As many of you will be aware, the Government has implemented a new scheme that will ban all petrol and diesel cars from being produced by 2030.
Whilst you will still be able to buy second-hand petrol and diesel cars, there’s expected to be an unprecedented increase in electric vehicles on the road according to the electric car charging point mapping site, ‘Zap-map’, and predictions from the Climate Change Committee’s Sixth Carbon budget, with a predicted increase from 210,000 at the start of 2021, to 12 million by 2030.
However, there are still countless people who don’t know the benefits of switching to electric, both for the environment and for the economy.
What are the environmental benefits of an electric car?
In a nutshell, electric vehicles drastically improve the air quality of towns and cities. As EVs (Electric Vehicles) have no exhaust, this means they produce no carbon dioxide emissions when driven. To put this into perspective, just one EV on the road can save an average of 1.5 million grams of CO2. This is the equivalent of four return flights from London to Barcelona.
How does electric car production affect the environment?
Whilst EVs themselves are environmentally friendly, the production of the cars can have a negative impact on the environment.
Electric cars use lithium batteries as a power source and these batteries can emit toxic fumes. However, most electric car manufactures use recycled materials to make their car’s interior parts, and when a battery does run out, it can also be recycled elsewhere as it will still have approximately 70-80% of its original energy capacity.
On top of these environmental considerations, some companies also use non-renewable energy sources to charge the batteries. Taking this into account, research undertaken by the European Energy Agency found that, even with electricity generation, the carbon emissions of an electric car are still around 17 – 30% lower than driving a petrol or diesel car.
What is the battery life of an electric car?
One of the biggest concerns surrounding electric vehicles are their battery lives, as replacing a battery can be very expensive.
The average battery life for an electric vehicle is around 8 to 10 years (100,000 to 150,000 miles) and while the prospect of a battery degrading sooner than this could be off-putting, electric cars come with long battery warranties, guaranteeing an acceptable battery up to seven or eight years of use. As well as this, most manufacturers guarantee that a battery will retain at least 70% of its original capacity for up to 10 years.
Once the batteries have lost their life, they are still able to benefit the environment as depleted batteries are recycled and can be used as storage for renewable energy.
What is the charging time for an Electric Car?
The graph above gives you an idea of how long charging will take using a range of power options.
How much will charging cost?
Most EV drivers have home charging points which can vary in price, starting from around £350 for a low voltage charging point, to upwards of £1000 for high voltage charging points.
Whilst this may sound like a large upfront cost, you can also get a Zero Emission Vehicle grant (OZEV) that could save you up to £350 on installation.
As a general guide, here’s how much you’re likely to pay in charging costs to cover 9,000 miles, if you charge at home:
⦁ £450 to £550 a year to run a small city car, such as the Peugeot e-208 or a small hatchback like the Renault Zoe.
⦁ £500 to £650 for medium and large cars, such as the Tesla Model 3.
⦁ £610 to £750 for large SUVs like the Audi E-tron.
[Source: Which?]
If that still doesn’t sound appealing, there are charging points that let you charge your car for free.
Various businesses and attractions offer free charging, as well as retail parks and car parks. The catch is that it is usually for paying customers of that business. One of the biggest companies that does this is Tesco, who partnered with Volkswagen and Pod Point to provide free charging points for customers.
Is it worth switching to electric?
If the benefits that electric cars have in reducing our emissions and saving the planet aren’t winning you over, these facts might just be enough to convince you to make the switch:
⦁ EDF energy found that EV owners could save up to £51,000 on fuel in their lifetime, compared with the cost of filling up a tank with petrol or diesel.
⦁ Living in the Capital? Electric vehicles are exempt from London’s congestion Charge and Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), meaning you can save up to £12.50 per day if you make the switch.
⦁ If your EV is worth under £40,000, you are also exempt from road tax – a saving of up to £2,245 for new cars in their first year on the road, and £490 per year after that.
[Source: Uswitch]
If you are considering ditching the petrol and joining the electric revolution, contact our friendly team today for a no obligation discussion on how we can help.