Pros and Cons of Electric Cars

Knowing about the pros and cons of electric cars will help you decide whether you should get one or not. Electric cars were first invented in the 1830s.

That’s right: even before gas-powered cars. However, the first models were impractical, low-powered, and simply not competitive with their gas counterparts.

Consequently, interest and development in these vehicles stalled (no pun intended). That is until Elon Musk decided to invest an immense amount of funds and research into them in the last decade. The result is a car that not only matches gas-powered cars in most categories it actually exceeds them in many.

Tesla is certainly a controversial car, but one thing is for sure: it played a huge role in the electric car revolution we see today. Elon Musk’s company transformed the electric car from fantasy to a viable mode of transportation and then again into a sexy trend.

How he did this remains a topic for a different day, but the consequences can’t be ignored in any discussion of electric vehicles. Car companies across the board are now racing to produce competitive electric options for their consumers.

The obvious winning criterion is that EVs (electric vehicles) give off zero emissions to drive. This is an absolutely massive win for the environmental activist community. The transportation sector was responsible for 29% of the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the US in 2019.

That made it the biggest contributor to emissions that year. Although that figure includes commercial transportation, planes, ships, and other vehicles, the EV revolution has implications across the board. In any case, 58% of that contribution was due to personal transportation.

EVs vs. Other Alternative Cars

Electric cars aren’t the only low-emissions vehicles on the market. As you’re probably aware, other options include hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and hydrogen cars. Hybrids use a combination of electric batteries and gas engines.

The car can switch between these two sources of energy depending on the available resources and the power the car needs. The “traditional” hybrid can’t be charged, so the battery gets energy from the functioning of the engine, especially the brakes.

Plug-in hybrids can be charged at a charging station or home outlet, making it much easier to rely on their electric power. Plus, these are much more powerful than the infamously weak traditional hybrid.

Hydrogen, or fuel-cell cars, work a little bit differently. They use a hydrogen engine to power an electric motor. Because of this setup, the only emissions they give off are water. While hydrogen cars show a lot of promise for the future, there still aren’t many hydrogen pumps available to the average driver.

Hybrids and hydrogen cars can be great options, but they miss out on many of the advantages of fully electric vehicles. With more and more charging stations every day, electric vehicles are increasingly becoming the preferred option.

But they’re still pretty unfamiliar to most drivers, and it’s not surprising that many people hesitate before investing in one. To help clarify things, here’s what you need to know about the pros and cons of electric cars. If you find this informative, check out our article on how to drive less.

The Pros and Cons of Electric Cars

Pros

Let’s start with the environmental pros. As mentioned, EVs emit 0 GHGs to drive. There are still GHG emissions associated with the production and disposal of these cars, as well as generating the electricity they run on.

However, these still come out significantly lower than gas-powered cars. And with more and more development in renewable sources of electricity, this difference can only increase.

While the environmental advantages are relatively obvious, modern EVs offer so many other benefits to the consumer. Unlike electric cars of the past, drivers no longer need to worry about how far they can get on a full battery.

The Tesla can go about the same distance on a full battery as its gas-powered counterpart can on a full tank (although other EVs usually don’t go quite as far yet). Here are some of the other pros for the consumer:

1. Charging is cheaper than buying gas, and for the solar-powered home, it’s potentially free!
2. Some states provide up to $7,500 in tax deductions for your EV (Teslas excluded).
3. Electric motors are not just equal to gas engines: they’re much more powerful. Specifically, the torque on EVs is unmatched by any gas-powered car. That means that your EV can hit its top speed in a fraction of the time.
4. EVs require significantly less maintenance than gas-powered cars. With fewer parts, less friction, no gearbox, and no engine, there’s simply so much less that can go wrong. Plus, most manufacturers provide a ten-year warranty for any car you’ll buy today, so if something does go wrong, you’re covered.
5. Fewer parts and no engine also mean a lot more economy of space. That’s more legroom and storage, including a “frunk” in some models: an additional trunk in the front of the car where the engine would be! Meanwhile, the bottom of the car is much higher, offering better ground clearance for those who are excited to go off-roading.
6. Gas-powered cars must be sold through a dealership, but some states allow EVs to be sold fully online. Dealerships often mark the car price way up, so buying online avoids this extra cost altogether.
7. EVs are famously quiet. This might not seem important, but in the long run, this means quieter streets and highways for a more peaceful neighborhood and a better night’s sleep.

Cons

Despite these major advantages, EVs aren’t flawless yet. Even from a sustainability standpoint, we have much to improve.

Both manufacturing and proper disposal of EV batteries lead to a lot of carbon emissions. Fortunately, there is a lot of potential to recycle batteries that will help to mitigate this issue.

In any case, EVs are still the obvious eco winner. Although EVs’ net carbon footprint is still significantly better than gas, it’s important to be aware of the ways we can improve.

Lots more needs to be done in research and development. Meanwhile, public transportation, walking, and biking are still some of our most sustainable transportation options.

Unfortunately, there are a few drawbacks of EVs for the consumer as well. It does seem, however, that these issues will be addressed more and more over the next few years as the market develops:

1. The cost of the car is still much higher than for gas-powered cars. Consider, though, that the driver saves on charging and maintenance. Plus, the prices are going down steadily, with lots of promise for this year and next.
2. When you do need maintenance, it can be harder to find a licensed mechanic. If you own a Tesla, this issue is exacerbated since Tesla parts are totally unique and disproportionately expensive. With time, more and more mechanics will be licensed, and the issue of proprietary parts isn’t something to worry about with other companies.
3. Depending on where you live, there might not be many charging stations around. This can be a major problem for drivers, especially those with a long commute. However, there are more and more charging stations every day, and every reason to be optimistic about your own town.
4. At this moment, you still just don’t have as many options. It’s a new market, and there aren’t as many models to choose from or even individual cars to buy. Again, this is something that is rapidly changing as car manufacturers around the world have announced their plans to invest an enormous amount of their attention on EVs.

Things to look forward to in 2022 and 2023

Despite these few disadvantages, EVs win out compared to gas-powered cars, both for the environment and for the consumer. This is especially true when considering what we can expect from the industry in the next few years.

Remember that we’ve had over a century to develop and improve gas-powered cars, whereas EVs (in their current form) are pretty much brand new. So it’s reasonable to expect EVs to quickly catch up to and then exceed gas cars in terms of any disadvantage they have today.

Manufacturers have already made many exciting promises on this front. Besides a wider range of models (of everything from sedans to SUVs!), batteries will continue to become more and more efficient. This means you’ll be able to go even farther on a single charge.

With more competition and better technology, the price will also go down: one of the biggest barriers for most consumers. Better tech also means even less maintenance for an already low-maintenance car.

Meanwhile, charging stations are springing up everywhere. You can also look forward to fun features like reverse charging (imagine using your car to power your house!!!).

Finally, research and development will continue to make EVs more and more eco-friendly. We can expect to see this in battery production, disposal, and efficiency, as well as in every other step along the production line.

Tips for your first EV

1. When shopping for your first EV, find the right comparison car to get a good idea of what you’re looking for. A Nissan Leaf is comparable to a Toyota Corolla, not a Ferrari Roma.
2. Consider investing in a dedicated car charger at your home. This means it’ll take a fraction of the time to fully charge, and your car should be ready to go every morning.
3. When you charge your car, through any means, aim to start charging before it gets below 10% and finish charging before it gets to 80%. Overcharging can strain your battery and decrease its longevity.
4. If you’ve ever considered getting solar panels, this might be a perfect time. By charging your car at home via solar, you’ll be minimizing the cost of powering your car, as well as your carbon footprint.
5. Many local and state governments have the power to accelerate charging station infrastructure and financially support their constituents (like you!) to purchase an EV. Contact your representatives and let them know you support their action on this!