Do you worry about climate change? Does your home have solar panels? Are you concerned about the environment now and in the future?
You don’t need to answer yes to these questions to buy an electric vehicle (EV). Sure, the early adopters of the Toyota Prius and Nissan Leaf were probably supporters of the environment. But in 2021 the reasons to buy one go well beyond the low emissions.
At the end of 2020 there were 10 manufacturers offering multiple variants of electric vehicles in Australia. The launch of the Tesla Model 3 in 2019 put more electric vehicles on the road in Australia than ever before. In 2021 Hyundai and other volume manufacturers will start to make an impact by increasing sales to government, fleet and retail buyers.
Some of the things you should know about electric vehicles.
Driving distance (range)
All the EVs on sale in Australia today will drive far enough for people living in capital cities, or large regional towns, to perform their daily routines. Longer trips won’t be an issue either because batteries are getting better with each year of development just like mobile phones.
Charging (filling the tank)
If you know how to plug-in a toaster, you can charge an EV. It’s better than visiting a petrol station because you can do it at home. Another option is using one of the public chargers located in shopping centres, parking stations or in your workplace. Just start looking, and you’ll see them everywhere.
Driving experience
They are fun to drive with great acceleration and a smooth, quiet ride. It does take a few trips to adapt your driving style to an EV and the best part is the regenerative braking which almost eliminates the need to use the brake pedal.
Purchase price
At first glance they don’t look cheap compared to a similar sized petrol model. You need to consider the level of specification (because they are more luxurious) in the EV model and reduced running costs when doing the numbers.
