When Adrian set himself the goal of electrifying his life back in 2015, the plan was simple, he wanted to get:
- solar panels,
- a heat pump, and
- and electric car.
He’s since cheated a little. He swapped the electric car for an electric bike. And if your commute is in the 10–15 km range, he’d highly encourage you doing the same. An e-bike will get you there cheaper, faster, and – frankly – more pleasurably. No argument there.
But today we’re talking about electric cars. And the answer, in Adrian’s words, is beyond a shadow of a doubt: get an EV.
Range anxiety is over
Adrian’s first EV was a 2017 model with about 180 km of range on a really good day. That posed a problem on family holidays from Brussels to the west coast of Ireland.
But today’s cars are a completely different story. The Polestar he drives for the video has 540 km of range but that has become average in the market. Volvo recently launched a new model with 810 km. That will take you everywhere you want to go, and then some. For your day-to-day and week-to-week driving, 810 km means you’re charging once a week at most.
Charging is easier than you think
Talking about charging, it’s getting easier every day. In the Brussels region alone, there are now just over 10,000 charge points, a number that has doubled in the last two years. The goal is a charge point within 150 metres of every single home in Brussels. It’s becoming genuinely ubiquitous.
And then there’s the supermarket. You do your weekly shop, plug in while you’re inside, and by the time you’re back at the car it’s charged. That’s it. That’s your charging routine.
Let’s talk money
To be seduced by the idea of buying an EV you don’t have to care about climate – though it helps. You don’t have to care about how enjoyable EVs are to drive – though they are. The financial case alone is crystal clear.
It breaks down like this:
- Public charging only: you could save around €1,000 a year compared to a combustion engine
- Charging at home: from solar panels or dynamic tariffs, where you can sometimes actually get paid to charge your car, savings can reach €2,500 a year
Over the lifetime of the car, that adds up to a very significant sum.
The other advantages people don’t talk about enough
Maintenance (or the lack of it)
No more trips to a garage in the middle of nowhere for an oil change. No fan belts. Your brakes last three to four times longer because regenerative braking does most of the work. EVs are simpler machines, and simpler machines last longer.
Future-proofing
There are already over 200 low emission zones across European cities, and that number is growing. If you buy a combustion engine car today, there’s a real chance you won’t be able to drive it into the cities you want to in the future. An EV has none of that problem and none of the mental weight of trying to figure out a parking lot outside of the city.
The battery
The battery, and it’s degradation is another common concern. The issue here is that usually people draw from their experiences with home appliances or their phone battery that degrades in two years. On EV’s you can rest assured. The batteries are a completely different technology. There is a solid chance the car battery will outlast the car itself.
Still not sure? Talk to someone who has one
Hundreds of thousands of EVs have been sold in Belgium. Millions across Europe. You almost certainly know someone who drives one. Ask them. They’ll tell you whether they’d go back – and the overwhelming answer is no. What’s more, 75% of EV owners say they feel better protected against the current fossil fuel price spike compared to combustion engine drivers, a new study by Verian Group in six European countries reveals.
The bottom line: EVs are the cheaper choice, the future-proof choice, and, Adrian will insist on this, the more enjoyable choice too. Once you’ve driven one, the conversation tends to close pretty quickly.
Got questions? Drop them in the comments on YouTube or reach out to the Electrification Alliance directly.
We’ve got you covered.