Those who own an electric car are usually so proud that they just can’t stop talking about it. Although, oddly enough, there are some things you really never hear owners talk about.
Of course, these are the things that, in terms of the electric car, are quite disappointing. Many an owner is extremely positive and proud of his electric four-wheeler, but what are the things that consumers with a gasoline-powered car really need to know?
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Electric car: 5 things you won’t hear anyone talk about
Don’t get me wrong, we at WANT are big fans of the electric car. The transition to a new mode of transportation and the innovation that comes with it interests us immensely. The fact that we have already had the opportunity to drive quite a few of them is a nice touch.
However, while we believe it is the future, we also believe that there is still much to be done before the alternative is really good. We welcome the enthusiasm of owners, but strangely, you never hear them talk about certain things. These five, for example:
Battery replacement costs a godsend
“Boy, that electric car of mine hardly needs any maintenance,” is a phrase you’ve probably heard before. Owners often boast of the ease with which such a plug-in car stays in excellent condition, but you never hear them talk about a battery replacement.
Logical, since it costs a goddamn fortune to replace your EV’s battery. A vehicle’s most important component can cost you thousands to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the model. According to platform 50Five, which focuses on e-mobility, the cost is somewhere between 5,000 euros and 20,000 euros.
Clean and beautiful. (Image: Unsplash/Eduardo Arcos)
Of course, the question is exactly how often this is necessary, but know that replacing a battery is often a lot more expensive than maintaining a traditional car for many years.
Electric car is a disaster in winter
In the summer, you can easily see everyone showing off an electric car, but in the winter it remains remarkably quiet. That’s not surprising, considering the cold weather really is a disaster for your vehicle.
This is mainly due to the fact that the battery is particularly dependent on the outside temperature. As a result, in the cold winter months there is no way to gauge the range of your EV. While you may have enough range in the evening to drive to work without a care in the world, this can suddenly be very different the next morning.
When I got to drive a Ford Mustang Mach E for the first time, I was able to experience this for myself. A trip to a nice nearby village at my vacation address quickly became a trip to a charging station. Of course, this can be solved by putting your electric car at a charging station at night, but once that option is missing, it’s gambling time.
Lazy acceleration, but does it drive well?
An electric car tends to accelerate much faster than a traditional gasoline car. In case you have never experienced that yourself, owners of such a car are not averse to telling you about it in smells and colors.
While accelerating with an EV is actually a lot of fun, you hardly hear anyone talk about other things on the road. How certain cars behave in tight corners, for example. Or how cars react on a road with lots of speed bumps.
Because of the gigantic weight of a car with a battery under the hood, certain situations are a little less fun or comfortable than when you have a gasoline tank under your buttocks. There is just a little less possible.
Electric car doesn’t charge nearly fast enough yet
Although they are becoming increasingly popular, almost all electric cars still run into the same problem. Charging the battery is simply not fast enough yet. Manufacturers usually let it be known that fast charging along the highway is actually not the way to go and that people should lean on charging stations in front of their homes, but the reality is that this is really not possible everywhere.
The Jaguar I-Pace. (Image: Ivan Kazlousky)
So there are many drivers who spend hours at a roadside charging station or in an unsociable parking lot. For some models they are there for ten minutes, others take half an hour or more. And then, in some cases, they only charge to 80% to protect the health of the battery.
In that respect, there are still some really big steps to take, if you ask us.
Never mind the pulling
An electric car looks futuristic, is fast and has a ton of fine features. But there are also traditional actions that are no longer possible with most models. Consider, for example, towing a trailer or caravan.
On many models, the option for a tow bar is not even offered. In the models where it is, it eats up the range like crazy. Consumption can easily double in such a situation.
This also certainly applies to cars that use gasoline or diesel as fuel. Maybe they consume just a little less in such a situation, but it comes down to the same principle. Only, those vehicles are a lot quicker to fill up than the electric gems we see on the road today. And that’s still a big advantage for many people.
