Times are indeed changing and so is the way we move around in this world. Electric cars aren't some niche vehicles that only a few could own. They are now within the reach of everyone. With the Indian government encouraging their use and charging infrastructure being set up around the country, there's a good possibility that you'd be tempted to go for an EV when you're buying a new car.
If you plan on making this switch, read on to find out the pros and cons of shifting from an combustion engine car to an electric car.
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Engine cars burn fossil fuels and the by-product of this process are harmful gases that saturate in the atmosphere and create air pollution. Opting for an electric car leads to zero emissions and allows you to free yourself from the guilt of causing this environmental damage.
As fuel prices continue to soar, electric cars are way more cost-efficient in the short as well as long run. If you own a petrol car, it can cost you around Rs 9 to Rs 10 per kilometre of running on an average. As for an electric car, that cost comes significantly down to Rs 1.2 to 1.4 per kilometre as per the average electricity costs of today.
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In an effort to increase EV adoption, a number of Indian states are waiving off road tax on them. Moreover, the Government of India has come up with an extensive program for transport electrification, which is being implemented through Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles (FAME) schemes (I and II). These plans result 5% reduction of GST on EVs and even offer an income tax exemption of up to Rs. 1,50,000 on interest payments for EV loans.
Engine cars need large engines that occupy a lot of the space on their chassis. An EV runs on a motor that's directly powered by a battery, which means there's a considerably low number of parts to deal with. During the long term, this results in remarkably low maintenance costs.
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Electric cars are generally more expensive compared to their engine-based peers. However, as the adoption of EVs keeps on increasing, those prices are steadily going down as well. Also, the savings you make over the long term by not spending on a petrol or diesel car, nullify the higher price that you'll pay for an electric car.
The lack of charging stations is a major point of anxiety that discourages people from buying EVs. Long journeys become very tricky since there's always the fear of finding yourself in the middle of nowhere with no charging station in sight.
Charging Takes Time:
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Whenever you do find a charging station, juicing up the battery of your car takes a pretty long time. This is one advantage petrol/diesel cars have over EVs as they can be refuelled in only a few minutes.
The batteries of electric cars are expensive so whenever they reach the end of their cycles, replacing them will incur a big cost.
Those being the advantages and disadvantages of shifting from engine cars to electric cars, we do think the pros do outweigh the cons.
