World EV Day 2022: Busting common electric vehicle myths – EQ Mag Pro
World EV Day 2022: Electric vehicles have a smaller carbon footprint than fossil fuel vehicles, but are they a practical option? We debunk some common misunderstandings that surround the EV sector.
We don’t want to sound philosophical about electric vehicles, but the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus’ famous quote is apt for this story, “Change is the only constant.” Most of you would have already caught on to what we are hinting at, but if you haven’t then we are happy to oblige without passing any judgment. While haters will only talk about the limitations of an EV and purists cocooned in a time warp will romanticise their generation as the golden age, well this article is for realists who are considering taking the green leap of faith. What is the single most worry for an EV buyer? Range anxiety. In all fairness that has been addressed by many new EVs offering a range between 350-400 km.
Range Anxiety
As technology is constantly evolving so is the battery range for electric vehicles. Currently, the most affordable EV in the market, the Tata Tigor EV claims a range of 306 km, which would translate into roughly 200 km in real-world conditions. Take a step above the Tigor and you have the compact SUV Nexon EV Prime and the Nexon EV Max, which claim a range of 312 km and 437 km respectively. If we take a daily commute of roughly 40 km, then a Tigor EV is covered for five days a week.
Keeping in mind the electric sedan is an entry-level vehicle and offers the least range. If you can stretch your budget then the Nexon EV Prime offers better range and fast charging the battery from 0-80% in 60 minutes. So, the new age EVs are more efficient and don’t take much time while charging either. If you have deep pockets then the sky’s the limit as Kia EV6, BMW i4, and Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+ offer over 500 km.
Slow and boring
Gone are the days when EVs were equated to golf carts. Unlike internal combustion engines, an electric vehicle doesn’t need to build up speed, rather it has instant torque from the word go. Just to give you an idea of how fast an EV is we take the example of the Nexon. Its EV avatar does standstill to 100 kmph in under 9 seconds while the petrol version does it in over 11 seconds. One might not be able to buy a Tesla in India but the luxury segment offers some lightning-fast EVs like BMW i4 and Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 cross the three-digit mark at 5.7 seconds and 3.4 seconds respectively. As a matter of fact, some of the EVs are the fastest production cars in the world.
Burn a hole in the pocket
The Central government and automobile manufacturers are working in tandem to make electric vehicles an affordable option for the mass market. Early this year, India’s transport minister Nitin Gadkari stated that the buyers will see a dramatic reduction in electric vehicles in the next couple of years. As a result, there has been a drop in the prices of lithium-ion batteries along with the subsidies provided by the government, the EV range now starts from Rs 12.50 lakh (Tata Tigor EV), ex-showroom India. The good news is that more affordable EVs will be launched soon from MG Motor, Tata Motors, Hyundai and in the near future even Maruti Suzuki.
Expensive to maintain
Contrary to popular belief, electric vehicles are both cheaper to run and maintain as they have limited moving parts like an internal combustion engine vehicle. Cars that run on fossil fuels come with standard servicing and maintenance costs like brakes, oil changes and other engine check expenditures, which are not there in the case of an EV. Also, all manufacturers offer a standard battery warranty of at least 8 years.
Source: PTI
