Electric vehicle v gas guzzler

There is little doubt that the electric car is here to stay so let us consider the pros and cons or whether you might be better off with a hybrid.

The good news is that if you care about your immediate environment then an electric does reduce emissions as well as carbon footprint and you will almost certainly save money on the cost of driving on a long term basis.

Crude oil compared to electric cost

Crude oil costs have surged in the past few years, although we mustn’t overlook the fact that the cost of electricity has as well and when you purchase a fossil fuel vehicle, you don’t have to install an external power point (or solar panel) to keep your car charged.

At the moment it would be almost impossible to purchase an electric vehicle which would allow you to cover the 600 plus kilometres from Malaga City to Valencia City on a single charge which you could do on a single tank in many diesel or petrol cars.

Battery life is increasing year by year as is the speed in which a battery can be recharged but as things stand today the average range is around 300 kilometres, so you would be stretching things to think that you could undertake that journey with just one recharging stop.

Certainly, if you do run out of battery, you can’t hitch a lift to the nearest petrol station and return with fuel to get your vehicle moving again.

Less likely to break down

By contrast diesel and petrol vehicles have far more parts than the electric option, so you are likely to save money in repairs over the years and should be able to expect to manage a minimum of 100,000 kilometres before the battery expires.

Electric vehicles are quieter than their opposite numbers but many drivers like some sound which is why when indicating in a ‘gas’ driven car, manufacturers ensure that there is a clicking noise because research found that drivers like it.

Acceleration is often smoother and more effective with the electric car but generally you need to pay a higher price to purchase one but expect to recoup that additional amount through lower running costs.

Batteries need cobalt or lithium

As mentioned earlier, there is a reduction in pollution when driving an electric car but the batteries need cobalt or lithium dug from the ground in Africa and South America which then has to be transported to the manufacturing bases around the world, so what is saved in the so called ‘developed world’ could well be countered in the ‘third world’.

Many of the same benefits of all-electric cars also apply to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. (PHEVs) which combine a smaller, often rechargeable electric motor combined with a diesel or petrol engine and this might be a sensible option until battery life extends, for anyone undertaking lots of long trips.

One thing to keep in mind is that although Governments have been setting dates for the phasing out of diesel and petrol vehicles, those dates are already starting to slip, so ‘gas guzzlers’ may be around for some time.