There is no doubt that the electric car market is rapidly increasing with the number of electric cars across the globe increasing to 10.9 million last year, which is an increase of more than 3 million than the previous year – a 37% increase! More and more people are following the trend of going green, with an electric car being very appealing as a way to reduce pollution and carbon emissions. Although, with the rising interest in electric cars, there have been a lot of misconceptions and car myths created, so we’re here to address these…
1. ‘There won’t be enough charging points’
With petrol and diesel cars being banned in 2030, people are concerned that there won’t be enough charging points and that the UK won’t be able to get enough with such a huge increase in electric cars. According to Zap-Map, there are currently more than 40,300 charging point connectors in almost 15’000 locations across the UK. While at the moment this is not enough for 2030, when petrol and diesel car sales will be banned, there is a lot of focus on accelerating the rollout of charging infrastructure. The Prime Minister has announced £1.3bn to be used to focus on this in England, along with £950m focused on rapid charging on motorways. So with a huge investment and focus on boosting charging points, there is no doubt that there will be plenty charging points ahead of the ban, so not to worry! Of course, with ranges ever increasing, charging will be less frequently required by 2030, and let’s face it, many of us will simply charge at home without the worry of having to find a public charger.
2. ‘An electric car will be a lot more expensive than petrol and diesel cars’
It is true that electric cars will often have a higher initial price than petrol or diesel cars. However, it is clear that electric cars will make up for this over the total ownership costs.
According to NimbleFins, you can save around £1,000 a year in running costs with an electric car, between tax and fuel savings. Electric cars won’t need to pay vehicle road tax (VED), which itself saves money (although at LeaseLoco road tax is included in all lease deals). On average, charging an electric vehicle will cost around 4p per mile through the electricity costs, while petrol costs almost 16p per mile on average! That is a 72% saving right there! These figures are based on charging at home, so if people use the expensive rapid chargers they will pay more for charging, but will still be saving money. We also know that the prices of electric cars are falling with battery technology improving, so this also helps confirm that electric cars can save you money! We’re also seeing the best lease deals on LeaseLoco with Loco Scores well over 90 and even the Hyundai IONIQ getting a 100 Loco Score.*
3. ‘My car won’t go far on one charge’
In the UK, the average range for electric cars available is 193 miles. This figure does include the insane Tesla Long Range models, however most people won’t need a range that is over 200 miles. Realistically, the convenience and speed of electric charging points mean that charging won’t be an issue. Many people will have a charge point at home, where they can charge their car overnight while they sleep. For those who won’t have a home charge point it could be as simple as charging your car in the Tesco car park while you do your weekly shop, or while you are at work if they provide charge points.
With a rapid 50kW charger you can add up to 100 miles in 35 minutes. We think this will change in the next 10 years though with technology advancements and already news of a new car battery offering 250 miles range that can do a full charge in only 10 minutes!
It's also worth thinking about that your electric car will never really be charging from 0-100% as this means it will be completely empty so often people just need to top up their charge. Think of it like charging your phone – people usually don’t let their phones die and will just top up the charge.
4. ‘Electric cars are slow’
The Jaguar I-Pace can hit 0-62mph in 4.8 seconds, quicker than its F-Pace partner. The very impressive Tesla Model S Plaid has a jaw-dropping 1.9 second 0-60mph time with a top speed of 200mph…
So while another electric vehicle myth is that people may think that electric cars are slow, the reality is that they accelerate faster than other cars and will often feel faster because of this. This is the same case for more affordable electric cars too because an electric motor generates all of its available torque immediately, giving it that nippy quick acceleration that you will certainly enjoy. The top speeds aren’t that different between electric and petrol/diesel cars, but one big difference is that there won’t be the noisy revving sound of the engine on an electric vehicle. Although we can imagine this will be missed greatly by many..
5. ‘They’re not any better for the environment than other cars’
There has been research to show that electric cars are better for the environment. This is because they produce less greenhouse gases and pollutants compared to petrol and diesel vehicles, including the generation of electricity that is needed to fuel electric vehicles and also the production of vehicles. The increase of electric vehicles will lead to better air quality in cities; reduced air pollution and reduced noise pollution. Due to their lithium-ion batteries, there is no car fuel that is being burned which means no air pollution is produced through CO2.
There are still arguments that they pollute the atmosphere through the electricity produced to run them and the battery manufacture. Even taking this into account, electric cars are the greener option with the reduction in emissions produced.
6. ‘It is expensive to maintain and repair electric cars’
Of course electric cars will still need servicing, however it will be a lot simpler than servicing and maintenance for petrol or diesel cars. While the internal combustion engine of a petrol or diesel car has as many as 2000 moving parts, an electric vehicle’s drive train has around 20. So with fewer moving parts there is a lot less to go wrong! There will be the main things that need to get checked including the battery pack, cabling, brakes, wheels, steering etc. The good news is through fewer parts and regenerative braking causing less wear and tear, an electric car can be cheaper to service and maintain.
So now that we’ve busted those common myths about electric vehicles, it might be time to think about getting ahead of the game in the run up to the 2030 ban. Leasing an electric car is an affordable way to make the change from petrol and diesel cars through fixed monthly payments, so check out all the available electric car lease deals or electric van lease deals on LeaseLoco.
*All prices correct at time of publishing.