Does Miles Matter When Buying An Electric Car?
More and more people are now convinced to buy an electric car given the chance to buy a new car. This must be because of the aggressive programs of the government to help advance environmental concerns by giving tax incentives and rebates to owners of electric cars. Aside from the lessened carbon footprint, you will also be spared of spending regularly on maintenance costs and fuel. We all know that the price of gasoline is always on the upswing. Summing up all of these, owning an electric car can help you manage your budget more easily in the future than having a hybrid or traditional car.
But while people are aware of the advantages of electric cars, one area of concern is the high retail price. Indeed, an electric car still commands a much steeper price than hybrid and traditional gas-powered vehicles. But when mass production begins because of greater demand, there may be no other way but for the prices of electric cars to go down.
Aside from the high cost of acquiring an electric car at present, another area of concern that still preoccupies buyers’ minds is mileage. Mileage is the distance that an electric car can cover before its batteries are empty and need to be recharged. It may still be an issue to those who do not know that a brand of an electric car can cover 375 miles before it needs to recharge its batteries. That can be as good as having a traditional car! So, do miles matter when buying an electric car? Undoubtedly, the answer is yes.
When buying your first electric car, it is always safer to consider mileage because of the following reasons:
You Are Sure to Reach Your Destination
Many of us may be using our cars to commute from home to work, do errands like buying groceries, and fetching our children from school. All these may require us to travel a little distance from our home. But that may not always be where ours may be used. Unless you plan not to get out of town to have a vacation on the beach, which may be many towns away; mileage may not be an issue. But we use our cars to travel to more distant destinations too. Will it be better for you to use public transport or rent another car? Of course, it will be nicer to use your own, for sure.
For those whose jobs require them to travel long distances, mileage should not be a question when buying an electric car. The choice is easy as they will surely go for EVs that have long mileage.
No Stop-Overs to Recharge Battery
If your electric car has batteries that can cover the distance from your starting point to your destination, you can reach your journey’s end without needing to have the batteries recharged. If you are rushing to get to your destination, recharging the batteries can delay your travel time. Consider it a lost opportunity if an important appointment is canceled because you are late.
No More Nightly Recharging
Having an electric car with a short mileage will require you to charge the batteries every night. Forgetting to do so will surely mean that you will be late for work or driving your kids to school. If you are like most Americans who cover an average of 28 miles a day, it may not be a problem to have an electric car with a short mileage. But with an EV that has 300 miles mileage, you can be spared the chore of nightly charging of the batteries for more than 10 days. That is more convenient for you for sure.
Charging Stations Are Not Everywhere
One issue that still persists concerning electric cars is the availability of charging stations. A study shows that most owners of EVs charge their cars at home and workplaces. But not all workplaces allow charging of EVs and there will surely be a time when your batteries get empty while you are away from home. EV charging stations are still not as many as gasoline stations. In fact, for every seven gas stations, there is only one EV charging station. Having an electric car with long mileage will surely decrease the chance of having dead batteries while you are in the streets.
Bottom Line
If you have another car other than an EV, buying an electric car with short mileage may not create any trouble. You will be using your EV for short distances only. But for sure, there will come a time when you will have no other choice than to travel with your EV for longer distances. This makes it wiser to consider buying an electric car with long mileage.