I’m asking this without bias. Just genuine curiosity. Cause I don’t understand (hence eli5 lol). Why are they being pushed right now when it’s known that almost all EVs have ranges that are quite low? Compared to the amount of miles one may get with a full tank of gas that is.
Surely they would focus more on increasing the amount of range per charge to match what you can get in terms of gas in a newer gas powered car (closer to 500). Instead of setting laws in place to phase gas out before electric is even fully developed.
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My current ICE car only get ~325 in range, whereas my EV got 300. It’s not that big of a difference for a lot of cars.
But even granting that gas powered cars do have a range advantage, the reasons EVs are becoming more common (we have a long time until they are really “standard”) are:
* Convenience. It was really nice having a full battery every morning when I left for work, or being able to charge at a lot of different businesses or parking garages while I shopped or worked.
* Environment. While the environmental impact of an EV is not zero, multiple studies have shown it is far less of an impact than gas vehicles.
* Driving preference. While I am a pure commuter and not in any way a sports car person, one thing I really loved about my EV was just how fun it was to drive. You have absolutely instant acceleration.
* Lower gas and maintenance costs. Electricity costs less in most areas compared to gasoline costs. Another big thing though is you don’t need nearly as much maintenance as with a gas car. No oil changes. Very few other fluids to deal with. Fewer moving parts, belts, or bits that can break. I think I spent more in a quarter on maintenance in my gas car than in a year on my EV. Most also have regenerative braking, which means less wear and tear on your brakes. So those shouldn’t have to be changed as often either.
EV aren’t for everybody yet, but they are generally really good vehicles and frankly we’ll almost all be driving them in the next 20 years or less.
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