If you’ve been following recent advancements in the automotive world, you probably have heard of electric vehicles once or twice. Over the past decade, people have started to notice their practical implications, and soon after, you see some of them driving alongside you on the freeway.
How did this sudden rise in electric vehicles come about? Why are people going crazy about them? Are there options to choose from? And how different would our driving experience be with electric cars? Allow us to provide you with answers to these questions.
Different Types of Electric Vehicles
Soon enough, automotive dealers and marketing agencies will be filled with electric vehicles, but if consumers are unfamiliar with them, they need a brief background on their choices. Generally, there are four types of electric vehicles.
Plug-in Hybrids
As the name suggests, this type of vehicle uses both gasoline and electricity as fuel sources. Even though plug-in hybrids still use gasoline, they don’t produce as much carbon emission as conventional vehicles. This type of electric car may also use parking spaces with electric plug-ins but the usual 120V outlets work as well.
Battery-electric
If you’re looking for the most eco-friendly type of vehicle, the battery-electric car is the best option. It does not use gasoline at all which means there is no carbon footprint left by this vehicle. However, you have to make sure that the battery range of the vehicle is appropriate for the purpose you intend on using the car.
Fuel Cell
Some people are not convinced with the driving range capacity of the battery-electric type, leading them to assume that electric cars are not as powerful as their conventional counterparts. However, one type of electric vehicle, called the fuel-cell car, is superior when it comes to lessening the need to refuel, and also has a longer range than other EVs. The downside is that they require hydrogen refuels, which stations aren’t widely available.
Electric Car Benefits
Although electric cars vary widely when it comes to their different types, almost all of them, to some degree, share the same benefits. Below are some of the most significant selling points of electric cars.
Cheaper Power Source
One of the biggest advantages of electric vehicles is that they are cost-efficient when it comes to fuel sources. Believe it or not, you’d get to save around 70% in refueling costs when you switch from gasoline to electricity.
Easy Maintenance
The main problem with conventional cars is that their engines are composed of plenty of components with sizes ranging from the smaller gears to bigger parts. This means that it often takes a lot of time and effort to pinpoint the part that’s malfunctioning. On the other hand, electric cars have significantly fewer parts, making them easier to maintain.
Eco-friendly
Arguably one of the main reasons why electric cars have quickly gained worldwide popularity is not because of their personal benefits but rather their positive global implications. Electric cars are eco-friendly simply because they do not produce carbon emissions, or at least not as much, as conventional cars. If you think this isn’t that big of a deal, keep in mind that 72% of the air’s carbon pollution is caused by cars.
Leading Manufacturers of Electric Cars
The rise of electric cars has started more than a decade ago, but it was only after a few years that they’ve gained worldwide popularity. It was thanks to the following manufacturers that consumers gained access to this groundbreaking innovation.
Tesla
When talking about electric cars, the name Tesla will always pop-up. Tesla has gained the status of being synonymous with electric vehicles because of their expertise in making models that suit almost every consumer’s needs.
Nissan
Before Tesla, one company was paramount in the production of electric cars. Nissan began paving the way for revolutionizing how we perceive energy-efficiency and eco-friendliness. The Nissan LEAF has been around since 2011 and was the most widely used electric car before Tesla. An updated version, the Nissan LEAF 2021, is to be released sooner this year.
Chevrolet
Another pillar of the electric vehicle revolution is the Chevy Volt. The first models of this series came out during the year 2010 and were some of the top-selling electric cars in the years that followed. Since then, Chevrolet has deepened its arsenal of electric vehicles.
Sooner or later, electric vehicles will replace our conventional cars. Not only because of their cost-efficiency, but ultimately because we will eventually see the need to shift our lifestyles in a way that benefits the world. If you’re still wondering why people are going crazy about electric cars, here’s our answer: people are crazy about saving money while saving the Earth.
