It is becoming increasingly difficult to justify buying a new car that is not electric at this point. Even if environmental standards are not your top priority, 2020’s electric cars offer longer ranges, impressive performance, tax and charge exemptions, and exceptionally low running costs – so why are car manufacturers still selling petrol and diesel machines?
Range fears
Today’s electric cars are more efficient and have better batteries than ever, so unless you live in a very remote area it is likely you will be able to make your trip on a single charge. The latest Teslas can go for nearly 400 miles on a single charge, and with the average UK car journey only 22 minutes long there will be no issue with the return trip.
It is true that not all electric cars are created equal in terms of distance per charge, but many electric cars will now get you from London to Edinburgh without the need for a recharge – a trip that will also take a whole tank of petrol.
Slow charging
We are still a little way off being able to charge an electric car as quickly as you can fill up a gas tank at the petrol station, but both batteries and charging stations are improving all the time. Taking the Tesla as an example again, you can charge the battery to 50% in 20 minutes, 80% in 40 minutes, or to 100% in 75 minutes. A quick petrol stop may only take 10 minutes, but it will also cost you over £50 whilst charging an electric car will be around a tenth of that.
Charging incompatibility
As with any new technology, companies are vying to be the dominant force in the industry, and whilst the competition is good for progress it does sometimes lead to annoyances like incompatibility. CHAdeMO, Combo Charging System, and Tesla Supercharger are all vying for supremacy at the moment, and so it is possible you may not be able to fast charge your car at every port. If ever there was a time for the EU to step in and impose a universal standard this would be it!
Petrol cars are getting cleaner
Petrol and diesel cars are becoming more efficient, with a modern exhausts capturing more particulates before they escape than ever. However, they still produce magnitudes more CO2 and other pollutants than electric cars, where the energy can be produced on scale from green increasingly sources like wind and solar.
If you already own an petrol or diesel car then it may not be the best option of you to upgrade yet as manufacturing a car is still bad for the environment, and instead upgrading to a new and more efficient filter or catalytic converter could keep pollutants low. The aftermarket offers a variety of converters and diesel particulate filters for sale that may improve the green credentials of your car.
Nonetheless, if you are looking for a new car then at this point it probably should be electric.