What To Look For When Buying An Electric Vehicle?

The automotive market is constantly evolving, and customers now have alternative fuel options with better safety and comfort. For this reason, the last three years saw a significant surge in electric vehicle sales worldwide. EVs are eco-friendly, easier to maintain, and cheap in terms of fuel cost. EV companies are also closing in on petrol vehicles in terms of speed and performance, and they provide better software and AI technologies.

However, the EV market is still in its nascent stage, and a lot of major developments are still awaited. Therefore, when buying an EV, you must consider many factors to ensure maximum convenience. Here is an article on what to look for when buying an electric vehicle.

Value For Money

The EV market is still in its first generation; therefore, these vehicles could be costly because of costly battery packs. Even the mid-sized vehicles could be 20-30% costlier than their petrol or diesel counterparts.

Therefore, you must keep your needs in mind before choosing an EV. Keep in mind your budget and routine charging cost. Buy an EV that seems durable and comes with an extended warranty on the battery.

Tax Benefits

Electric vehicles cut down on air and noise pollution, and for this reason, several governments offer tax benefits on these vehicles to attract more people to the EV market. Therefore, carefully read all the EV-related schemes because it can cut down your overall purchase cost. Apart from tax, governments also provide several other incentives in the form of cheaper car loans, etc.

Software Updates

The contemporary EVs are very reliant on AI and the driving software to understand the roads better and adapt accordingly. The traction and wheel drive is determined by such software, which makes the driving easy and comfortable.

Additionally, the software also controls the cabin ambiance and improves the passengers’ experience with every update. Most EV brands ask for payment for every software update, which could hurt your pocket in the long run. Therefore, research on the update incentives to save some money on maintenance.

Range

The range is crucial for an EV; it means how long a vehicle can go on a single charge. It is also vital because the EV infrastructure is still in its development phase and the electric vehicle charging points are far less than fuel stations.

Therefore, if you plan to buy an EV for domestic use, a range of a little over 100 Km will do wonders for you. If you want to switch to EV permanently, you must go for a premium brand that offers more than 300 Km on a single charge.

Battery Capacity

Battery determines vehicle performance and power. If you buy a low-range EV, you will get a battery with a meagre capacity, which could frustrate you in long distances. Weak batteries do not provide a good speed and acceleration and are not meant for mid-ranged drives.

Although, if you choose a battery pack with a minimum battery capacity of 400V, you can get a performance at par with petrol-driven vehicles. Some of the premium brands offer a top speed of up to 300Kmph, close to the supercar’s performance.

Charging Options

The usual EVs come in three charging options, fast, slow, and standard. Fast charging ports are still rare in the cities, and it isn’t easy to find one. Also, they are costly to install and can put a dent in your electricity bill; this makes them less feasible.

However, standard and slow charging ports are very common, and you will find them at every charging station. In case of slow charging ports, you can have an EV charger installation your house’s usual electric output, making them quite feasible. Therefore, depending upon the budget and infrastructure, choose the best charging option for yourself.