I’ll admit electric cars aren’t for everyone. Those that don’t have a driving license for example. For those that do however, there is already something suitable. Perhaps if you don’t have somewhere to charge it (ever) which is unlikely though admittedly possible, then perhaps it means waiting until the supermarkets have installed rapid chargers, or petition your council to do something about it.
But today, for anyone else, the old myths have all but been eliminated. Unfortunately the public is suspicious of change. So although a recent poll found roughly 90% of EV drivers would not go back to an ICE vehicle, for those that have yet to try an EV the benefits are overlooked due to fear of the unknown.
Now facts and figures are all very well, and even if I were to demonstrate that an EV will work for you and be more enjoyable to drive it’s still a big change and that seems to trip people into the default of sticking with outdated and quickly depreciating tech (ICE vehicles). It’s far more logical that cars should be electric, and I say this as someone who enjoys ICE servicing as DIY, and has owned a few high performance ICE vehicles. At the end of the day the internal combustion engine is needlessly complicated, prone to ever growing points of failure (yes SCR, DPF’s and now GPF’s – that’s gasoline particulate filters) besides for the implicit wear and tear issues. Whereas electric motors are infinitely more reliable. Obviously battery tech has needed to catch up, but it’ll soon far surpass what already today is considered adequate (think solid state battery tech etc). However because the utility and reliability of current EV’s is so high, any EV will likely be a far superior proposition in the future than any ICE vehicle.
Of course the number of people who recognise this is growing rapidly and I personally believe this is reflected in the prices of 2nd hand EV’s. Many argue that because EV’s have so few moving parts the mileage has much less effect on them, indeed other than interior wear and tear and some non-EV specific drivetrain components this is undoubtedly true. The existing valuation models will have to adjust, and it’s quite likely that even when supply begins to catch up with demand (whenever that will be) the used pricing mechanisms will be different to those for ICE vehicles.
What’s shocking is that so many still think EV’s suffer from high depreciation. Yes, if you bought a Model X the day before Musk knocked £30k off the price then there is truth in that. Otherwise it’s a joke. Take a Nissan Pulsar vs Nissan Leaf. Or Kia Nero vs E-Nero, Renault Zoe vs Clio, Model S vs 5 series the list goes on and in each case the EV version is worth around double than the ICE equivalent. In fact EV’s are the only mainstream sector this decade where people are successfully profiteering by buying a brand new car and selling it on for a profit on the used market.
One reason to take notice is the effect these changes will have on new ICE vehicles. As EV’s become mainstream (and it’s happening very quickly now) ICE cars will go the way of the cigarette. Do you really want to spend £20k or more on something that will soon be frowned upon like those who smoke in public areas? At some point even advertising for ICE cars may be banned unless the market has died before then (as unlike smoking, complicated ICE vehicles rely on a wide network of support – think fuel stations, repair and parts).
Ultimately, people just need to try it. I reckon if people had the opportunity to run an EV for a week, it'd be a bit like a biblical revelation (albeit with less noise).
It might be early on in the game for EV’s, but that might just be the best time to play.