Electric vehicles are the future, but anyone that tells you EVs are perfect, ignore them and run away because they’re lying to you.
At EV Pulse, we firmly believe battery-powered cars and pickup trucks will revolutionize how we get around, emphasis on will. The problem is we live in the present, not the future, and I’m pretty sure no one has invented a time machine just yet.
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Electric vehicles offer undeniable benefits, but they are not ideal for all drivers in every situation 100% of the time. In fact, for some people they’re not even adequate, and may never be. For instance, if you tow horse trailers, live off the grid at the top of a mountain or need to haul cubic yards of slag sand every day, an EV isn’t going to cut it. Aside from all that, electric vehicle range is dramatically reduced in cold weather, so, if you reside in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, you might not want a Nissan Leaf. Another downside is that EVs are often expensive and can be hard to get — the Hyundai Ioniq 5, for example, isn’t even available in all 50 states. Aside from what Tesla offers, America’s public charging network is a joke and finally, our electrical grid is not up to snuff if everybody starts plugging their cars in.
These are all real concerns, ones that EV detractors are absolutely correct in pointing out, even if they often miss the broader picture. Still, even with these limitations, I’d say probably half of American drivers would be better off with an EV than an internal-combustion-powered car or truck, and for myriad reasons. Out of the gate, you “refuel” right at home and can have a full battery every morning when it’s time to go to the office. How convenient is that? EVs have dramatically fewer moving parts than combustion-powered cars and trucks, no pistons or rings, bearing inserts or valve seats, fuel injectors or lash adjusters, hell, count the links in a timing chain if you really want to go crazy. All of those moving parts are potential failure points and electrics have far fewer of them. Vehicle maintenance is also greatly reduced with EVs; you never have to go in for an oil change and brake jobs are far less frequent thanks to regenerative braking. And lastly, from a driving standpoint, EVs are nearly silent and practically vibration free, plus they typically have loads of torque right off the line for quick getaways.
So, if you rarely drive long-distances, don’t need to tow or haul mountains, and you have a place at home to Level 2 charge, I’d say get an EV and you’ll probably be very happy.
Obviously, we love electrics here at EV Pulse, but we’re also realists. We understand that EVs aren’t perfect — I mean, what vehicle is? — and that’s something you, the car-buying public need to be aware of if you’re not already. Going forward, the downsides of electric vehicles will decrease as battery technology advances and the charging infrastructure improves, but these changes will take time.
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So, anyone that tells you EVs are perfect for everyone in all situations is either lying or they’re a Tesla shill or something, so, watch out, because they may also tell you their collection of Beanie Babies is a great retirement investment.
