10 Disadvantages Of Electric Vehicles- “Electric Car Hesitations: Top Concerns Explored for Potential Buyers”
Are you thinking about getting an electric car? Well, hold your horses! Here are ten reasons why some folks are saying “no thanks” to EVs in the future.
So, before jumping on the electric bandwagon, check out these ten reasons.
1. Public Charging Stations
Using a public charger sounds very straightforward. Your car has a low charge, and you pull up to the charger, plug it in, wait for 30-60 mins, and then off you go.
But unfortunately, it’s far from that simple. The first issue the public chargers is that they can be highly unreliable. It is expected to come to one without working at all.
They can be highly unpredictable, and it’s different from you tapping your credit card and charging your car. All of them have their proprietary app that you need to download, and some of them can be very frustrating to use or need to be fixed.
And even if the charger is working, you might face a lineup of cars ahead of you, all waiting to charge just like you are. And it is not so easy to go to the other charging stations down the road because they’re rarer as common as comparable gas stations.
Now, some are certainly better than others. However, not all brands offer the same reliable charging services.
2. Unpredictable Driving Range
Even though a car might advertise a 2certain driving range, the real-world range can be completely different. Extreme weather can impact significantly on the car range.
And even though many EVS have very sophisticated thermal management systems and even the heat pumps are supposed to help you in the freezing weather, it still impacts around 25-30% of the range.
The long rides and towing are also some of the reasons that directly impact the range.
3. Battery Degradation
Unfortunately, just as they do with electrical devices, the batteries in the EVs do degrade over time and slowly lose their capacity.
It is generally accepted that most electric vehicles will yield approximately 5 to 10% of their capacity over the first hundred thousand miles.
This means when you buy an EV that has 300 miles when it’s brand new, and after several years, it might only be able to travel, say, around 270 to 280 miles, and this degradation will only increase as the vehicle ages and as the mileage increases over time, which is why its recommended that anybody who wants to buy an EV should be the long-range battery.
4. Tyres
If you’re buying an EV, you might think that you’ll save yourself a ton of money on maintenance, especially when it comes to oil changes that are not necessary on an EV.
Brakes on an EV are also known to last an extremely long time, but one maintenance known to last only a short time is the tyres.
It raises a significant problem as the EVs typically have a lot of power going to the wheels, and they’re also much heavier than standard vehicles, which puts a lot more weight on the tyres.
5. Cost of Servicing & Repairs
Even though EVs are relatively simple compared to conventional vehicles, you have a large battery pack in EVs. It’s more complex than that.
EVs still have very complicated cooling systems, many complicated electronics and computer modules, not to mention the same features as a conventional car with all the sensors, cameras and screens that go along with them.
So, these vehicles can be highly complicated to repair. And when it goes wrong, it typically costs more than a conventional vehicle.
And not only that, because EVs have not been on the market for a long time, the repair knowledge is just not there yet, especially when compared to conventional vehicles or even hybrids.
6. Unknown Long Term Reliability
Because most of the popular vehicles on the market right now are around for a short time. And we are still determining what their long-term reliability will be like.
They need a proven track record like conventional vehicles or many hybrids.
7. Cost & Potential Failure of EV’s Battery
Currently, no accurate data shows that EVs having their battery failed. On the bright side, all EVs have a very long-term battery warranty.
But even so far, no data shows electric vehicle batteries are failing. The potential for battery failure will still exist, especially for the owner who holds on to their vehicle past the warranty period.
And this is a legitimate fear regarding how much it costs to replace the battery packs.
8. Resale Value
Even though many EVs hold their value reasonably well for the first 3-5 years. Beyond the warranty period, the value will drop tremendously quickly when the cars are over eight years old.
And that’s because a lot of consumers do want to avoid being stuck with old electric vehicles that have a ticking time bomb of the battery that could potentially fail at any point and make the car worthless.
The value of EVs is closely tied to the age and condition of their battery, and if you have one with an older battery that might have a questionable lifespan left, that car will not have a value in it.
9. Cost of Insurance
Because electric vehicles are costly to repair, this also applies to collision repairs; they can be surprisingly expensive to insure.
Even though EVs are safe, and most have top-notch safety ratings, the repair cost is still high.
10. Expensive To Buy
This one is no secret. It is well known that most electric vehicles are expensive and well above the average consumer’s price range.
We have yet to reach the point where most electric cars are within the price range of the lower to the middle-class consumer, and this is a significant barrier to ownership with how expensive vehicles are now becoming every year.
