Vroom or Hushhh? Choosing Between an Electric and Gas-Powered Car
There are plenty of reasons to go from driving a gas-powered to an
electric-powered vehicle. These reasons can be anything from financial
(fluctuating gas prices, regular maintenance such as an oil change),
environmental, even aesthetical—the quiet ‘hushhh’ and quick velocity definitely
have a lure. But how practical is driving, and relying upon, a fully electric
car? And, what about those aesthetic points, are you ready to trade in that
classic ‘vroom’ for the future-bound ‘hushhh’?
Range Anxiety
One of the biggest issues for potential EV drivers is what’s
called “range anxiety.” Since the typical range of an all-electric vehicle is
less than most gas-powered vehicles, this concern is valid. However, it’s
important to think of why there is such a difference in range.
‘The biggest reason is there are simply not as many charging ports
as there are gas stations. Luckily, this is changing—and at a fast pace.
Charging ports are popping up all over the country (in grocery store parking
lots, on the sides of highways) while electric vehicles are being designed to
go for longer distances.
With that said, most modern all-electric vehicles can currently
cover the average driver’s daily commute, including a few joy rides, without a
problem. Couple that with President Biden’s recently passed infrastructure bill
which provides over $100 billion towards building 500,000 charging stations by
the year 2030, on a national level and you have a brightly-lit future for the
electric mobile.
A green light has also been given for local governments to spend
up to $5 billion on charging stations for the ever-growing popularity of
electric vehicles. Five years from now, we will find each state fitted with
charging stations. Imagine what that will allow in terms of the cost of travel.
Long-distance traveling could end up being one of the cheapest methods of
getting around.
Charging Times
Another common concern with EVs is the amount of time it takes to
charge them. It’s true that it takes much longer to charge your car than to gas
it up, but it’s essential to keep a few things in mind. For example, one charge
can typically handle a daily commute—think driving around town and running
errands. There’s also the fact that charging times are continually decreasing
as advancements are made in the technology used to charge our electric
vehicles; plus, a 15-20 minute charge will allow for a couple hundred miles for
most cars.
As it stands, there are three types of electric-vehicle
chargers:
- At the first, most basic level, 120 volts is used.
This is the same amount of power used in a household outlet and will take
anywhere from 15 to 18 hours of charge to provide a 100-mile range. (So,
expect a little over half an hour for a couple hundred miles worth of
driving.)
- The next step up is a 240-volt outlet. Whereas
the first level of charge can be provided from your own home, these more
powerful charges are found in offices and malls—and these can cut charging
times by as much as three hours.
- The
highest, fasted charge uses 480-volt outlets and can provide a full
charge in 30 minutes or so. As of now, these are a bit harder to find; but
expect to start seeing them around, especially with the recent funds
dedicated to building stations on a national level.
There is also word that even faster charging times will come. As
technology, especially in this realm, advances so do the capabilities.
Vehicle Lifespan
One other issue often voiced is that the batteries powering every
aspect of the car will eventually wear out, and once the battery is out, the
car is rendered useless. What this thinking fails to consider is the fact that
the life of most gas-powered cars is between 150,000 and 200,00 miles (and a
lot of money spent on gas and maintenance in between), and the projected
mileage of EVs is to be anywhere from 350,000 to 500,000 miles. That’s a big
difference and a huge savings.
Operating under a single power source (the car’s battery)
drastically reduces the possibility of having to pay for all the common
maintenance that arises with gas-powered vehicles. All those moving parts
create many more possibilities for something to go wrong.
What About the Sound?
Electric vehicles have proven to be so quiet that they have been
deemed too quiet. In fact, all hybrid and electric vehicles will be required to
add noise emissions for certain speeds by next year. These added noises will be
for safety reasons, but what about that one noise that isn’t necessarily for
safety, but has always been there? The quintessential VROOM we have all
become accustomed to is fading away from the driving experience. Are we ready
for this?
It seems that at the performance level of driving, we are not
quite ready to trade in sounds. We want our fast cars to be loud! But for the
rest of us—the mass population of drivers who run to shops and drop off laundry
before getting stuck in traffic—eliminating another sound might not be a bad
thing.
Especially compared to the amount of money saved, we can sacrifice
the sound of a combusting engine. Besides, much of that powerful ‘vroom’ sound
is fake these days—added sound to make it seem like the engine is genuinely
that loud. Maybe it’s time to stop playing games and start humming around town.
Heck, even the country!
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