Debunking EV myths
We’re bringing you something slightly different for this instalment of Onto Tips.
As some of you may know, our co-founder and CEO, Rob Jolly, was recently part of an industry leading panel at Fully Charged Live recently to separate EV fact from fiction. We thought we would follow on from this and debunk some of the most common EV myths!
1. Electric cars don’t have enough range
Range is a common cause of hesitancy when it comes to switching to an electric car. For the vast majority of drivers, long trips over 150 miles are a fairly rare occurrence, with the average journey being only 8.4 miles, so we’d recommend not overthinking range issues! Many of our cars have a real world range of well over 200 miles, so don’t be fooled by the misconceptions!
2. There aren’t enough chargers
Public charging point availability has drastically increased in recent years. £1.6 billion is set to be invested to expand UK charging networks across the country with 300,000 public chargers available by 2030. As part of our subscription, you have access to over 20,000 charging points* and the vast majority of our Community relies solely on the public charging network. We understand there’s still a long way to go but there are more options now than ever before.
*If you select a no-charging subscription, this won’t apply.
3. It takes too long to charge
With rapid charging capabilities, your car can charge in next to no time. For example, our new Fiat 500’s can charge from 20%-80% in just 20 minutes. If you’re on a long journey and after a quick stop, rapid charging is the way to go. If not, then you can coincide a rest break with your charge… we all need a rest on a long journey!
4. EVs are worse for the environment than ICE cars
This is one that causes a lot of debate… Figures from Transport and Environment (T&E) show that electric vehicles on average produce three times less CO2 than equivalent petrol and diesel cars. Even in worst case scenarios, EVs emit 22% less CO2 than diesel and 28% less than petrol over the full lifetime of the car. That includes emissions during mining and production of the car. We think that’s pretty conclusive.
5. EV batteries can't be recycled
Electric car batteries are fully recyclable, their second life can be used to supplement the electricity grid. Finally, in their third life, car batteries can be dismantled and re-made as brand new car batteries!
6. It’s not safe to drive an EV through a car wash or in the rain
Bear with us here… It has been a common misconception that EV’s are incapable of driving in the rain, through car washes, or just generally getting wet. Well there’s absolutely nothing to worry about with this one, like all cars, EV’s are designed for all weather conditions!
7. The electricity grid won’t be able to cope if everyone swaps to EVs
Data from National Grid maintains that if all drivers were to switch to an EV overnight, the Grid would only see a demand increase of 10%, which is a more than manageable load! The vast investment in charging infrastructure is another point to put your mind at ease that the Grid can handle the uptake in EV’s.
We want to make the switch to electric as easy and stress-free as possible, and make sure you’re up-to-date with the facts about EV’s. If you have any more questions or curiosities, then you can join other like-minded people on our community forum below!