Why Buy An EV?
Electric car adoption is taking place at an accelerated rate. Many consumers are ditching their petrol-powered cars for an “electrified” alternative. As radical as that might sound to a car enthusiast, for the practical everyday man, it makes perfect sense.
That’s because an electric car is far simpler to live with. Instead of the motor consisting of hundreds of moving parts like that of an internal combustion engine, there are only a handful of them.
What are the main advantages to owning an EV?
Instant power when you need it
It’s the most appealing aspect of owning an EV. The thrill of experiencing your car sprints down the road like it was powered by a rocket. Even the most basic electric vehicles on sale today offer this characteristic to a varying degree.
Unlike ICE cars, which need to reach a certain powerband to deliver decent acceleration, EV motors give everything they have the moment you step on the throttle. It’s this instant power delivery that gives them the sports car level of performance.
This torque delivery is what’s difficult to compete with and hence their allure. Tesla takes this a step further by offering an option to preheat the battery pack for a more efficient power delivery. This results in a 0-100km/h acceleration time of under 3 seconds.
Never visit a petrol station again
Going to a petrol station to fill up is a minor inconvenience at best. But the frequency at which one must do it, especially if they drive a fuel guzzling car can prove to be a tiresome affair. The matter is exacerbated due to the constant threat of a fuel price hike.
Granted, available EV charging stations are far fewer than petrol ones and the “fill up” times are longer as well, but you have the option to charge them at home. Leaving your EV charging with this slower option is better for your battery health in the long term.
No spark plugs or messy engine oils to change
An ICE car has many moving parts in its engine, which need to be lubricated. That isn’t the case with an EV. As such, you can do away with the engine oil, oil filter and spark plug replacements. Neither do you have to worry about replacing worn timing belts/chains or troublesome alternators.
In fact, there’s not much to do with an EV service other than checking on faults with the car and monitoring its overall battery health, cooling system, brakes, and power steering fluid.
Fewer things to go wrong
Petrol engines are complicated machines that require many components to work in unison for proper operation. As an ICE vehicle ages, certain parts can fail including the water pump, failing alternator, coil pack, fuel injectors, fuel pump, fuel line ruptures, engine gaskets and countless other things.
Then there are the engine issues, which include cracked piston rings, bent valves and other compromised parts of the engine that lead to coolant or oil entering the combustion chambers. These are some of many points of failures to consider of an aging vehicle.
For an EV, the main point of concern is the battery pack. If it’s been looked after, chances are it can still serve you well despite being 8 to 10 years old. Battery degradation also depends on how the vehicle has been treated in its lifetime.
