Benefits of Electric Vehicles (EVs):
Benefits of Electric Vehicles
Transport is a fundamental requirement of modern life, but the traditional combustion engine is quickly becoming outdated. Petrol or diesel vehicles are highly polluting and are being quickly replaced by fully electric vehicles. Fully electric vehicles (EV) have zero tailpipe emissions and are much better for the environment. The electric vehicle revolution is here, and you can be part of it. Will your next vehicle be an electric one?
Lower running costs
The running cost of an electric vehicle is much lower than an equivalent petrol or diesel vehicle. Electric vehicles use electricity to charge their batteries instead of using fossil fuels like petrol or diesel. Electric vehicles are more efficient, and that combined with the electricity cost means that charging an electric vehicle is cheaper than filling petrol or diesel for your travel requirements. Using renewable energy sources can make the use of electric vehicles more eco-friendly. The electricity cost can be reduced further if charging is done with the help of renewable energy sources installed at home, such as solar panels.
Low maintenance cost
Electric vehicles have very low maintenance costs because they don’t have as many moving parts as an internal combustion vehicle. The servicing requirements for electric vehicles are lesser than the conventional petrol or diesel vehicles. Therefore, the yearly cost of running an electric vehicle is significantly low.
Zero Tailpipe Emissions
Driving an electric vehicle can help you reduce your carbon footprint because there will be zero tailpipe emissions. You can reduce the environmental impact of charging your vehicle further by choosing renewable energy options for home electricity.
Tax and financial benefits
Registration fees and road tax on purchasing electric vehicles are lesser than petrol or diesel vehicles. There are multiple policies and incentives offered by the government depending on which state you are in. To find out more about electric vehicle incentives, click below .
Petrol and diesel use is destroying our planet
The availability of fossil fuels is limited, and their use is destroying our planet. Toxic emissions from petrol and diesel vehicles lead to long-term, adverse effects on public health. The emissions impact of electric vehicles is much lower than petrol or diesel vehicles. From an efficiency perspective, electric vehicles can covert around 60% of the electrical energy from the grid to power the wheels, but petrol or diesel cars can only convert 17%-21% of the energy stored in the fuel to the wheels. That is a waste of around 80%. Fully electric vehicles have zero tailpipe emissions, but even when electricity production is taken into account, petrol or diesel vehicles emit almost 3 times more carbon dioxide than the average EV. To reduce the impact of charging electric vehicles, India is ambitious to achieve about 40 percent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by the year 2030. Therefore, electric vehicles are the way forward for Indian transport, and we must switch to them now.
Electric Vehicles are easy to drive and quiet
Electric vehicles don’t have gears and are very convenient to drive. There are no complicated controls, just accelerate, brake, and steer. When you want to charge your vehicle, just plug it in to a home or public charger. Electric vehicles are also quiet, so they reduce noise pollution that traditional vehicles contribute to.
Convenience of charging at home
Imagine being at a busy fuel station during peak hours, and you are getting late to reach your workplace. These problems can easily be overcome with an electric vehicle. Simply plug your vehicle in at your home charger for 4-5 hours before you plan to go. If you are able to get a charger where you park at home, it is very convenient to plan your journeys in advance. What if you forget to plug in your machine someday? Then you can easily take the help of fast chargers or even battery swapping services if you are on a two-wheeler on the road.
No noise pollution
Electric vehicles have the silent functioning capability as there is no engine under the hood. No engine means no noise. The electric motor functions so silently that you need to peek into your instrument panel to check if it is ON. Electric vehicles are so silent that manufacturers have to add false sounds in order to make them safe for pedestrians.
Top 10 benefits of electric vehicles
The environmental impact of electric vehicles
We all want to reduce our impact on the environment and personal transport is an area where we can make a noticeable difference. But what are the specific electric vehicle environmental benefits?
1) Zero emissions
This is the big one. Electric vehicles don’t burn diesel or petrol so they produce zero exhaust emissions. That means no harmful gases like carbon dioxide that add to global warming. Also, there are no sooty particulates that add to poor air quality, especially in our towns and cities where vehicles tend to ‘stop/start’.
Poor air quality has been linked to a rise in respiratory issues, like asthma, especially among children. Just one electric vehicle can save on average 1.5 million grams of CO2. That’s roughly the same as four return flights to Barcelona.
2) Cleaner fuel
Petrol and diesel cars mean fossil fuels. Dug from the ground and refined, requiring huge amounts of energy. In contrast, with more renewable energy in our electric grid than ever, the energy required to charge an electric vehicle is much cleaner, especially if you are on a green tariff. Even if you’re on a standard tariff, there are ways you can make sure you’re charging with the cleanest energy possible – and you can earn rewards for doing so.
One way is to consider smart charging with the free ev.energy app, to optimise energy consumption. The app connects your car or charger to the grid and our algorithm will optimise your charging for the greenest and cheapest times available. For each smart charge of 10kWh or more, you’ll earn rewards including shopping vouchers and carbon offsetting credits.
3) Energy in production
Electric cars require more energy to produce than conventional cars because of the lithium-ion batteries, but even after taking battery manufacture into account, electric vehicles are still a greener option than petrol or diesel cars, because of the reduction in emissions over the lifetime of the car.
As battery technology improves and reusing/recycling of EV batteries becomes more readily available, the energy required to produce them will be further offset. One idea is to reuse batteries to store energy in our homes. Often on very windy or sunny days, the electricity grid produces a surplus of energy, if this could be stored in a domestic battery pack, we could further reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.
The economic benefits of electric vehicles
Electric cars are better for the environment, but can they be better for your pocket? There are many economic benefits of electric vehicles and taken as a package the cost savings soon add up.
4) Lower running costs
While the price of an EV may be similar to most comparable petrol or diesel cars, the cost of running one is significantly cheaper, particularly over the full lifetime of the vehicle. The fuel benefit alone can be huge. It costs around £65 to fill the average car with unleaded petrol. By comparison, EV charging costs between 1-10p per mile, which means you can drive 100 miles for as little as £1 depending on your energy tariff.
With smart charging you can make sure you only charge at the times when demand on the electricity grid is low and energy is cheaper, further reducing your costs. The ev.energy app allows you to set the time you want a full charge for and then automatically charges at the most cost-effective times to optimise energy consumption.
5) Lower maintenance costs
There are only three main components powering electric vehicles – the onboard charger, inverter and electric motor. This means there is far less wear and tear on the car and fewer moving parts susceptible to damage. All this means you’ll rarely have to have your EV serviced and in most cases the repair costs are minimal.
6) Tax benefits
There are tax benefits with electric vehicles too. EVs are exempt from vehicle tax for a start. In a bid to encourage EV ownership, Company Car Tax (CCT) is also low at just 1% in 2022. In addition, there are a number of incentives for businesses to choose electric vehicles as company cars including Benefit in Kind tax rates and 1 A National Insurance contributions.
7) Reduction in secondary charges
From Bath to Bradford, many UK cities either operate clean air zones or intend to adopt them to cut pollution. They currently apply to commercial vehicles, but it is inevitable that the charges will apply to private vehicles in the future. You will still be able to drive into city centres, but you will have to pay for the convenience.
Electric vehicles are exempt from these charges, just as they are exempt from London’s congestion charge which is currently £15 per day. Many councils also operate free parking bays for electric vehicles. In Milton Keynes for example, there are 15,000 city centre bays where EV owners can park for free.
8) Better resale value
Electric vehicles are holding their value. EV battery life has exceeded expectation and the used electric car market is buoyant. With sales of new petrol and diesel cars being banned from 2030 combined with the government’s intention to go fully electric by 2040 and to reach net-zero carbon by 2050, the demand for used electric vehicles looks set to be high for a long time to come.
The driving benefits of electric vehicles
Electric vehicles are better for the environment and deliver a number of cost savings, but what are the benefits in terms of the overall driving experience?
9) A more relaxing drive
Electric vehicles are much quieter than diesel and petrol models and create a far more comfortable and relaxing driving experience. With only ‘drive’, ‘reverse’ and ‘park, there are no constant gear changes to make. With just braking and accelerating to think about, driving is much less stressful, particularly in built-up areas where traffic lights and queues make start/stop traffic the norm. If you have to face the M25 traffic, it’ll be that much more comfortable in an EV.
10) Great performance
All electric motors have instant torque. Hit the accelerator and you’ll get an immediate response from the car with a surge of speed that’s perfect for pulling out onto busy roads and for nipping through traffic. Plus, with regenerative braking, you claim back charge when your foot comes off the accelerator.
The EV battery pack tends to be situated within the floor of the car which provides excellent balance and weight distribution. Handling through corners and roundabouts is effortless with noticeably little roll.
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