Pros and Cons of Driving an Electric Car

Pros and Cons of Driving an Electric Car

September 06, 2018

The zero emissions as well as zero cost of fuel consumption, are not the only reasons why there has been a surge in the sales of electric cars worldwide. There are so many factors one should consider when deciding on the pros and cons of electric cars, perhaps electricians at Mr. Electric of Dallas can provide even a much better clarification on these factors.

The cost of the vehicle

Though costs of electric cars have dropped drastically an electric car still costs averagely $10,000 more than the regular fuel-powered cars. The cost of the battery is probably responsible for this, fortunately, there are some Federal and states tax credits that ease off the costs of buying an electric car.

The Depreciation rates

It should be noted that the values of electric cars drop drastically, this is forced many people to go for used or lease options. For each year of ownership, the value of an electric car goes down by as much as $5,704, compared to a drop of $2,114 for each year of ownership on fuel-powered cars. Similarly, the cost of replacing an electric car battery is quite high, and that could force potential buyers to think twice.

The cost of fuel and electric power

Electric cars may cost more than fuel cars initially, but they are cheaper when it comes to powering them with electricity as compared to fuel. You wouldn’t spend more than $600 to power an average electric car as compared to a minimum of $1,050 spent on fueling a Honda Civic for the same period of time. It would take a longer time to recharge an electric car though (a 120-volt plugin, for instance, will require between 8 and 12 hours), upgrading your recharging to the 240 Volt plugin will speed the recharging to about 3-4 hours. The DC super-fasting charging found in some restaurants and stations can recharge your car in as little as 30 minutes. 

The Range

The EV charging stations can take a longer time to find when compared to the traditional gas stations. Though it is good to know that there are electric vehicles that offer up to 100 miles they can still not be compared to round trips of the 30-mile commute. For this reason, the electric car may not be the most suitable option for the average road trip. 

The maintenance

With less few moving parts in an electric car comes less maintenance servicing. The brakes in electric cars last longer than those in fuel-driven cars, an average electric car has been found to cost about $447 less in maintenance than a fuel-driven car, however, a replacement battery for an electric car can cost you over $5000.

Impact on the environment

Those the batteries in electric cars are harder to recycle than batteries in fuel-driven cars but the zero-emissions mean electric cars are environmental-friendly. similarly, the performance of an electric car is far better than conventional fuel-driven cars. The electric Tesla Model S can accelerate to 60km/s under 2.5 seconds.

For more information on electric cars, you can contact Mr. Electric of Dallas.