Despite electric cars becoming an increasingly common sight in UK roads, there are still plenty of “facts” floating around that are anything but.
It seems that as soon as EVs are mentioned, everyone has an opinion on them – good or bad. But what are the EV myths that need busting?
EVs are more harmful than petrol/diesel cars
Electric cars aren’t completely green, but they are much better than internal combustion models. EVs start by rolling off the production line with a greater “emissions cost” because of battery production. But this can quickly be recouped.
By charging an EV on renewable energy, the lifetime emissions are practically zero once it’s out of the factory. Even charging on the UK’s average National Grid electricity mix, it’s still much greener than burning fuel. The tipping point is between 30,000 to 36,000 miles of driving based on the UK’s average electricity CO2 cost, but charging on renewable power will make that cleaner switch-over point sooner.
And then there’s the key point about urban air quality. Electric cars have zero tailpipe emissions and help reduce the amount of local pollution – the opposite is true for petrol and diesel cars. See the next point.
EVs shouldn’t be allowed in city centres
A benefit of electric cars over petrol or diesel ones is the lack of exhaust. No matter how the electricity is sourced to power it, there are no fumes produced at point of use.
It means that local air quality is much better off with electric vehicles. In terms of congestion, they provide the same problems as any other type of car, but for those cities focused on improving air quality – usually because of illegal levels of pollution in the area – EVs are a force for good.
If everyone switched to EVs, the National Grid wouldn’t cope
We’re not facing blackouts because of over-use of electric cars, partly because the switch to EVs will not happen overnight.
The National Grid has also repeatedly said that it is largely fine for the gradual changeover to EVs. The key issue is the use of EV charging at peak times, which could put systems under strain, but there are smart meters and charging timers in EVs that will allow drivers to charge in off-peak times.
Electric cars are slow
Nope. Simply not the case – they are some of the fastest cars on the market.
Electric motors offer much greater levels of response to a driver, which in a petrol car needs to build up revs to a peak band to get all the power and torque available. EV drivers have that instantly. Even little city cars will accelerate faster than some sports cars.
You can’t drive an EV in the rain
It might sound silly, but the myth still exists because of the “electricity-not-mixing-with-water” rule. Electric systems are protected against the elements, so yes, EVs can be driven in the rain, washed, and run through puddles or fords with no issue. They can also be charged up while it’s raining, too.
Driving range is too short
It’s subjective, but what is certain is that electric cars cope with most drivers’ needs easily. The average daily mileage is less than 20 miles in the UK, and many electric cars could do that for more than a week before needing to be charged.
Some drivers will need to cover more than that each day, but a typical EV can offer 180-200 miles, and there are plenty of models on the market that will top 300 miles – some even have more than 400 miles on a charge.
Electric cars charge slowly
Charging a flat battery to 100% from a three-pin plug will take the best part of a day or more. But EV drivers never really charge from 0% (at least not deliberately) and have faster chargers.
Many EVs will charge in four to six hours – charging overnight is what most drivers do: 92% according to EV charging solutions provider Mina from its own driver data.
On the road, there are high power chargers that will get an EV from 10-80% in less than 20 minutes for the fastest chargers and fastest charging EVs. All electric cars will top up a significant number of miles in half an hour.
EVs are less reliable
Broadly, electric cars are more reliable than other models, because there are fewer moving parts. Engines create thousands of tiny explosions every minute electric motors don’t.
There is no complicated gearbox, fewer oil and cooling liquids, and even the brakes last longer thanks to regenerative braking – inverting the motor to charge the battery rather than draw from it.
EVs are unsafe
Electric cars are generally some of the safest cars on the road, according to EuroNCAP scores.
Crash test scores are strong for the majority of EVs, supported by generally high levels of equipment which tends to include driver assistance features. In fact, the crash testing organisation EuroNCAP found that Chinese cars were best in two categories – the ORA Funky Cat in the Small Family Car Category and the WEY Coffee 01 in the Large Off-Roader category.
Electric car batteries will end up in landfill
EV batteries are not going to end up in landfill. Firstly, there are rules and regulations for what can be done with batteries and they need to be recycled.
Secondly, electric car batteries are far too useful to be thrown away. All rechargeable batteries gradually degrade over time and use. But an EV has a very large battery, so even when it’s got down below 75% of initial capacity – which most manufacturers set as the limit for their warranty – it’s still a very large battery. These can be used as energy storage devices for homes or commercial properties.
Battery life is proving stronger than expected too, with eight-year warranties to protect against failure or degradation from most manufacturers.
