There’s a lot to know about the advantages and disadvantages of owning an EV.
Before deciding to buy an electric car, it’s important to know that EVs aren’t the only electrified vehicles on the road. Electric vehicles rely solely on batteries and electric motors for propulsion. When the car runs short on charge, pull up to a charging station and you’ll be on your way in half an hour or so.
Plug-in hybrids have a battery pack and electric motor(s), but also a gas engine. They are capable of all-electric propulsion, but have a much shorter electric-only range than their EV counterparts. After the electric range is exhausted, the vehicle’s engine takes over and the electric motors fill in the gaps for the gas engine at low speeds.
Mercedes-Benz EQC (Image: Mercedes-Benz)
Gas Vehicles
PROS OF GAS VEHICLES
Internal combustion engines have been around for over a century and offer a familiar driving experience. Gas-powered cars are easy to use, easy to fuel, and have a driving range that makes them practical for long-haul road trips. These advantages, along with the generally lower up front costs to buy them, make gas-powered cars attractive for many drivers.
Gas engines have become increasingly complex over the years, and are now remarkably fuel efficient and powerful, but there’s no way around the fact that burning fuel creates emissions.