More and more people are choosing to consume better, eat better and live better. Some take it to the next level and say: “I want to cash my car and go electric to reduce my carbon footprint.” Switching to electric vehicles (EV) could be due to different reasons like ecological awareness, desire to save on fuel, or simply love at first sight with a fashionable model.
EV’s growing market has gained almost 80% of the total car market share in 2 years. So even if buying an electric car may seem like a simple process, you still have to read about it to start with peace of mind.
On average, a person changes his car every 5 years. Perhaps you are thinking about selling your car and buying an electric one.
Well, here are some useful tips before you do it…
Electric or Hybrid Car?
First things first, let’s take a look at the electrical technologies in the automotive market today. The two most popular are hybrid and electric.
Hybrid cars
The hybrid car has two systems: a gasoline engine (or diesel) coupled with an electric battery. Unlike EVs, you cannot recharge it simply by plugging it in (at a terminal or a socket at home). It recharges itself during the braking and deceleration phases.
The engine uses this energy when starting up and when the vehicle does not exceed a specific speed limit. Beyond that, the heat engine (fuel) takes over, and the car operates like a traditional car.
Electric Cars
The electric car has no fuel tank or combustion engine at all. Its engine is only electric, giving it a range of several hundred kilometers. EVs are more expensive than a traditional car, but it saves you a lot of money in the long run. The high value of the car comes from the fact that it has a battery you can recharge at home, on freely accessible electricity networks, or public terminals. And by that, getting rid of fuel and its high prices forever.
But it’s not just these two green technologies in the market… you can also find:
- Hydrogen cars have a large battery that is recharged with hydrogen gas to produce electricity.
- Electric motors with thermal autonomy extenders have a fuel system to power the electric battery.
- Rechargeable hybrid, unlike the traditional hybrid, you can recharge the battery.
Now, there are several alternatives to the polluting heat engine. Although electric and hybrid cars make up the bulk of the fleet, electricity remains the alternative to fuel, and research is still in its early stages.
Are Electric Cars Prevalent?
Rest assured, you are not the first, and you won’t be the last to have an electric car. Within few years, electric car manufacturers sold huge numbers around the world.
Globally, the electric car market surpassed the 2 million sales mark in 2016, with the largest market being China, followed by the United States, Norway, Japan, and France.
With a gigantic population of 1.4 billion inhabitants, China is a very dynamic market where economic policy also strongly encourages clean cars. The country sets the share of hybrid or electric vehicles at 10% of car sales.
Europe comes second in sales, thanks to Norway, whose electric cars represented 26% in 2016.
In January 2021, global sales of plug-in cars doubled year-on-year for the fourth consecutive month.
More than 321,000 registrations were recorded (an increase of 112% compared to the previous year), representing around 5% of the total market.
Fully electric cars are growing faster (132% from the previous year) than plug-in hybrids (80%), thanks to the high demand in China – the world’s largest market for battery-powered vehicles.
Which Car to Choose?
Car manufacturers now have at least one electric vehicle in their lineup. So you are spoiled for choice for models and styles.
Here is a small overview of the 3 best-selling models:
Tesla Model 3
Since its launch 4 years ago, Tesla Model 3 remains popular because it combines a classy look and a -somewhat- low price ($38,690).
Tesla is adding new features to this model each year. If the aesthetic changes of this Tesla Model 3 in 2021 remain minimal, the technical evolutions are much more important.
Panasonic (the main supplier of Tesla batteries) offers better energy density for a capacity gain of around 10%.
According to users, the capacity of the pack has increased from 74 to 82 kWh.
Chevrolet Bolt
Although Chevrolet promised a new electric car this year, aka Bolt EUV, this didn’t have any effects on the sales. Bolt is still one of the top 3 sellers with a base price of $37,495. This fast-charging Ecar has 200 horsepower and almost 300 miles of range per full charge.
There’s virtually no waiting time to get a Bolt from dealerships. A big benefit when you know that you sometimes have to wait several months to get your hands on certain competing models.
Ford Mustang Mach-E
Ford’s first all-electric SUV. Beautifully sculpted design, plus cutting-edge technologies
The Mustang Mach-E is an electric SUV with instant acceleration that guarantees a sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.7 seconds and a range of 300miles per full charge.
Mustang Mach-E price starts at $61,000, but if you choose GT performance the number can grow up to $66,000.
A good thing about life is that you rarely run out of options. The market is big and flourishing, automakers are doing their best to produce a perfect environment-friendly car that combines architecture and performance.
Choose what suits your needs best and enjoy the options of life while they last.
