Dr Euan McTurk, Plug Life Consulting
Electric vehicles are starting to enter the mainstream. In 2023, 315,000 EVs were sold, which is more than in 2020 and 2021 combined. On top of this, sales of used EVs have nearly doubled. With increasing uptake comes increasing awareness of EVs, and an increasing number of important and valid questions. At the same time, the naysayers are starting to shout louder, with lots of disinformation doing the rounds on social media and occasionally breaking into the mainstream news. So, for this article, we’ll look at some of the biggest EV questions out there just now, giving you the real answers and setting the record straight once and for all.
Will an EV do the distance for me?
According to EV Database, out of the 206 makes and models of electric car on the market in the UK today, 75% of them have a real-world range of over 200 miles per charge. That equates to over three hours of solid motorway driving in the UK, and exceeds the range of most bladders without having to stop. The average UK round-trip commute is just 26 miles, so even the oldest, shortest-range EVs from the early 2010s suit many people’s needs, and can do longer distances when required thanks to their ability to rapid charge.
How does EV charging work and will it get better?
Most EV drivers charge their vehicles at home or at work, using a 7 kW “Type 2” charge point. These take several hours to give the car a full charge, but it happens while you’re away doing something else like working, sleeping or visiting friends and family, so paradoxically it’s often the quickest way to charge your car since it only takes a few seconds of your time to plug in and unplug afterwards. If you’re in a hurry, many modern EVs can rapid charge from 20-80% within the average dwell time at a UK motorway service station, using “CCS” ultra-rapid chargers, most of which accept contactless credit cards. With the number of public charge points in the UK increasing by 46% during 2023, and nearly 1,500 new charge points being installed in January 2024 alone, it’s getting increasingly easy to charge your EV on the go, or at or near your home even if you don’t have a driveway.
Used EVs: am I buying a liability?
The batteries of the oldest EVs are defying expectations, and it’s not uncommon to see EVs with over 100,000 miles on the clock and very little loss in range vs new. Unlike consumer electronics, EVs manage their batteries carefully, keeping them at their ideal temperature and not pushing the cell voltages too high, which helps to extend their lifespan considerably vs a smartphone or laptop. Modern EV batteries are widely predicted to outlast the car’s chassis. And remember, most EVs have at least an 8 year, 100,000 mile warranty on the battery, which wouldn’t be anywhere near as generous as this if the manufacturer didn’t think it was easily capable of exceeding that age and mileage.
Where can I get my EV repaired?
EVs are mechanically very simple compared to petrol and diesel cars, so have very little that can go wrong with them. Any garage can do an MOT on an EV, or fix things like tyres, brakes and suspension. For anything concerning the battery or high voltage electrics, there is a UK-wide network of EV specialist garages called HEVRA (Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Repair Alliance) who are experts at EV fault diagnostics and repair, and can often undercut mainstream dealers by offering high quality repairs rather than unnecessary component replacements. One HEVRA member, Cleevely EV Mobile, can even service and fix your car on your driveway.
Is an EV that much cheaper to drive than a petrol car?
If you can charge at home, the answer is a resounding yes. Electricity prices are coming down again, and the price cap is predicted to be 21p/kWh by July 2024, which equates to about 6p per mile for an EV vs 16p per mile for petrol or diesel cars. For the average UK motorist, that’s an annual saving of £800 on fuel alone, and that’s before looking at the greater reliability and cheaper maintenance costs of EVs. If you have an off-peak electricity tariff or solar panels, you can reduce your motoring costs even further. As for public charging costs, if you mostly use “Type 2” AC charge points, your costs should typically be cheaper than a petrol or diesel car. Rapid chargers can be a bit pricey at the moment, but if you only use them occasionally, it’s a drop in the ocean vs your overall savings on petrol or diesel; plus, some EVs and apps give you discounted rapid charging on some networks.
Will my EV grind to a halt in winter?
There was a lot of disinformation around this in the winter of 2023, but the fact remains that Norway – a notoriously chilly country – has the highest EV uptake of any country in the world. Over 80% of new cars sold in Norway are electric, and that simply wouldn’t be the case if they stopped working in winter. Batteries may lose a bit of range vs summer, but modern EVs are good at thermally managing their battery to preserve as much range and performance as possible. And if you do get stuck in a traffic jam on a freezing motorway, a test by Norwegian EV YouTuber Bjørn Nyland showed that a Tesla Model 3 can keep its occupants warm for three whole days before the battery runs flat.
Can I afford an EV on a shoestring budget?
There are bargains to be had on the used EV market just now, which explains why used EV sales doubled during 2023. In addition to some competitive lease offerings at present, AutoTrader has lots of older used EVs starting from around £2,500, which are perfect for typical commutes and are likely to be more reliable than the same age and mileage of petrol or diesel car. Some car dealers offer PCPs on used electric vehicles, and the Scottish Government has an interest-free loan for used EVs (closed for the current financial year, but watch out for announcements from April onwards).
Are EVs more damaging for the environment?
The electric vehicle supply chain is rapidly cleaning up its act, while oil and gas remains its same dirty old self. New battery chemistries are eliminating cobalt from EVs (the top-selling EVs in the UK today are already offered with cobalt-free batteries); new lithium extraction techniques are minimising freshwater use in arid areas; gigafactories that make batteries and EVs are being built on low-carbon grids and/or with onsite renewables; up to 100% of EV battery materials can be recovered during recycling; and new legislation means that batteries that make use of the above advances will be favoured over batteries that are made in less environmentally friendly ways. You can only burn petrol and diesel once, and the consequences are heavily damaging for the environment and air quality.
Are EVs more polluting than petrol cars?
Much is said about the weight of EVs and the extra tyre wear this causes, but these comments typically come from people who drive 2.7 tonne petrol Range Rovers, not 1.8 tonne Tesla Model 3s or 1.2 tonne Volkswagen e-Up!s. The weight problem is SUVification, not electrification. Besides, EV drivers and fleet managers report that EV tyre wear is broadly the same as that of the petrol and diesel vehicles they replaced. On top of this, exhaust emissions are eliminated, which is essential for air quality and public health (as you’ll appreciate every time you walk past an idling diesel car or van), and because of regenerative braking, the brake pads and discs last 2.5 – 3x as long in an EV as in petrol and diesel cars, which further reduces particulate matter pollution.
Do EVs drive slave labour?
Anyone who points the finger at EVs and says “What about the kids who mined the cobalt for the batteries?” may be surprised to learn that cobalt is used to refine petrol and diesel. Conversely, cobalt is being rapidly phased out of leading EV batteries, and “LFP” batteries found in some of the best-selling EVs in the UK contain no cobalt at all. Many battery and EV manufacturers are members of the Fair Cobalt Alliance, which works to ensure safe working conditions, fair wages and that kids are in school, not mines; the oil and gas industry is conspicuous in its absence. If you really care about child welfare, an EV (especially with an LFP battery) is a more ethical option than a petrol or diesel car.
