Almost daily I see lies and FUD spread about electric cars in the media. Its pretty frustrating to see so many people instantly believe what they read without doing any actual research themselves. Here are some of the common misconceptions and myths spread about EV's, they are in no particular order.
Do yourself and the planet a favour and don't believe everything you see on Social Media
- Limited Range: One of the most common misconceptions is that electric cars have limited range and cannot travel long distances. While early electric vehicles did have limited ranges, modern electric cars are equipped with more advanced batteries that offer a much-improved range. Many electric cars can now travel well over 200 miles on a single charge. Figures from EV Database, which collates statistics of every EV on sale right now, show the average range you can expect from an electric car in 2023 in real-world conditions is 219 miles. Note: A number of cars can obtain significantly more miles than this on a single charge (300+), this is simply the average.
- Slow Performance: Some people believe that electric cars are slow and lack power compared to traditional gasoline-powered vehicles. However, electric motors provide instant torque, which can actually make them faster off the line than many internal combustion engine cars.
- Lack of Charging Infrastructure: Another myth is that there isn't enough charging infrastructure to support electric vehicles. While the charging network is still growing, it has expanded significantly in recent years, and most electric car owners primarily charge at home, making public charging less critical for daily use.
- Higher Maintenance Costs: Electric cars are often perceived to have higher maintenance costs. In reality, they have fewer moving parts than traditional cars, leading to reduced maintenance needs and potentially lower costs in the long run.
- Limited Model Choices: Some people believe that there is a limited selection of electric car models available. However, more and more automakers are introducing electric vehicle options to meet the growing demand for sustainable transportation. Some manufacturers can't keep up production to meet demand.
- Environmental Impact of Battery Production: More often that not I see the argument that the environmental impact of producing electric vehicle batteries negates their environmental benefits. While battery production does have an environmental footprint, studies show that electric cars' overall lifetime emissions are still much lower compared to conventional vehicles.
- Fire Hazard: Another very common theme on social media is that EV's are more prone to catching on fire than ICE cars. There have of course been some incidents of electric vehicles catching fire. However, the rate of fires in electric cars is much lower than in traditional gasoline-powered vehicles.
- High Cost: It is often believed that electric cars are too expensive for the average consumer. While the upfront cost of electric vehicles can be higher than gasoline cars, there are various incentives, tax credits, and lower operating costs that can make them more affordable over time. Tesla is one of the manuafcturers that has been driving down the cost of there EV's in recent months.
Do yourself and the planet a favour and don't believe everything you see on Social Media