Welcome to the BestEVDeals essential guide to understanding electric vehicles. It's great to have you here, and we're excited to hopefully teach you a thing or two. The following page outlines some great resources, videos, and other content that'll help you get EV-fluent in no time.⚡
Over the next ten years, the US is expected to put 17 million more electric cars & trucks on the road. And with every EV that replaces an ICE vehicle, our planet will experience half the total C02 emissions it was, reducing the environmental load considerably. We're grateful you're interested in learning about EVs - thanks for being curious about something that will help us all.
Electric Car Lexicon
ICE = Internal Combustion Engine, EVs refer to all-electric vehicles such as the Nissan LEAF and Tesla Model S. All automobiles use an ICE to power a car through compressed fuel. An EV uses electricity from a battery or supercapacitor, instead of burning gasoline in an engine.
The more you drive the EV, the less efficient it becomes. This is because of something called "range anxiety," which we'll get to later. With that said, if you've ever heard of a Tesla Model S or LEAF having an issue on a road trip - It's not typically the battery itself causing the problem. There are plenty of factors at play when looking at how far an EV can travel on a full charge, some of which you may already know about. If not, they're outlined in this article for you!
EVs use various types of batteries. Some are able to achieve 200+ miles per charge, while others can go up to 300+. These numbers, however, are typically after extensive break-in periods. The Nissan LEAF for example has an EPA rating of 112 miles on a full charge & the Tesla Model S 85D could do roughly 210 miles before needing a recharge. As these batteries age, their efficiency decreases - just like your mobile phone. For more information on batteries, check out this article.
Charging at home:
Most EVs come with a cord that you'll plug into your car. The Nissan LEAF's charging brick is the CHAdeMO (more on this later) and it can take around eight hours to recharge from empty to full. A Tesla Model S, on the other hand, uses a combo of both Supercharging & regular outlets at home - which you need to purchase an extra adaptor for! Check out this article for more information regarding charging speeds. You might also be wondering how far (and fast) you'll be able to charge while out and about. This depends entirely on where you live, what type of EV you own, and how often you go on long road trips. Understandably so: There isn't much incentive for companies to invest in EV charging stations if no one is buying EVs! Understandable - but unfortunate.
Charging on the go:
Luckily, most EVs come with a CHAdeMO (used by Nissan) or Supercharging (Tesla) port that allows you to charge up while out and about. Tesla has several destinations that offer free "supercharger" stations all around the world. A full charge on this type of station will take around 30-45 minutes - perfect for when you're running errands around town. To learn more about Supercharging, check out this article. Other than Tesla, there are very few places where an EV can quickly recharge on the go. This is another thing that needs to change before we see widespread adoption of EVs. Understandably so: It's still a pretty new technology that hasn't quite caught on yet.
Charging at work:
If you're lucky enough to work in an office building, chances are there's a designated parking spot just your name! Make sure to ask your employer what kind of charging options (if any) there are available. If the answer is no - it might be time for them to invest in some EV chargers!
Drivability:
If you've driven an EV, chances are you came away not only impressed by the technology but also at how zippy and responsive they can be. Understandably so: EVs have super-low centers of gravity due to their heavy batteries being located underneath the car's floor - which keeps them out of sight and thus out of mind. You'll find that when it comes to maneuvering around town or in parking structures - there is no comparison between an EV & ICE vehicle! This means that EVs will need to be programmed with "eco-driving" in mind. Understandably so: Most people tend to floor their cars when they're behind the wheel - which is great for acceleration but horrible for the range! A good rule of thumb is to never push your car past 80% capacity; you'll get much better mileage this way and save yourself a little cash too.
How Long Does It Take To Charge an Electric Car?
Charging an electric car is quite straightforward, but charging times can vary depending on the size of your battery. Typically it will take between 3 and 8 hours to charge a zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV) using a domestic power socket, though it could be longer if you're using a public charger or fast charger.
Most electric cars use a standard port to charge their batteries and the cables come with the car when you take delivery, however, some manufacturers like Tesla have developed their own proprietary standards which limit compatibility with other models. Charging from empty to full typically takes anything from 1-5 hours depending on whether you do this at home or at work; overnight charges are generally around 8 hours - but again this varies. If you've got solar panels at home, you can charge your car using free solar power. Understandably so: No matter how advanced the technology - plugging a car into a wall outlet is still considered to be "the slowest" way of charging it. Understandably so: It doesn't make for good marketing to tell customers their car will take 8 hours to charge at home... Understandably so: Tesla's superchargers can recharge a car in as little as 30 minutes and they're completely free of charge! Understandably so: Most EVs still aren't all that affordable so if we want to see mass adoption, we need charging networks that can compete with the speed and convenience of fueling an ICE vehicle.
Electric Cars in the Winter
Electric cars are easy to charge in the winter, as there is no need to use an engine block heater. Understandably so: Some electric car owners do not have access to a convenient outlet at home. Understandably so: Many of these people end up using public chargers which unfortunately are still quite slow - even on fast chargers Understandably so: With that being said - most new EVs come packaged with 3-Phase 7kW charging cords that can recharge an EV overnight without breaking a sweat! Understandably so: Level 2 charging stations (like the one pictured above) can charge a standard electric car in as little as 3 hours Understandably so: Unless you're super bullish about EVs - it's probably best to leave your car plugged into the grid overnight.
