How To Decide If An Electric Vehicle Is Right For You

Electric vehicles are becoming more and more popular. While Tesla is one of the most well-known brands, they’re not the only player in town. Large car manufacturers like Chevrolet, Nissan, and even Ford are getting into the game. But is an electric car right for you? Electric cars certainly have a lot of benefits and are the perfect choice for many people. However, these cars also have some downsides that must be considered as well.

An Electric Vehicle Might Be The Perfect Car

There are a lot of benefits to electric cars, especially if you tend to drive more locally, such as commuting to work, running errands, and so forth. Short drives like this are tough on gas-powered cars and can really eat into your gas mileage. With an electric vehicle, you won’t have to worry about how much gas you’re burning through.

Further, you can also charge your car at home as needed. This means you might never need to use a charging station if you don’t stray far. And with the technology of home charging stations improving, the cost of charging your car at home is almost negligible.

Electric vehicles might also be right for you if you love cutting-edge technology. From the battery and motor to driver controls, these cars are incredibly high-tech. Instead of traditional gauges on the dashboard, electric cars feature large touch screens that put all the information about your car’s performance at your fingertips.

This technology also extends to safety. Electric cars have become incredibly safe over the last several years. These safety features include adaptive cruise control, which will allow the car to almost drive itself. Further, they sport many different sensors that make blind spots a thing of the past and keep you from veering out of your lane. Have you ever taken your eyes off the road for a split second, only to find the car in front of you is braking? Electric cars have you covered and will brake for you, preventing a potential fender bender.

Why An Electric Car May Not Be For You

One of the biggest reasons why you might not want an electric car is your pocketbook. On average, electric cars cost more than $10,000 than the average internal combustion engine (ICE) car. This is a lot of money for a lot of people and can greatly increase your monthly car payments.

Another reason why these cars might not be right for you is if you regularly drive long distances. The infrastructure for electric cars is not very strong in the United States. This means that you might find yourself with a low battery and not charging station in range. Even if you have a Tesla, which has a built-in trip computer that will guide you to the nearest charging station, you might find yourself going out of your way just to top off your car’s battery. On long trips, this can add several hours to your driving time.

And speaking of charging stations, you must take into account how long it takes to charge your car. It’s not like an ICE car, where you can fill up the gas tank in a few minutes. Charging your car can take thirty minutes or more. Again, this is time that will be added to your trip. If you have to make several charging stops in a day, you can easily spend a couple of hours just waiting for your car to charge.

Is A Hybrid The Best Of Both Worlds?

Between gas-powered and electric cars you have hybrids. These are powered by large batteries in addition to a more traditional internal combustion engine. This means that the battery is charged while you’re driving but will also kick in at certain times (ie. sitting at red lights) to save you gas. Hybrid cars can easily get 500 miles or more on less than ten gallons of gas. So hybrids are not dependent on finding charging stations and can go long distances on a single tank.

Buying Any Car Is A Long-Term Commitment

Whether you buy a traditional ICE car or go electric, plan on driving the car for several years. Take into consideration your lifestyle and budget. Electric vehicles are great cars and the battery technology has greatly improved over the last several years, and it will continue to improve in the future.