It is weird making a choice when one day there will be no other choice to make. The usual process of invention > early adopters at high prices > efficiency of scale > widespread adoption is still in place, but the immense seriousness of climate change means that, before long, electric vehicles will be the only option when buying new.
Outside of Norway, the majority of new car buyers today (in 2024) in any country are still buying petrol or diesel (fossil fuel) cars, vans, utes and trucks. Their reasons can vary, but will include price (still significantly cheaper), unlimited range (gas stations are everywhere, and quick, and you don’t have to park in a garage overnight), political stances (nobody tells me what to do!), and most of all familiarity and the fear of something new.
Luckily for me, driving beyond the range of an EV in a single day would only ever happen for me if I was on a vacation within Australia, and is rare and not terribly important to me, especially not currently. I tend to live in big old houses with a garage, so overnight charging will not be a challenge. I am not a conservative voter, I am not into conspiracy theories and when it comes to tech I tend to be an early adopter – although I tend to wait for second iterations, so I am a touch cautious.
There are many reason why I chose a cheap EV as my next car, and it is a little cutie, a MG 4 Excite:
The reasons I bought the MG are as follows (and some concerns are listed after)
- Price
- Low maintenance
- Reliability
- Running Costs
- Speed
- Air pollution
- Climate change
- Safety technology
- Driving experience
Price
It certainly wasn’t the cheapest car I could buy, that would be a petrol car, or even a used car. But the $40K or so that I spent was the budget I had, and I prefer smaller, sporty cars because I am mostly driving in the city. So I am saying it was affordable (for me), whereas many people think that an EV is beyond what they can afford.
Low Maintenance
This is a biggy, because having to take my car to get serviced every year (or more often for some cars) is a day of mucking about, and it adds a lot to the overall running costs of the car. EVs don’t need oil changes, don’t have timing belts that need replacing, and don’t use spark plugs. An EV has 20 moving parts, versus hundreds in an antiquated car. This means (in the US) a saving of $4600 in maintenance and repairs over the lifetime.
I Chose Reliability
Fewer parts means fewer things than can go wrong. While I do acknowledge that in these early days, if your car stops working your options are more limited, I have not had that happen to me. And with time, obviously, roadside assistance and the like will become more EV-amenable.
Running Costs
As I said, there is less maintenance, so that is a saving. My insurance, registration and tyre costs are unchanged, but of course my little MG is cheaper to run, by far. Even if I was getting my electricity from the grid, it would be much cheaper than petrol, but I am lucky that my solar panels and battery setup means that my car costs zero to refuel. Yes, that setup cost money at the beginning, but I was doing it anyway to run the household. The savings from not buying gas is around $50 a week, for me.
And by charging at home (in my garage), I save the time and inconvenience of finding gas stations. My car is always topped up.
Speed
Yes, I would rather my car sounded throaty. So there is a trade-off of sorts. But EVs are simply faster, and often exceptionally so. My MG 4 hits 100km in just 6 seconds, which makes me feel like a winner on the road (well, when the lights turn green).
Air Pollution
I look forward to day when words like exhaust emission, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter are archaic.
While our air is not so bad these days in advanced countries, in a lot of the world’s major cities pollution from cars is killing people in great quantities. Anything we can do to reduce that is a win for everyone. Electric vehicles don’t have a tailpipe!
Climate Change
The #1 reason for choosing an EV, for most people, and me, is that petrol cars are a major contributor to climate change and switching to an EV is one of the best things an individual can do to address the problem. Naysayers will cite the environmental costs of building an EV and its batteries, but guess what? Everything manufactured has a cost to the environment, from your underpants to mattress protector. But EVs, even considering manufacture and disposal, are simply cleaner, studies have shown.
I have also greatly reduced the amount of beef I eat 🙂
Safety Technology
New petrol cars typically have the same tech, I don’t deny that. But it feels better, more sci-fi, in an electric car. And how you feel about a car is quite important. Also, the nature of an EV, with the battery in the base and being spread out, means greater stability.
Driving Experience
I have touched on speed, but again, the feels of an EV excite me. No key to turn. You don’t even actually “start” the car! The acceleration and stability make it more of a sports car than any other car I have owned (I guess I have owned a dozen or so over 40 years of adulthood…).
I really like the automation of headlights and windscreen wipers, neither of which I have had before in a car, and two less things to think about.
I didn’t even mention more storage space!
