7 Reasons You Should Buy an Electric Car
Electric is Better Than Gas, and It's Not Even Close
Electric vehicles represent nearly 100% of new vehicle sales in Norway, 51% in China, 28.2% in the UK, 24% in the European Union, and 8.6% in the US.
Given their immense benefits, it should be 100% everywhere!
Here are the top seven reasons to go EV:
7. Defund Petrostates
In the early 2000s, discourse around EV adoption centered on the need for Western consumers to stop funding terrorism and autocratic regimes abroad. This rationale has almost completely disappeared from the conversation in recent years, as climate concerns have come to the fore. But it is still as true as ever.
Approximately 45% of global oil demand is used for road transportation (cars, SUVs, trucks and buses).1 Switching to electric vehicles deprives petrostates like Russia, Venezuela, Iran, and Saudi Arabia of revenue needed to prop up their autocratic regimes and fund wars of aggression like the war in Ukraine (pictured above).
6. Ditch the Gas Station
Everyone’s favorite time of the week is when they pull into a gasoline station and pay an enormous amount of money to pour an explosive, poisonous cocktail of chemicals into their vehicle’s tank. Sometimes we even get lucky and spill some of the magnificently scented noxious nectar onto our clothing, where its lovely aroma lingers for hours.
I’m kidding. Over 80% of EV owners charge at home, meaning their car is fully charged and waiting for them when they wake up in the morning.2 DC electric fast charging exists for long road trips, and works very well. But overall, EV owners refuel while they sleep instead of desperately trying to find a station on their way home from work.
5. Lower Fuel & Maintenance Costs
Electricity is cheaper than gasoline per unit of energy, and electric motors are more efficient at using that energy to propel a vehicle. As a result, an EV’s cost per mile is typically 50-70% lower than for an equivalent gasoline car.
In addition, electric vehicles have fewer moving parts than gasoline cars, which saves on maintenance. One study estimates that fuel and maintenance savings add up to $6,000 to $12,0003 over the life of an electric vehicle.4
4. Quieter Ride
The roar of a gasoline engine is a selling point for some. But for most people, it’s just an annoying noise assaulting our eardrums.
EVs create 50-75% less noise than gasoline vehicles at low speeds. The effect is less pronounced at higher speeds, where wind and tire noise start to predominate. But even there you can expect a 10-15% improvement.
3. Vastly Improved Performance
Electric motors accelerate much faster than gas engines, as they are capable of reaching peak torque immediately and don’t have to “rev up”. This makes them vastly superior for merging onto highways, driving uphill, and particularly the stop-and-go of city driving.
Instances of gas cars outperforming electric vehicles in any way whatsoever are extremely rare (mostly long-haul towing, which still benefits from the relative energy density of gasoline.)
2. Slash Air Pollution
Air pollution kills an estimated 8.1 million people every year, and gasoline vehicles are sources of deadly carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, particulates, and VOC emissions. EVs eliminate all tailpipe emissions and overall produce 60-80% less air pollution relative to their gasoline counterparts.5
Electric vehicles still have tires, which shed tiny particles of rubber or plastic when worn, and thus generate particulate pollution. And brake pad wear contributes some particulates too. But overall, driving an EV makes the skies of your city and neighborhood much cleaner.
1. Fight Climate Change
Climate change is the single greatest threat to the Planet and human civilization over the next century.
Road vehicles account for 16% of all climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions. And the latest science shows that electric vehicles produce 73% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than gasoline-powered equivalents, a number that improves over time as the electric grid gets cleaner.6
Replacing your gas car with an EV can make a huge difference.
https://vitoloutlook.com/road-transport/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://insideevs.com/news/714106/home-charging-satisfaction-improves-in-amerca/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
At current exchange rates: £4,440 to £8,880, €5,400 to €10,800, A$9,420 to A$18,840, C$8,430 to C$16,860.
https://advocacy.consumerreports.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/CR_EVSavings_FACTSHEET_6.2023.pdf
https://www.lung.org/clean-air/electric-vehicle-report/electric-vehicle-report-2020?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://theicct.org/pr-electric-cars-getting-cleaner-faster/#:~:text=A%20new%20study%20by%20the,Negri%2C%20Researcher%20at%20the%20ICCT.