplaced concern. If extreme weather conditions are ahead, be sure to fully charge your electric vehicle, just as you would make sure to fill up your diesel tank. If the electricity fails, the chargers will also stop working, but the same would happen with service stations, which also run on electricity. As long as there is light current, the chargers will continue to work; Instead, gas stations will need regular deliveries of new gasoline to serve new customers.
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