For the environmentally conscious among you, who are thinking about making the switch to an electric car, you may be wondering if you should do it now, or wait a little longer. The ban on the sale of new petrol/diesel cars will not be here until 2030, but this doesn’t necessarily mean you should wait until then. We’re going to help you weigh up your options and look at what you need to be considering.
The first point to address is the availability of chargers, and if you will struggle to find places to charge your EV. Zap-Map revealed that “At the end of March 2023, there were 40,496 electric vehicle charging points across the UK”, meaning that you would never be too far away from a charging station. With time, the number of chargers will continue to rise as more people begin to drive electric, and with each charger the convenience of driving electric improves! Currently, a lack of chargers is not a common concern for EV drivers, and the installation of a charger at home eradicates any worry almost instantly as you can be confident you’ll be leaving home every day with a full battery and plenty of miles.
There are a few things that will need to happen to further better the UK’s charging infrastructure. One part of this plan will be to encourage the public to install their own chargers, both residential and commercially. Workplace Charging Schemes are available until March 2024 to help businesses with the cost, and similar grants are on offer for landlords and tenants, with the aim of increasing the numbers of charging points.
Whilst most people will charge at their workplace or at home, many companies have already begun to add to their traditional fuel forecourt, with EVs pulling alongside petrol cars filling up at the same time. Supermarkets have also been joining the movement, with shoppers now being able to come away with a full shop and a full battery! Until all retailers make this move, to get the best experience of being an EV owner you may want to consider changing your shopping habits slightly to spend more time at the shops that have charging stations available to use.
When you choose to buy your electric car may be dependent on when you feel you can afford to make the higher initial payout that is required when making the switch from an ICE car to an electric vehicle. Thankfully, the price of electric cars have been coming down since their adoption became more widespread, and they are now at the lowest cost they have ever been. With market leaders slicing EV prices, 2023 could be seen as an opportunity for many people to get their foot in the EV world. Having said that, manufacturing costs are expected to fall even more in the coming years as more efficient batteries are created and manufacturing processes become more cost effective.
A clear benefit to switching to an electric car today, rather than waiting until 2030, is the amount of money you could be saving in the meantime on running and maintenance costs. Paying for electricity remains cheaper than paying for petrol or diesel, and you will find fewer moving parts in your EV than you had in your ICE car. This means there are less parts to go wrong and need replacing… hence the cheaper maintenance costs!
If, after considering all of the above points you think you are in a place to purchase or lease your first electric car, be prepared for incredible and ongoing savings on the day to day running of your vehicle! If you think now isn’t the time for you, keep your eyes peeled! Technology is advancing faster than ever so there’s no need to despair, it could only be a matter of months before the market changes and you can buy your dream EV!
