Electric vehicles are fast, effective, and usually eco-friendly. However, every new technology has differences and possible disadvantages of electric cars that should be taken into account.

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Over the course of their more than 130-year existence, combustion engine cars have seen constant advances. Even though the first electric automobiles were released earlier, they have only become a serious threat to the status quo in the last ten years.

Even while EVs have advanced much during that period, a few challenges still need to be addressed. Here, we look at the most common worries to see whether they remain a legitimate obstacle to EV ownership or if they are only an outdated myth.

Limited Range of Batteries

The usual gasoline-powered vehicle may easily go four or five hundred miles without fill-ups. A diesel vehicle can cover more than 700 kilometers. In contrast, the Peugeot e-208, which runs completely on electricity, requires recharging every 217 miles.

A lower range—is that truly a problem?

Until you realize that the common car in the UK is only driven 20 miles each day, this would seem like a serious disadvantage.

This means that the Peugeot e-208 will only require to be recharged three times a month, or every ten days. In actuality, you would only need a petrol or diesel vehicle's range if you often travel hundreds of miles every day. Additionally, a lot of the newer EVs can go well over 300 miles between charges.

Issues With Battery Lifespan

A lot of folks have worries about the battery life of an electric vehicle. Most people feel that it should survive up to 150,000 miles and 10–20 years. You will still be covered by the manufacturer's warranty if you buy a new vehicle every few years, and you can extend the life of your battery by driving carefully and charging it regularly.

Compared with outdated combustion engine warranties, EV battery warranties are often far more inclusive, ranging from eight years to 100,000 miles. Generally, warranties state that the battery will be replaced or repaired if its maximum capacity falls below 70%.

Although such situations are not unheard of, they are significantly less common than some first thought. Replacing an EV battery after its warranty expires is quite expensive.

Internal combustion engines also have a limited lifespan.

If taken care of, an average combustion engine may run for a very long time. However, a number of parts that might not be covered by a warranty may need to be changed throughout that period. An engine overhaul may result in major expenses, but the need for a new engine can write off many cars. This is clear to anyone who has ever had a timing belt or chain crack.

Even if you need to replace your EV's battery after ten years, you can still be in better financial shape when you take into account the greater operating expenses of a combustion engine over all those years (which can be twice as much per mile driven).

Concerns About Charging Infrastructure

Concerns regarding the location and availability of EV charging stations can deter you from selecting an electric vehicle. Even though the installation of charging stations hasn't always worked well, the UK's EV charging infrastructure is really developing quickly.

The infrastructure for EV charging keeps growing.

In the UK, there are just under 8,400 gas stations. Although there aren't equivalents between these technologies—recharging an EV takes a lot longer than filling up a petrol tank—the fact that there were over 57,000 public charging connectors in the UK as of late 2022, spread throughout 21,000 locations, is an indication of the charging network's expansion, which is only going to get bigger.

That's not to indicate that everyone should buy an electric car just now. If you don't have off-street parking at home, relying only on public charging makes driving much less convenient, though some people manage to do so.

Longer Charging Durations

It just takes 5 minutes to fill up your car with fuel or diesel. Using the newest public quick chargers, charging your EV may take anything from 30 to 60 minutes. If you are using an ordinary house socket, you may be twiddling your thumbs all day. Until you do a bit more research, this can seem to be a deal-breaker right away.

Changing Your Charging Attitude
It doesn't take much preparation to fill up your car with fuel or diesel. Each time the fuel light illuminates, you just fill it up to the brim. A shift in perspective may be crucial when it comes to electric vehicles.

  • Speeds of charging stations: If you are travelling by car and need to add a lot of fuel, find out where the fast-charging stations are located. It will save you a great deal of time to use a 150kW charger rather than an 11kW one.
  • Range requirements: Avoid fully charging your EV at every chance. Instead, provide the range required to finish your trip. Since utilizing a public charger is more costly than using your wall box at home, doing this will save you both time and money.
  • EV charging speed: At an adequately fast charger, you may entirely charge your battery in less than an hour with some EVs' rapid charging capabilities. It just takes a few minutes to add 60 miles of range.

Charging speeds aren't of any significance if you don't use your EV's full range every day. Just connect the car in and fill it up for a few hours at home or at the store. An average 7kW home's wall box may increase range by 10–30 miles per hour.

Just keep in mind that different EV models and produces may have different charging connectors. The Type 2 plug, which is the industry standard connection, is the most commonly utilized plug type in Europe, while some systems allow several plug types.

Low Maximum Velocity

Because electric cars are fast and their power supply is instantaneous, everything seems completely natural. However, most family-friendly SUVs and hatchbacks have rather modest peak speeds, unless you're looking at the upper end of the EV market. Even a base-spec petrol car may reach well over 100 mph, yet others can only reach 90 mph.

The need for (relevant) speed

  • First off, 70 mph is the speed limit on UK motorways. It's kind of useless to have an automobile that can do so much more.
  • A petrol or diesel car's high top speed rating frequently shows its power, which affects how it runs at lower (legal) speeds. With electric automobiles, this isn't the case.
  • Electric automobiles often only have one gear because of their enormous torque and constant power delivery.
  • Due to the gearing's limitations, this runs smoothly up to 60–70 mph before tapering off. In the UK, this is the ideal balance, and your compact electric SUV can easily outperform many sports cars with petrol engines while you're out of sight.
  • A Tesla Model S or Porsche Taycan should be a good fit for you if you want to travel the Autobahn often. Both can reach velocities of 160 mph or more, and the Taycan may accelerate powerfully at these high speeds due to a second gear.

Battery-powered vehicles, in addition to all their advantages such as producing fewer pollutants, operating at lower costs, and being more pleasant in terms of ride comfort, do have a number of drawbacks. Potential consumers of electric vehicles should consider such factors as restricted range due to battery charge, doubts about charging infrastructure, extended charging time, and maybe issues with battery lifespan. In addition, some drivers might consider the fact that these vehicles have lower maximum speeds than traditional combustion-engine cars to be a disadvantage.

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Nevertheless, it's really surprising, with improved battery technologies, new charging infrastructure, and changing consumer behaviors, this has been slowly reducing all these disadvantages of electric cars. The difference between EVs and traditional vehicles is gradually reduced due to advances in technology and continuous infrastructure development. Electric cars are still a viable and promising choice for transportation in the future, provided that users can adjust to the changes in charging schedules and range concerns.