Electric vehicles (or EVs) are one of the most popular choices of locomotive in today’s world. The earliest form of production of EVs dates as early as the mid 19th century. However, their massive popularity and practicality make complete sense in our current times. So, is the EV the next big change in the automobile industry? Continue reading to know more.
What is an EV?
The simplest form of explanation for what an EV is, a vehicle that runs primarily on electricity. The popular form of locomotive vehicles has been fuel-based and this has been the case for a long time. However, concerns like the rising cost of maintenance, usability, environmental-friendliness gave rise to other forms of power sources for vehicles. This means apart from petrol and diesel, energy sources like FCEVs, Natural Gas, Propane, Biodiesel and Electricity are some of the emerging choices to power vehicles.
Apart from the popularly and commonly used petrol and diesel, electricity is becoming a preferred choice for the modern power source of vehicles. Here are some of the reasons that place EVs over the other popular forms.
Low Cost to Run
Driving cost an EV over the course of, let’s say, 5 years is much lower when compared to petrol or diesel-based vehicles. Driving a petrol car can cost significantly higher than an electric car of the same section. This is true not only for per mile cost, but also for maintainance and other aspects.
Environment-Friendly
Petrol and diesel-based cars emit harmful gases, in the form of smoke, that mixes up in the air and pollutes the atmosphere. On the other hand, EVs do not emit harmful gases which makes them very eco-friendly.
Also, most petrol and diesel vehicles produce loud noises through motor-running and exhaust, which causes noise pollution, noticeable in busy city areas. But electric vehicles operate in complete silence and thus are very environmentally friendly by being noise-free.
Low Maintenance cost
The primary equipment for any EV is its battery unit. But most EV manufacturers give a 5 to 8 years of warranty on batteries so you don’t have to worry about huge battery replacement costs for a long time. Also, EVs engines have considerably fewer moving parts than an average petrol/diesel vehicle. This makes it more immuned for a long period and altogether helps you maintain a low maintenance cost.
Easy to Drive
While many people prefer manual gearshift, a huge proportion of the modern population likes to avoid the hassle. EVs generally come with no clutch paddle or gearbox, which makes it much easier to drive for someone who doesn’t know how to operate a manual transmission.
Future-proof
In every sector, be that running cost, maintenance cost, the practicality of usage and others, the EV is a future-proof option if you were hesitant to do that. Electricity is easily available, environmentally friendly, has the proper power and is easy to operate. The more the years go by, EVs will keep improving making them a viable choice for all kinds of customers.
The few downsides of an EV
Like everything else, EVs too have some downsides, which can be vital for some customers. The upfront cost for an EV is higher than a petrol/diesel car of that range. In the long-term, it tends to hold up through low maintenance and running costs. The average range for an EV on a full charge is usually lower than a full tank car. The range on the newer EVs is increasing but it will take some time to catch up.
Also, charging up an EV takes a considerable amount of time. You have to either carry a charger or find a charging station to charge it up. On the other hand, petrol/diesel cars can be filled up in minutes. Fuel pumps are easily and widely available throughout the nation of most countries.
This makes electric vehicles a less preferred option for long-range travels in some countries that don’t have many charging stations.
EV or Petrol/Diesel Car for the Future?
There are many points mentioned above which will give you a fair difference between these two types of vehicles. In some cases, the EV pulls up a win whereas, in some other instances, the petrol/diesel car still stands victorious. Electric vehicles also have the concern of safe battery disposal which also requires long-term solution.
In the long-term, electric vehicles are objectively a better (and cleaner) technology with a lot of room to grow. Many of these cars already have power and the torque which matches with its competitors. With a improvements and tweaks, they will slowly replace fuel cars in the near future. Thus the fact that the EV is the next big change in the worldwide automobile industry is undeniable.
