The purpose of this article is to provide some insight into the cons of owning an electric or hybrid vehicle. I’m not saying these fuel saving vehicles aren’t good they just aren’t ready for a mass market; let’s face it electric cars will never be huge sellers in places like the Dakotas, Montana, Texas, and certainly not in the southeast. Sales of these vehicles have increased every year so eventually they will become profitable on their own (the federal government gives car manufactures and purchasers subsidies for hybrid and electric cars), but it will take addressing the areas below to increase demand and stop using tax dollars to subsidize the trade.
One major issue is their range is limited to around 230 miles or less before they need to be charged which can take five or more hours. The Nissan Leaf takes 16 hours to get a full charge and its range is around 130 miles. The Ford Fusion hybrid travels 80 miles on its electric charge. The bottom line is a lot of people don’t leave their homes with a whole charge so they can’t travel the vehicles maximum distances.
Most people can’t afford to have such a low range of distance as they generally travel more than four hours on recreational trips so they’d have to stop and charge before continuing their journey. Anyone who travels a good amount wouldn’t opt for an electric car. Hybrids are a better option for these people although the car has to kick in the use of fuel on highways so they might get around 50 miles per gallon which isn’t stellar performance.
Based on the average amount of miles most people drive each year the annual fuel savings to drive a hybrid would be around $790 dollars and the savings in having an all-electric vehicle would be $1,584 annually. Most people hang on to their car for six years which means a hybrid would save someone $4,740 during this period unless it costs more than this to purchase one. In other words if a Toyota Prius cost $8,000 more than an equivalent car then the purchase wouldn’t be good as the buyer would have lost $3,260 during the six year period.
Next is the price…Telsa vehicles costs anywhere from $62,000 up to $83,000. Let’s face it most people in the middle-class can’t afford them; even hybrids costs around 20% more than an average vehicle. Our current economy is certainly detracting from sales of these types of cars.
A huge deterrent to sales of electric cars are the costs of replacement batteries. The batteries need to be replaced in eight years at a cost of around $12,000. If you drove your car for six years and tried to sell it why in the world would someone want to buy it when they’d incur this huge cost? This is the proverbial deal breaker.
The democrat party touts the successes of electric cars and hybrids when it has actually been a challenge with the federal government having to keep some companies afloat like Telsa. The major car manufactures have lost a significant amount of money producing these vehicles but my guess is it will eventually turn around with increased volume but it won’t be anytime soon; it also won’t be a win until our tax dollars no longer subsidize the industry. What the democrats are doing is comparable to bragging
on Telsa for their increased sales when they’re giving Telsa money to stay in
business. One of many reasons I’d never join their party.
I’ve listed some serious cons to electric and hybrid vehicles that I’m sure will be
addressed in years to come. For a majority of car buyers these vehicles don’t
currently meet their needs but for a small minority of buyers it’s a good fit
for their driving habits which would normally be in larger cities and in places
with a “green” culture like Ashville, NC. By the way I can never talk or write
about the green topic without thinking of Kermit the Frog.
One major issue is their range is limited to around 230 miles or less before they need to be charged which can take five or more hours. The Nissan Leaf takes 16 hours to get a full charge and its range is around 130 miles. The Ford Fusion hybrid travels 80 miles on its electric charge. The bottom line is a lot of people don’t leave their homes with a whole charge so they can’t travel the vehicles maximum distances.
Most people can’t afford to have such a low range of distance as they generally travel more than four hours on recreational trips so they’d have to stop and charge before continuing their journey. Anyone who travels a good amount wouldn’t opt for an electric car. Hybrids are a better option for these people although the car has to kick in the use of fuel on highways so they might get around 50 miles per gallon which isn’t stellar performance.
Based on the average amount of miles most people drive each year the annual fuel savings to drive a hybrid would be around $790 dollars and the savings in having an all-electric vehicle would be $1,584 annually. Most people hang on to their car for six years which means a hybrid would save someone $4,740 during this period unless it costs more than this to purchase one. In other words if a Toyota Prius cost $8,000 more than an equivalent car then the purchase wouldn’t be good as the buyer would have lost $3,260 during the six year period.
Next is the price…Telsa vehicles costs anywhere from $62,000 up to $83,000. Let’s face it most people in the middle-class can’t afford them; even hybrids costs around 20% more than an average vehicle. Our current economy is certainly detracting from sales of these types of cars.
A huge deterrent to sales of electric cars are the costs of replacement batteries. The batteries need to be replaced in eight years at a cost of around $12,000. If you drove your car for six years and tried to sell it why in the world would someone want to buy it when they’d incur this huge cost? This is the proverbial deal breaker.
The democrat party touts the successes of electric cars and hybrids when it has actually been a challenge with the federal government having to keep some companies afloat like Telsa. The major car manufactures have lost a significant amount of money producing these vehicles but my guess is it will eventually turn around with increased volume but it won’t be anytime soon; it also won’t be a win until our tax dollars no longer subsidize the industry. What the democrats are doing is comparable to bragging
on Telsa for their increased sales when they’re giving Telsa money to stay in
business. One of many reasons I’d never join their party.
I’ve listed some serious cons to electric and hybrid vehicles that I’m sure will be
addressed in years to come. For a majority of car buyers these vehicles don’t
currently meet their needs but for a small minority of buyers it’s a good fit
for their driving habits which would normally be in larger cities and in places
with a “green” culture like Ashville, NC. By the way I can never talk or write
about the green topic without thinking of Kermit the Frog.
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