Electric cars are rising to power, whether we like it or not. Even in the last few years, we've been hearing more and more about what people are calling the cars of the future. But how much do we know about electric cars? Are they as life-changing as the media says? Will they run petrol and diesel into the ground?
How Soon Will Electric Cars Take over?
We're constantly being told about these new electric cars that will solve the climate change and pollution crisis. But did you know that the very first idea for an electric car dates back as far as 1828? An early electric motor was created and used on a small model car by Hungarian inventor Anyos Jedlik. So they're not as new as we thought!
However a lot has changed in the past 190 years, renewable energy is proven to be the most reliable source of energy with many economical benefits. And with roughly 16.7 million people using a vehicle to commute to work each day, the impact of switching to electric cars would be phenomenal. But how popular are they? According to NextGreenCar.com, over 136,600 pure-electric cars were on UK roads by the end of July 2020, with an extra 330,800 plug-in models, including hybrids, on top of that. Recent figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) suggests that approximately 9% of total car registrations are either pure electric or plug-in models. If EVs continue to rise in popularity, over half of the car sales will likely be electric by 2040.
Will Petrol and Diesel Cars Disappear?
So, with electric cars showing up left right and centre, it only means that other fuels, such as petrol and diesel will begin to decline. Norway was the first country to propose the ban of fossil fuel cars back in 2016, with 2025 as the deadline before completely prohibiting the sale of all petrol and diesel vehicles.
Here in the UK, the plan is to achieve virtually zero carbon emissions by 2050, the original plan of banning the selling of diesel cars was 2040, but was later moved to 2035 after experts stated 2040 would be too late, according to the BBC.
Will all Electric Cars be Automatic?
As well as electric cars taking over, the plan is to also covert everyone to automatic. Automatic cars are much easier than manuals so it makes sense to make electric cars automatic. Most EVs already are automatic. They already don't have a clutch so adding gears would be rather pointless, and with the inability to stall, it's one less thing to worry about!
Is an Electric Vehicle Worth it?
Many people believe that EVs were solely created to save the Earth. However, there are many more factors that are in their favour. For example, EV's are much less likely to risk catching fire, and, due to their durability, they are much safer during a collision.
As well as increasing the health of the lungs of the Earth, using electric cars also increases the health of us! The fumes that are emitted from petrol and diesel cars are very harmful and we'll all benefit from better air quality.
So really, the question is are petrol and diesel cars worth it?
Are Electric Cars Expensive?
Being fairly new to catch the eye of the general public, electric cars are not cheap. However, they are already getting more affordable. Although they are fairly expensive to buy outright, ThisisMoney.co.uk states that they are £107 cheaper a year to run on average than petrol cars.
Leasing deals tend to be closer to that of petrol cars due to the fairly low depreciation rate of electric cars. Feel free to check out our latest car leasing deals to see if anything catches your eye!
So, when taking everything into account, it's pretty clear that converting to electric is the correct choice. You've still got plenty of time to make the most of your petrol or diesel. And with electric cars both increasing quality and decreasing in price, you'll likely be demanding a brand new EV sooner than you may think!