Having a vehicle for your job and/or your family is an essential part of your life. That freedom of mobility allows you to perform your daily tasks without the need for public transport. However, owning and maintaining a vehicle is becoming increasingly expensive with costs going up on almost everything, from gas to insurance to repairs, etc.
Undoubtedly, one of, if not the main, cost for you with regards to your vehicle is gas, and the more you drive the more gas you use, the more it costs you. With the high cost of oil per barrel on the world market, it seems that the days of cheap gas and easily affordable maintenance of vehicles are gone.
Which is why a lot of people are switching from fossil fuel cars to electric cars in increasing numbers. According to IEA reports, the number of electric cars sold in 2021 in the U.S. alone reached a new high of 6.6 million, with the number of electric cars sold in the first three months of 2022 increasing by 75% to 2 million units.
So why are so many people seemingly making the switch to electric cars and what are the advantages? In this article, we give 5 reasons why we believe electric cars are better than their fossil fuel equivalents and why switching could be advantageous and beneficial for you.
1. Safety
One of the best things about electric cars is the focus from the outset in their overall design on safety features. There has been a concerted effort to make these new breeds of vehicles the safest vehicles to ever hit the road, and in that sense, they’ve certainly succeeded. Indeed, injury claims for electric cars are substantially less than for regular cars.
Such safety features on a standard electric car include: adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning system, lane departure warning, surround view camera, and blind spot monitoring.
All in all, this makes an electric car the ideal family vehicle with in-built safety features that will help protect that which is most important to you in life.
2. Torque
This doesn’t sound like a particularly pertinent point in advocating for electric cars but it actually is. Torque is basically the acceleration of the vehicle, and it surprisingly differs in an electric car in comparison to a regular one.
In an electric car, there is no delay in speeding up when you press the accelerator pedal, it is immediate and instantaneous as it is electric. In a regular vehicle, there is a couple of seconds delay as more fuel is injected into the engine to initiate acceleration.
Additionally, in an electric car, when you accelerate, the power is delivered instantly to the wheels, whereas on a regular vehicle, a multi-shift gear change is required first.
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3. Silence
One of the very first things people notice about electric cars is just how silent they are in running.
With no internal combustion engine, there are no drives or shafts whirring, hissing, or pumping. The electric car is powered by an electric battery, meaning the connection is direct and immediate without a noisy engine to contend with.
Many people cite the silent running of an electric car as one of the main reasons they switched, and with peaceful quiet while driving, it’s not hard to see why.
4. Cost
Another major factor in people switching from fossil fuel to electric cars. The cost consideration encompasses everything from fuel to insurance to maintenance to taxes and even access.
The primary cost motivation, unsurprisingly, is fuel. And although fossil fuel vehicles are cheaper to buy, nonetheless the need for gas drives the cost up over time, a cost simply eliminated by electric cars.
Another consideration is maintenance, and this too is an advantage in electric car’s favor. Electric cars have regenerative braking, meaning there are less moving parts and brake fluid, meaning it’s much easier to keep your car running without any issues.
Many countries now have legislated for tax breaks to incentivize people to switch to electric cars. In Norway, for example, new car buyers can save 25% on the cost of a new car, in Germany new electric vehicles are exempt from vehicle tax for 10 years, while in the U.S. electric cars are exempt from federal taxes such as fuel usage, gas tax, and registration costs.
Finally, access is also a distinct advantage for electric cars as many city centers have prohibited fossil fuel vehicles from entering, while electric cars are given free and unlimited access. Cities such as London, Barcelona, Madrid, and Paris have brought in emission-free zones wherein only electric vehicles are allowed access.
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5. Environmental
Another one of the contributing factors to people switching is care for the environment.
Fossil fuel cars emit noxious fumes and pollutants such as nitrogen oxide, ozone, and particulate matter, which can cause health issues in sustained and large enough quantities as well as contributing to climate change.
But electric cars, powered by batteries, produce no such pollutants at all, so not only are they safe, comfortable, and cost-effective, they are also gentle and friendly to the environment.
