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Is it time for a purely electric car to become commonplace?

Electric cars have gone from science fiction thrillers to our day to day. They are all around us. For those willing to make the leap to the all-electric car, gasoline-electric hybrid cars are a good alternative. Millions of hybrids have been sold and many millions are waiting to be sold.

Electric cars are a trend

Pure electric vehicles are surely gaining ground in the market. Last year in Great Britain alone some 13,000 electric vehicles were sold. This is not a momentous figure, but it is enough to justify a broader infrastructure and more investment in R&D in new electric car models. Two things that could prevent a potential EV buyer from buying are cost and lack of sufficient charging stations.

Cost of electric cars

The increasing popularity of electric vehicles will change the cost dynamics of these cars. The price of electric cars is dropping with each passing year. The best examples of this change are reflected in the current prices of the electric version of the Mitsubishi Outlander and Renault Zoe. In fact, prices are falling and in the next five years the premium charged for the electric version of standard or hybrid cars may disappear.

Electric vehicle charging infrastructure

This has been the second biggest hurdle. Most electric cars have a 100-mile range at best before needing a charging station. This infrastructure is now found in and around the large cities of most developed countries. It’s certainly not as convenient as stopping at a gas station to fill up your tank, most electric charging points have the capacity to charge two cars at once, but with 3000 charging stations in the UK alone, it has been become feasible to travel for a long time. distances with electric cars. In the UK alone, there are 700 quick-change stations that will charge your car to 80% in just half an hour.

One obstacle in this is that each manufacturer has chosen a different type of connector. There is a great need for all electric car manufacturers to standardize a connector as all gasoline and diesel vehicles can be filled with the same nozzle all over the world. With seven different types of connectors in use for different electric vehicles, you can’t be sure whether the connector used in your car will be available at the charging point on your route. A word of advice: do not go to a charging station without consulting the Zap map before any trip, as it contains this information.

How to charge your car

It is always a good idea to hire an electrician to check if your circuit will be able to handle the load of the regular nightly load. If you can’t, work with him to build capacity. Once this is done, you can let your car charge overnight while you sleep. You don’t have to do this setting alone. Not only can you get a government grant to defray these expenses, but many manufacturers will do the setup for you as part of your electric car buying package. If you don’t have parking at your home, garage, or off-road, most governments in the developed world will give you a grant to install a public charging point near your residence or office. You can supplement night charging with daytime charging at public charging points.

There are two types of charging available at public charging points: fast charging that takes three to four hours or fast charging that takes around half an hour. Too many fast charges are not recommended as they reduce battery life.

Are electric cars the wave of the future?

The answer is definitely yes. The pioneers who have taken the step are now paving the way for the rest of us. With governments encouraging consumers through tax breaks and subsidies and manufacturers competing with each other to create ever-longer-life batteries, one can only imagine that in a decade or two we could have electric cars that will need to be charged every thousand. miles or so. So all you will need is a nightly charge. Then we can save our fossil fuels so that our future generations obtain important petrochemicals for everyday use.