Benefits of Having an Electric Vehicle
Electric vehicles are becoming more common as more people embrace them, and various companies are rushing to dominate this market. As a result, their prices are dropping, and the uptake has been good across various markets. This can be attributed to the many advantages that come with having an electrical vehicle (EV). If you are not sure whether to buy an electric car, here are some benefits.
Value of Electric Cars
EVs offer significant value over the long term and they are an excellent investment if I want to drive a cheaper and more efficient car. Just like a regular car, before I bought my first EV, I had to first decide on the model, make, type, and features. There is an EV for any budget. Moreover, you can also lease a new EV if you are unsure about buying one. You can choose an vehicle based on whether you are leasing for personal or business use. The perks would be determined through your contract plan and term period, which you can optimize depending on your requirements. In addition, dealers like All Car Leasing (or similar) might let you purchase the car at the end of the term by paying a balloon amount.
Low Maintenance Costs
Most EVs have the same price tag as a diesel or petrol engine, but the cost of running them is cheaper, especially over the lifetime of the car. When I bought my EV, I saved a lot of money, especially from special government grants and tax incentives. EVs have low maintenance requirements. As long as you are maintaining it using the relevant supplies such as a coolant mixed with distilled water and other regular liquids then you should not encounter bigger issues, which are quite often associated with regular cars. This coupled with the enhanced fuel efficiency in most electric vehicle SUVs, leads to reduced operating costs. The only time that a maintenance cost would mimic that of a normal car would be when it is damaged by an outside force as that can have the same effect, for example, if there has been a storm such as hail, then restoring your vehicle to its pre-hail condition is possible with Hail Specialists no matter what car you have, you’ll just need to take it in and have it assessed.
Cheaper Energy
To simplify this, let me share an example. Let’s say that I have an EV with a battery of 100 kWh. Let me take the cost of electricity to be 16 cents/kWh. This means with just $16, I have fully charged my car. Let me not even mention free charging stations and reduced off-peak charging rates, which will significantly reduce my fuel costs. Let us assume the car can cover 200 miles on one charge. If I drive 15,000 miles per year, I need to charge my car 75 times per year, which will cost me $1200.
On the other hand, if you have a gasoline car that covers on average 22 miles per oil gallon for the same distance of 15,000 miles, you need 682 gallons. If the cost of a gallon is $4, then you will have spent $2,728. This is more than double what I paid for fuel. Remember, I have not factored in the cost in time when you have to wait at the gas station, whereas I charge my car at home.
Good For The Environment
Fully electric cars have no emissions, making them cleaner and greener for the environment. No emissions mean no greenhouse gasses, and it enhances efforts to move towards renewable and sustainable energy sources. Not to forget, technology like vehicle to grid (V2G) might have made the use of renewable energy resources (like solar and wind energy) a lot easier. However, what is vehicle to grid? A question that might be popping in everyone’s head. In short, it’s a system in EVs through which the energy could be exchanged between the vehicle’s battery and the electric power grid.
Fast and Easy Charging at Home
Charging my EV at home is simple, fast, and cost-efficient. I can even install an all-weather home charging unit at home and get a government subsidy. Once installed, all I have to do is plug in and charge for between eight to twelve hours on a 7kW charging port. Rapid charges can charge 80% of the battery in less than an hour.
A quiet and Enjoyable Driving Experience
One of the first things I noticed when driving an electric vehicle was the quietness of the vehicle. For the first time, I enjoyed a quiet and relaxing driving experience. All electric cars have an instant torque thus I always have more power once I press the accelerator. EVs also have an excellent balance since batteries are located in the floor of the car. This makes handling my car around curves and corners easier.
They are More Energy Efficient
One of the major benefits of driving an EV is energy efficiency. Studies have shown that more than half the energy in EVs goes to directly moving the vehicle, whereas only less than 20% of the energy in gasoline cars goes directly to the wheels. Also, the range that EVs can travel continues to improve with advancing battery technology, and some EVs can cover as much as 250 miles on a single charge. The EV I drive can cover 200 miles comfortably.
Get Paid to Drive an EV
I got a fully electric car and I qualified for a one-time federal tax credit of $7500. If I lived in California, I could qualify for up to $7,000 for buying a zero-emission car. On the other hand, if I were a resident of San Diego I can charge my car overnight (from 12.00 am to 6.00 am) for just 9 cents per kWh.
