Why buy an electric car?
Believe it or not, electric cars have been around since 1884, when Thomas Parker built the first electric production car. It may have taken a while for battery powered cars to catch on, but their importance and popularity now is undeniable. Over the past decade or so, many countries have started to place much greater emphasis on lowering carbon emissions and lessening their impacts on the environment. Hand in hand with this, technology has progressed at a rate meaning battery powered vehicles are now commercially viable. There are now over 130 battery powered cars for sale and EV adoption increases on average by 30% in the UK every year! So, why should you go EV?
What is an EV?
EV is short for electric vehicle. EVs are cars with an electric motor and a battery, which can drive at least some of the time in zero-emissions EV mode.
A pure EV is also called a battery electric car. These are guaranteed to be zero emissions all the time. Other types of EV add in an efficient combustion engine, for those looking for a stepping stone into a pure EV.
In Britain, EVs are the future. By 2030, the government will halt the sale of conventional petrol and diesel cars. In less than a decade, every new car will be an EV.
This is why the time is now right to go EV.
What are the cost benefits of an EV?
EVs cost significantly less per mile to run than people realise.
A compact EV such as a Renault ZOE can cost as little as £3 to £4 to charge at home, which will give around 150 miles of range – compared to the average weekly spend on petrol or diesel of almost £20.
Those who charge overnight can benefit from cheaper electricity, and even ultra-fast public charging is cheaper than diesel and petrol.
You don’t pay road tax or congestion charges on a pure EV, and there are further tax-saving benefits for company car drivers.
EVs are also more reliable as there’s less to go wrong, while servicing and maintenance is much much cheaper too. You don't need to change the oil in an EV!