We have all seen the excessively high gas prices in the past months. Most people are wondering if it would be worth to switch over to an electric vehicle. With gas prices in Canada forecasted to reach two dollars a liter it’s a topic that’s on most consumers’ minds.
Electric vehicles at the moment have a higher price tag. Most manufactures are now involved with building their own line of electric vehicles, but costs are high compared to a gas vehicle. Electric vehicles use Lithium batteries to provide power and these batteries are not cheap to buy nor replace. Canadian government has now introduced that gas vehicles will not be produced past 2035, causing all the manufactures to seek alternative sources of energy.
In the market for an Electric vehicle?
Buying an electric vehicle really comes down to how much driving you are doing. Electric vehicles that are being produced have range limitations. The Nissan leaf for example was the first fully electric production vehicle on the market. The vehicle gave you a range of a hundred to two hundred kilometer which was ok if you could maintain this range in your daily driving. Charging take roughly 13 hrs on a 120V and 5 hrs on a 240V connection. Tesla is another big name in the electric car business. Telsa is a costly expensive alternative mainly because most of their vehicles start at above 60K in order to get a decent range of over 300km plus per charge.
What do I need to buy when I purchase an electric vehicle?
Owing an electric car means that you would need a charger available. Most homes have 120V charging capabilities out of their garage. In order to make a decent charge available to someone with a busy life you would have to install a 240V charger into your garage. This giving you the ability to charge in shorter periods of time. The chargers could cost of upwards of a thousand dollars. Installation must be done by a licensed electrician making installation probably costing somewhere in the $2000 range including the charger
Downfalls to purchasing an Electric vehicle?
There are a few downfalls of purchasing an electric car. One being the cold weather. If you live in a region where the weather is colder, the range of the vehicle is drastically affected. Highway driving in the cold weather depletes the battery faster. For example, on my 2015 Nissan leaf summer range is around 160km. Being Winter and having the heater running will lower my range to around 110 – 120km. A second downfall is costly charging station installation. Having a charging station is convenient but comes at a cost of installation and maintenance. Regular inspection is necessary and possible replacements costs are involved if the charging unit fails prematurely. If you live in a condominium or an apartment owning an electric vehicle creates huge obstacles with charging. Public paid chargers are available, but the costs are much more reasonable in comparison to gasoline vehicles. Charging time is also a big factor. Charging times that can take up to 4 hrs on a 240V for a significant amount of charge. We recommend using free chargers wherever possible and find charging stations close to a mall, so you can do a little shopping and charge at the same time.
The advantages of buying an electric car?
The saving at fuel costs will be a pleasant change. Depending on where you live you will have more cost savings in charging in comparison to filling gas. Maintenance savings are a plus as regular oil and various fluid replacements is a thing of the past. Braking system regenerates the battery and in return uses less brakes and extends the life of your brakes. No harmful Pollutants, no exhaust components to replace.
Is it a good time to buy an electric car?
With gas prices rising and countries looking to eliminate the production of gasoline and diesel vehicles. Consumption of energy is the focus on everyone’s mind. The upfront cost of an electric vehicle is high. With the introduction of more vehicles in the next few years we believe that buying in 2024-2025 would give the consumer a good selection and a lower cost electric vehicle and more credits and incentives will be pushed through the system to encourage drivers to make the switch.