Electric Vehicles (EVs) are becoming more and more popular, but are they really worth it? My family recently bought a Nissan Leaf, and so far we have been loving it. After owning it for a few months I feel like I can give it a pretty solid evaluation. In addition, here is a super helpful article from Consumer Reports if you would like to learn more about EVs. In this article I address some common concerns people raise about EVs.
1. They're expensive
Now, I know what you're thinking: "you ignorant elitist, it's a privilege to own an electric car, a privilege most of us can't afford." Well, you're not wrong, but just hear me out. While new Teslas are typically somewhere around $80-$100 thousand dollars, which will certainly put a dent in your wallet, there are cheaper alternatives. We got our Leaf used for $7800 which is a very reasonable price, especially since it only had around 22,000 miles on it. Moreover, consider it an investment. Owning an EV is cheaper in the long run since electricity is less expensive than gas. For example, according to Consumer Reports, the Nissan Leaf costs approximately 3.5 cents per mile to operate while the 32 mpg Toyota Corolla costs about 12 cents per mile. Finally, the more interest there is in EVs, the more models are put out, the more competition among manufacturers, production costs will decline and so will consumer prices.
2. Are they really better for the environment?
A lot of people point out that most electricity comes from fossil fuels, such as coal. If you're using fossil fuels to generate electricity, how is that better than using them in a gas tank? For one thing, it takes less fossil fuels to generate enough electricity to power an EV than it takes to fill up a typical gas tank. Secondly, more and more electricity is generated from sustainable sources such as wind, solar, and hydroelectric. Ideally, if there is enough public demand, all electricity will come from sustainable sources which would make EVs very environmentally friendly.
3. Their range is limited
It is true that the range of an EV, especially of the less expensive models, is much smaller than that of a typical car. However, manufacturers are quickly improving the range of electric cars so that hopefully in a few years they will be just as travel-friendly as gas cars. Also, it's all about the mindset. For my family, the Leaf's 70-88 mile range is fine for traveling to and from work and driving around town. You can technically travel further than that, it just takes a bit more planning because you have to look up the locations of charging stations ahead of time. Again, as demand for EVs rises, there will likely be more charging stations so you won't have to worry so much about running out of charge.
4. They take a long time to charge
Again, true, but again, this will hopefully get better with time. It's easy enough to charge it overnight every night at your house-- that's what my family does. Also, there are three levels of charging stations (with 1 being the slowest-- a 120V outlet). Level 3 charging stations only take about a half hour for an 80% charge. You can install a level 2 charger at your house which reduces charging time to 3-4 hours.
5. They don't handle as well
Ok, given that I'm only 20 years old and haven't driven that many cars in my lifetime, I have no complaints about how the Nissan Leaf drives. If you don't trust my opinion, my parents (who are in their respectable late-middle age years) agree. The steering is tight, I've had no problems with highway driving, and I've even driven it in the snow and ice! The Leaf actually has three driving modes that are more and less energy efficient and switching modes affects how fast the car accelerates.
So, the major takeaways: EVs are not as inconvenient as they may seem and they will only get better with time, especially if there is a high demand for them.
