Call out the uncertain economic situations or the wars for it—petrol prices are on the rise. Thus, the idea of connecting your vehicle to a charging port at night and being ready to hit the road in the morning sounds appealing. No long queues at gas stations and no budget allocation for fuel, sounds cool? Well, switching to electric vehicles too soon might be a mistake. Here’s why!
High Upfront Costs
Despite the recent price cut war among brands, electric cars still have a higher upfront cost than ICEs. Electric vehicles use the same batteries as our phones and laptops—lithium-ion batteries (in liquid form though). However, vehicles need much more energy to go farther, the batteries are considerably bigger. Moreover, the battery cells tend to store a lot of energy to serve this purpose. So, their cathodes are made of expensive materials like lithium or cobalt. The manufacturing including labour and technology itself is quite pricey, which makes the upfront costs even higher.
Limited Driving Range
Even though electric vehicles exceeding 500 miles are now available, you’ll have to pay a bit over the odds to get one. The average driving range of an electric car is around 236 miles, reported Pod Point. It is enough if you need a vehicle for everyday commuting, but it may not be your best companion on long road trips. You might also want to stick to your gas-fueled car for now if you use your vehicle for ride-sharing or carpooling.
Long Recharging Time
The recharging durations always depend on your vehicle and the type of charger you use. While fast DC chargers offer up to 80% power in less than 30 minutes, the availability of these high-speed charging is still limited. On the other hand, your gasoline vehicle gets done with the tank refill in no time.
Limited Charging Stations/Weak Infrastructure
You don’t want to be stuck on the road with a drained battery and no charging port in sight, do you? You can encounter such a situation across various states. As of April 2024, the United States offers 168,300 EV charging stations, which is negligible compared to the rising demand. This means that in some areas, finding a charging station might be a challenge, especially if you’re on an off-road adventure. 1.6 million nationals acquired EVs in 2023 alone, which gives a hunch at how weak the EV infrastructure is at the moment.
Battery Degradation Over Time
All batteries are prone to degradation over time. It’ll take almost 10-15 years, or let’s say 100,000 miles, for an EV’s battery to need replacement, but you’ll need to break the bank to get a new battery. You’ll get warranties for up to 8 years; however, needing a replacement out of warranty is not ideal. On the other hand, gas-powered cars also get their components degraded in some years, but the replacement is quite cheaper.
Low Top Speeds
Since electric vehicles deliver energy efficiently, effortless driving appeals. However, the thrill of hitting top speeds will make you miss your gas-powered car at times. Even the basic trim of the gasoline car will exceed 100 mph. In the case of EVs, well, you will be lucky if you can land an electric car with a range of 150 mph. It’s because the gearing system of an EV prefers acceleration over top speed. It is also how manufacturers ensure a long driving range. We’re not talking about the few premium electric supercars or hypercar models such as Rimac Navera or SP600.
Environmental Concerns
There is a lot of hype around how EVs offer the best solution to the environmental issues caused by combustion in gas-powered cars. Let us break it to you: even EVs are polluting the environment at some point.
According to the Young People’s Trust for the Environment, many greenhouse gases are emitted from mining, which is inevitable when extracting the material used in producing EVs. The emissions produced in manufacturing are the same as those produced by ICEs. However, for EVs, the production of batteries results in extra emissions. Furthermore, if the electricity used to charge the EV comes from coal or gas combustion rather than solar systems, you’ll be back at square one.
Weight Limitations
Electric vehicles are generally heavy because of the additional weight of large batteries. Transport and Environment, a campaign group, has highlighted that EVs are 300-400 kg heavier. According to Lucien Mathieu, batteries add 100 kg for every 150 km of range. The weight limitations make electric vehicles challenging to drive and navigate, impacting their handling and performance. Furthermore, heavy-weight vehicles also make the roads prone to quick damage.
Limited Models Options
The first electric-powered vehicle surfaced in the 1890s, shortly after the invention of the first gas-powered vehicle. However, the limitations of electricity led to swift progress and innovation in the gas-powered vehicle industry. It was not until recently that the electric vehicle industry started progressing for good. Therefore, the models available in the EV category are negligible compared to those available in the gas-powered vehicle group. Edmunds noted that as of May 2024, only 9.3% out of 286 million cars on the US roads were EVs. According to CNBC, even major automakers like Ford, GM, and Mercedes-Benz are delaying their EV plans.
Effect of Power Outages
How would you charge your EV if a storm wipes out the electricity supply? While such a situation is unlikely, even a day of power outage can cause significant disruptions if you own an electric car. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation has revealed that more than 300 million people in the US and Canada will face power shortages in the coming years. It’s because of the higher-than-ever demand-to-supply ratio. Potential fluctuations in energy costs because of the increased demands might also be concerning.
The Impact of Colder Weather
Colder climates are quite unsuitable for electric vehicles, as the low temperatures further reduce the driving range. Inside the EV batteries, lithium ions use liquid electrolytes as a medium to flow around and produce electricity. Not only is ion movement slow in low temperatures, but the battery also fails to pull much energy from the port, resulting in extended charging time. Some owners reported that their batteries won’t charge at all!
Lower Resale Value
There are huge concerns about the battery life of electric vehicles. Since a new battery costs a lot, people fear investing in a used EV. Result? The resale value of electric cars is quite lower than that of diesel-powered vehicles. This is confirmed by the US News & World Report, which states that EVs’ depreciation rate has been higher (50%) than that of gas-powered vehicles for five years (2019-2024).
Are You Ready for an Electric Vehicle?
It is natural for every new technology to take some time to overcome its limitations and settle in. Electric vehicles may cross all these hurdles to be the top tech by all means in the next few years. However, right now may not be the best time to invest in them. What do you say?
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Zainab Noor is a motoring journalist. Childhood rides in Nissan Almera fueled her love for cars. After graduating from AIOU in 2021, she steered her passion into freelance writing. You can find Zainab on LinkedIn.
