Electric cars are being sold more and more. This will increase in the future. The range is getting longer, charging is faster and it is good for the environment. Almost all brands are coming out with multiple electric models. But what should you look for when considering buying an electric car? We have listed the most important advantages and disadvantages.

Electric car: the main advantages

An electric car is better for the environment

An electric car needs no fuel to run on and therefore has no emissions. This is good for the environment.

Electric driving is cheap

Buying a new electric car now costs a lot of money. If more and more people buy an electric car, this will become less in the future. Electricity is getting cheaper and cheaper. The car can be charged with solar panels or wind power. There are also fewer parts in electric cars, making maintenance cheaper. There are also tax advantages, more on this later in this article. In many countries, individuals and companies can get tax breaks or subsidies when they start driving electric.

Noise and speed

An electric car accelerates quickly because it has no gears. Also, the cars are quiet and do not smell and have no emissions because no fuel goes into the car and no combustion takes place.

Electric driving is convenience

Charging is perfectly possible at home with your car so you no longer have to fill up your car during rain. If you charge your car at night, you will have a full battery again in the morning. Also, nowadays there are more and more public charging stations and fast charging stations are coming up.

Disadvantages of electric driving

There are many advantages to electric driving. However, there are also disadvantages. In the coming years, however, these disadvantages are going to become less and less important as electric cars become more and more accepted. Batteries will become bigger and stronger and charging will increase in speed.

Charging takes a long time

Charging your battery takes longer than filling up with fuel. If you do not use a fast charger, your car will often charge at 11 km/h at home on mains power and 44 km/h at a public charging station. Fast chargers can charge up to 1,200 mph and superchargers from Tesla even above 1,500 mph. However, you have to keep planning.

Number of charging stations is limited

There are still too few charging stations. If you want to charge in the city center, for example, you sometimes have to park far away from your destination if you want to charge. You can find all the charging stations with various apps, though. You can then also see if they are occupied and how fast the charging points are.

Limited range

An electric car usually doesn’t get you as far as a fuel car, however, this is changing rapidly. So you do need to plan your long trips well. A car with fast charging capability ensures that your car is recharged fairly quickly. Especially if you drive with a caravan or trailer, it is important that you plan your trip well.

Price of purchase

The price of an electric car is still relatively high at the time of writing but will likely become cheaper in the future due to faster and easier manufacturing processes. Also, electric cars have a lot fewer parts than a fuel car and can theoretically be produced more cheaply.

The car has no emissions, producing (and charging) a car does

Although an electric car has no emissions, producing a car does. Batteries in particular are not environmentally friendly and need to be properly recycled. Much power is not currently generated from clean energy but by coal-fired power plants, for example.

Is an electric car inexpensive?

In the purchase, an electric car is not advantageous, especially for individuals. However, more and more two-hand cars are coming on the market. For business owners, there are various tax advantages for electric cars. However, there will be tax changes in the coming years. For example, there will be quite a few changes in the tax addition for company electric cars in the coming years. Additional taxes for company cars are tied to the registration number. In case of an interim purchase, you take this addition with you. For used cars, therefore, pay close attention to how long a certain additional taxable benefit still applies.

How does an electric car work?

Electric cars are powered by an electric motor instead of a traditional internal combustion engine. The electric motor is powered by a battery, which stores electrical energy that can be used to power the vehicle.

Converting electrical energy into mechanical energy

The battery stores electrical energy in the form of chemical energy. When the driver presses the gas pedal, the electric motor converts the stored electrical energy into mechanical energy, which drives the vehicle’s wheels. The electric motor is more efficient than a traditional internal combustion engine because it loses less energy to heat and friction. Electric cars typically use one or more electric motors, which may be located at the front, rear or both ends of the vehicle. The amount of power the electric motor can produce is determined by the amount of energy stored in the battery and the efficiency of the motor.

Recharging

When the car is in use, the battery’s charge decreases, and the car must be recharged by plugging it in. Electric cars can be charged in several ways, the most common being by plugging them into a charging station, which can take several hours to overnight, depending on the charging level and power of the charging station. Charging can also be done by regenerative braking, which uses the energy generated by the brake pads to charge the battery. Electric cars have fewer moving parts than traditional cars, so they require less maintenance and have a longer lifespan.

Buying an electric car near you

Are you considering buying an electric car? Then check out what’s for sale in your area!