Common Electric Car Myths and Why They are Wrong

Electric cars are becoming more and more popular every day, but there are still a lot of misconceptions about them. In this article, we’ll look at some of the most common electric car myths and why they are wrong.

Myth 1: Electric Cars cannot go long distances

Electric cars are a great way to reduce your carbon footprint, but many people still think they can’t travel very far. In fact, most electric cars can travel up to 200 miles on a single charge. This number will be even higher in the future, as technology constantly improves.

200 miles in the UK is quite a long distance and is around 3-4 hours of driving. Not stopping for longer than this is very rare as you’ll inevitably have bladder range issues before you have battery range issues.

Most modern electric cars will use a fast-charging protocol such as CSS, the maximum speed a car can charge will vary, however, it is not uncommon to be able to charge from 10-80% in as little as 20 minutes, thus allowing you to continue on your mammoth journey.

We’ve put together a post on how far an electric car can go for a full look at what the range of an electric car looks like in the real world.

Myth 2: Electric Car Batteries Don’t Last Long

This is another common myth about electric cars. In fact, electric car batteries can last for up to 10 years or more. They are designed to be cycled thousands of times. So if you’re worried about your battery dying before you sell it, don’t be – it’ll likely last far longer than you expect.

It is worth noting that the lifespan of your electric car battery will depend on how often you use it. If you drive your electric car regularly, the battery will last longer than if you only use it occasionally.

Battery technology is improving all the time and with the latest LFP battery technology, you can cycle the battery much more and charge it to 100% without issues in longevity.

Myth 3: Electric Cars Will Die if Stuck in a Long Traffic Jam

There’s also the myth that electric cars will die if they get stuck in a long traffic jam. This is definitely not true – in fact, electric cars can handle being stuck in traffic much better than traditional petrol cars.

One reason for this is that electric cars don’t have to idle in traffic like petrol cars do. This wastes petrol and can cause the engine to overheat. Electric cars, on the other hand, can just use less power to continue to heat the cabin and run the lights.

A lot of electric cars now have heat pumps installed which makes them even more efficient, so they can go even longer without running out.

Myth 4: Electric Cars Are Worse for the Environment Than Petrol Cars

This is definitely not the case. In fact, electric cars are much better for the environment than petrol cars.

One reason for this is that electric cars produce zero emissions. This means that they don’t contribute to air pollution, which is a major problem in cities. Petrol cars, on the other hand, produce harmful emissions that can cause serious health problems.

Production emissions are often cited as a major reason for the increased pollution of electric cars, however, this has not been proven. In fact, in a lot of cases, the carbon footprint in electric cars is lower due to the green goals of the company.

A lot of companies make sure to generate power from green sources and some even have their own solar or wind sources.

AN example of this is Volkwagen’s Wolfsburg factory where they are aiming to be carbon neutral by 2025

Myth 5: Electric Cars Are Expensive

Electric cars can be more expensive to buy than petrol cars, when looking at the sale value of brand new cars. However, the cost of cars is not just in the upfront cost, running costs play an important role in your overall vehicle expenditure.

One cost-saving is in maintenance, electric cars don’t need as much maintenance as petrol cars. There are no oil changes or tune-ups necessary – in fact, the only thing you need to do to maintain an electric car is change wiper blades and tyres.

There are other non-maintenance costs to electric cars. For example, if you travel a lot by car, an electric car could save you a lot on fuel costs. Electricity is a lot cheaper than petrol and even with the energy prices increase like we are seeing in April 2022, you will still stand to spend a lot less than petrol over the period of owning the car. in fact, currently, electric cars cost on average around 1/10th of the cost of petrol in the UK.

The resale value is important to consider too. Most people pay for cars via finances and residual values in PCP are higher amongst electric cars than their petrol equivalents, primarily due to the lack of moving parts and maintenance required for the car. The less that can break and needs replacing the higher the car will be valued in the future.

There is some argument to be had about the second-hand market being more expensive than petrol and diesel, but this is hardly fair considering these vehicles are still very new to the market. Given time we will start to see second-hand bargains and less of an argument for second-hand vehicles.

Where are these myths coming from?

It is important to remember that there are still many investors in fossil fuels and they have a vested interest in slowing down the change to electric. There are also many car manufacturers who are slow to the uptake of electric vehicles and so want to slow down the change whilst they get up to speed with their own construction.

It’s important to take these stories and myths with a pinch of salt and consider talking to current EV owners about their own experience, you may find that a lot of these myths are completely false and an electric car could be exactly the right thing for you.