Is the electric vehicles better or worse?
In: Other
So I can’t speak to higher end cars but I bought a 2022 Hyundai Kona in 2022. I am over the road truck driver and I can be out on the road working 2 to 3 weeks at a time, home from 2 to 5 days then back out again.
I seriously considered either a hybrid or an EV instead of an ICE. I looked at them in Hyundais and other small SUVs similar to what I have. The reason I decided not too, was the initial cost of the hybrids and EVs put them to the outer range of my planned budget for buying a car. They added 15000 to 25000 more on the price of the car.
The other factor was the modern small SUVs are getting decent fuel mileage. My Kona is rated at 35 highway, but if I cruise a bit below the speed limit, I get 40 in mine. And because I drive my car to my truck terminal and park it for a couple of weeks, it sits a lot and my fuel use is low. And when I am home driving around my town, I am getting over 30 mpg. My trip from my house to my workplace is 50 miles.
So for me that initial difference in purchase price factored in as I had a sizable down payment and trade in to end up with lower monthly payments. Everyone’s situation is different and different factors are going to come into play with the reasons they choose EV over ICE. In my case, it was money. I could have afforded the more expensive car but it would have meant less money in my pocket on a monthly basis. I am 63 and probably never going make more money than I am right now.
Edit: want to add, with my situation my fuel costs are averaging 30 to 40 dollars a month. That’s pretty cheap.
EV advantages:
Little maintenance needed
Faster acceleration
Can refill at home while you sleep
Quieter
Cheaper fuel cost
Gas advantages:
Refills faster/less often during road trips
Cheaper purchase price
Define better or worse, what do you want from a car? Mileage, performance, low maintenance, comfort, etc?
Full disclosure: I’m a huge car and motorsports enthusiast. I love all things petrol. I don’t own an EV, but I do think they’re really cool as a means of transportation. I don’t get excited about them the way that I do traditional ICE cars, but as an enthusiast who loves automotive engineering, I think it’s very hard to deny some of their advantages.
Electric drivelines are mechanically much simpler than ICE drivelines. They do require sophisticated electrical components to control the motors, but these components have no moving parts, so they don’t wear out, and we know how to make them very reliably.
Electric motors produce far less noise and vibration than an ICE. This means that during operation, you don’t feel any of the vibration or thrum of the motors.
Electric motors produce very little noise. ICEs produce exhaust noise, intake noise, as well as mechanical noise during operation.
Electric motors produce smooth, linear acceleration, without the need for a gearbox. If you’ve ever driven an EV, one of the first things you notice is the lack of shifting. Even a really good ICE and transmission will have some deviation in acceleration when it shifts, even under the best of circumstances. Under difficult circumstances, this deviation only gets worse. EVs can accelerate smoothly regardless of speed or conditions.
EVs require less maintenance. There is no oil to change, and because they use regenerative braking, you don’t need to do brake jobs nearly as frequently. There are also no air filters, accessory belts, timing chains, etc.
There are downsides, of course. EVs make the most sense if you have somewhere to charge them at home. If you don’t have a place to charge it at home, they can be far less convenient.
Because EVs rely on batteries, refueling takes a lot of time compared to an ICE. You can fill a gas tank in under 5 minutes. Charging an EV battery to 80% can happen in as little as 15 minutes, but that’s still three times as long as ICE refueling.
EVs require very large battery packs, and these battery packs are heavy. This makes EVs heavier, on average, when compared with similar ICE powered vehicles. A Tesla Model S, for example, weighs about 1,000 lbs more than a BMW 5 series. This means they cause more wear on tires and on the roads.
The major wear item on an EV is the battery, which is many times more expensive than any service item on an ICE powered car, but the battery lasts many years.
Ultimately, whether an EV is better or worse will come down to how you use it and whether you have a place to charge it. If you have a way to charge at home and the vast majority of your driving fits within the range window of the EV, they’re fantastic. If you frequently drive long distances, or you have no way to charge the EV at home, they’re far less appealing.
All I can say is – I have an EV and so does my wife. Neither of use would go back to ICE cars. EVs are just so much nicer to drive.
These are some of the main points, however some are very subjective, and also subject to change day to day depending on new EV innovations.
EV Pros
– Fast acceleration
– Low normal maintenance costs
– If you charge at home, you always wake up with a “full tank” of fuel
– Depending on the source of your generated electricity, emissions still tend to be lower than gasoline vehicles
– Typical research shows that even with the environmental costs associated with battery and rare mineral excavation, the total environmental impact for the lifecycle of an EV tends to be lower than a gasoline vehicle.
– Quiet when operating
– Refueling can theoretically be done via self-generated solar (however the initial solar investment cost of course is large)
– More fuel efficient in stop and go traffic
– Depending on EV model, the total cost of ownership with all costs involved can be lower than many gasoline competitors
EV Cons
– Refueling takes longer than stopping at a gas station
– Longer road trips take more time due to occasional charge stops (usually only a consideration if you don’t need bathroom breaks or need to get somewhere ASAP)
– Apartment dwellers can often time have a hard time making the charging logistics work
– EVs tend to be heavier and due to this and higher torque, they tend to be harder on many types of tires
– Compared to some supercars, after 60 MPH, a multi-gear transmission can outpace many EVs in the higher speed ranges when accelerating (the Porsche Taycan has a 2 gear transmission, so EVs technically can overcome this)
– Depending on the EV manufacturer’s charge plug, some public charging infrastructure can be unreliable (becoming hopefully less of an issue as the industry standardizes on the NACS plug pioneered by Tesla)
– Often times has higher insurance costs, and seems to be easier to total a vehicle. Often times repair costs can be higher compared to established mid-range brands
– Towing will significantly reduce range of an EV, and while it also reduces the MPG of a gasoline car, the faster refueling becomes a bigger issue compared to EVs
– Max range of a EV impacted a fair amount by swings in temperature, and while gasoline cars are also impacted, again the refueling speed is magnified here
– EVs tend to be a bit higher priced compared to equivalent Gasoline vehicles as far as fit, finish, and features are concerned, however this is vastly subjective
The electric motor is far superior to a combustion engine when it comes to generating power (making wheels spin). Torque delivery, efficiency, harshness, quietness, durability and longevity, all of these are much much better in an electric motor.
I always tell people that wonder about maintenance and life with an EV to think about their lithium power drill vs their gas powered hedge trimmer. Obviously a silly simplification, but it does help illustrate the maintenance differences for the drivetrain itself (virtually zero for EV vs regular oil changes + more on gas cars)
The problem with electric vehicles, and the question, is whether current battery tech is advanced enough for society to switch over. It probably isn’t, yet, on a major scale due to materials needed and energy density limitations (weight and size). However, I would argue a good modern EV, even with its limitations, is more than capable of replacing the average consumers gas car.
Their advantages over gas vehicles include a need for much less maintenance and, when charged at home, greater convenience – the owner wakes up each morning with a full charge and never needs to stop at a fuel/power station.
On the other hand, many are slow to charge at public stations when on trips that exceed their daily range, and the charging stations may be hard to find, out of order, or already in use.
Also, EVs are much quieter, tend to have better acceleration and overall performance, and don’t produce disgusting and dangerous exhaust.
Less maintenance, fewer parts to break, no emissions, less noise, more storage space, faster acceleration, cheaper per kilometer.
I have a gas car and an electric car, and I think the EV is better in every way. It’s quicker, quieter, smoother, and just generally performs better in every way. It’s also way more convenient, because I just plug it in overnight and it’s always full when I need it. No wondering if I need to stop to fill up, and no more having to touch nasty gas pumps. Also, based on the cost of electricity where I live, I can fill up my EV for like $5 and it gets me around 300 miles or so. The gas car has been relegated to the spot of long road tripper, and that’s only because EV infrastructure isn’t quite there yet.
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