A blog from Plug'n Drive's Manager of Education and Outreach, Ron Groves. Despite the fact that electric cars are doing much better than the Prius did when it first came out, the media love to harp on "dismal" electric vehicle sales. There are lots of guesses as to why this is, but no real answers. So, why aren't electric vehicles making record sales?
Is it the money? Yesterday, we learned that there are 118,000 millionaires in Toronto alone. Not to mention that after five years of driving, your electric car saves you $2,000 and $3,000 a year. Everyone can afford them.
Is it the range? Statistics Canada has learned that most drivers travel less than 60 km a day 95 per cent of the time. You want to go on a long trip? Take some of the money you're saving not pumping gas into your car to rent a Mustang convertible for the weekend. An electric car will more than get you to and from work every day.
Is it the time it takes to charge? Think about where your car spends most of its time... the mall, the grocery store, the hockey arena? No, it's your driveway or a parking lot! Plug in when you get home, and by next morning, it's fully charged. Who cares how long it takes to charge, you were sleeping.
Is it the batteries? You're not driving a flashlight. Electric car batteries are durable and reliable. You will never have to replace them. They won't just turn into a brick when the warranty runs out. Will they hold as much of a charge 10 years later? No, probably not, but after 10 years your gas engine ain't ticking the way it used to either.
No, it's not any of those things preventing people from buying electric cars, it's an unwillingness to act. I've heard all the excuses, and what it boils down to is a bunch of excuses to do nothing. Get out to a dealer and take an EV or plug in hybrid for a test drive. No more excuses, it's time to act or Mother Nature will act for us.