9 Questions You Ask Your Self Before Buying An Electric Car

To limit the emission of greenhouse gases and government initiatives of promoting electric vehicles, EVs are slowly gaining pace. So, if you are also like us, who are in the market for an electric vehicle, you might have some questions roaming in your head. Well, to ease your thoughts, here are the 9 questions you might have to want to know the answers to before buying an electric vehicle.

1. How much is your daily running?
   

   

   Before even considering buying an electric vehicle, the first question you should ask is how much is the daily running of the vehicle you’ll drive. For instance, if it is the daily commute for which you are looking for a vehicle and that commute is within 100 kms, then yes, an electric vehicle just makes more sense. Additionally, considering the fuel price, even CNG, they are at an all-time high. At this moment, electric vehicles will return less Rupee per kilometre. But are you buying an electric vehicle for long drives?

2. How often you’ll go on long drives?
   

   

   Next, if you want an electric vehicle for long tours and drives, this is where things change drastically. There is a thing with electric vehicles that is the complete opposite of a car with an internal combustion engine, economy on highways. In the city electric vehicles return more range. On the contrary, the motor utilizes more battery power to sustain higher speeds. Hence, they get discharged fairly quickly, limiting the range further on the highways. What are the solutions?

   • Well, the best one is to pre-plan the trip with marked charging stations. With that, be ready to stop often depending on the trip and the vehicle range.
   • But, if you are like us that make improv plans, better wait for the right EV with an extra extended range, or IC is the way to go still.

3. Are there any public charging stations near buy?
   

   

   Here comes the reasonably important part. As you’ve decided to buy an electric car, you have to plan for its fuel, i.e., electricity. When it comes to charging the vehicle, there are multiple ways through which you can put some juice into the battery.

   1. One, through the 15A car charger provided with the vehicle. This charger usually charges the car overnight, depending upon the vehicle.
   2. The next option are public charging stations spread across the various cities. Another thing to note is that electric vehicles are available in various cities, but most of the cities in India still lack infrastructure. There are various applications on the app store on both Android and iOS to track the charging stations near buy. They will come in handy.

4. What is the service cost of an electric vehicle?
   

   

   Now with the charging situation also sorted, the thing that is left is the service cost for an electric vehicle. Hands-down this is the department where an electric vehicle wins from its conventional counterpart.

   1. Depending on the vehicle’s running, a conventional car requires service at least once a year or every 10,000kms. And this service includes periodic fluid changes (engine oil, coolant, brake oil and others).
   2. But an electric vehicle only requires selective to be performed. This includes tyre rotation, wheel alignment and balancing, brake oil top-up, etc. This means extra tasks are performed on a car with an internal combustion engine, increasing the annual service cost.
   3. On average, a vehicle with IC will have an annual service cost from the second year of ownership ranges from Rs. 11,000 to Rs. 15,000. But the same for an EV would be around Rs. 5000. Meaning, Rs, 25,000 for a period of 5 years, which is pretty reasonable compared to its IC rival.

5. How much will the vehicle cost?
   

   

   Electric vehicles are expensive, period. To be exact, electric vehicles are 30% more expensive than their conventional counterpart with internal combustion engines. Be it any vehicle in the market; the electric interaction always costs more.

   1. For instance, the top-end trim Sharp (O) 1.3 Turbo AT of MG Astor costs Rs. 17.73 (ex-showroom).

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   2. On the other hand, ZS EV, which is an Astor with a motor, costs Rs. 25.88 Lakhs (ex-showroom). Clearly, it is a lot more expensive. But there are some benefits and rebates in different states that offer subsidies for buying an electric vehicle. This brings the cost down by a fair margin.

6. Which electric vehicle to buy?
   

   

   Currently, there aren’t many electric vehicles available in India. Here are the only vehicles available in the market running electric powertrains. Most of the offerings are in the premium segment and only a limited offering is in the affordable segment. Also, the prices mentioned are ex-showroom as of 11th April 2022.

   • Tata Tigor (Rs.12.24 Lakh)
   • Tata Nexon (Rs. 14.54 Lakh)
   • Hyundai Kona (Rs. 23.79 Lakh)
   • MG Astor (Rs 25.88 Lakh)
   • Mini Cooper SE (Rs. 47.20 Lakh)
   • Audi e-Tron (Rs. 1.01 Crore)
   • Jaguar I-Pace (Rs. 1.08 Crore)
   • Porsche Tycan (Rs 1.50 Crore)
   • Audi E-Tron GT (Rs. 1.80 Crore)

7. How to overcome range anxiety?
   

   

   If you have planned your journey and the route precisely, there is something that will definitely hunt you down on long tours. This is range anxiety. What exactly is range anxiety? This is a physiological phenomenon that humans phase when they are driving an electric vehicle.

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   No matter how good the planning is, there always is some room for error, which triggers the anxiety. The anxiety is of what if the battery is reduced to zero midway. How do overcome it? While planning the route, simple things do take a lot of buffer of kilometres and charge.

   1. For instance, during your drive, you might encounter some traffic or a lot of traffic. Now, if you are running AC on the highway, that will ooze out the juice from the battery rapidly. So, if you’ve had a lot of buffer of battery charge, you might make it to your destination without a fuss.
   2. Additionally, one can also keep a track of all the charging stations on the way. Even though they may not be in the direct planned route but in the proximity of your way where you may need to stop in case of emergency. This will allow some sense of comfort to the brain.

8. Should you lease or buy an Electric vehicle?
   

   

   The decision to lease or buy an electric vehicle always depends on the individual. For instance, Tata Nexon is among the vehicles for which the company provides a subscription. This means that if you have a month running of more than that provided in the subscription, leasing is a bad idea and Tata Nexon comes with monthly usage plans of 1000kms, 1500kms, 2000kms, and 2500kms. Naturally, the price will vary according to the usage.

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   Although it is reasonably easy to lease an electric vehicle, it comes with some serious flaws. Apart from the cap on the kilometres, at times the speed limit is also restricted, like the Tata Nexon, which is limited at 80kmph through subscription. But if you are someone who drives relatively less, the subscription could be a fun option.

9. Do you need a backup IC vehicle?
   

   

   We’d say if you have two vehicles, one is an electric vehicle, and the other is a car with an internal combustion engine, that would probably be the best car garage for now. Why may you ask? Well, for daily duties and inter-city drives, electric vehicles just make sense. Kudos to fast charging plus KERS the range is quite decent. Now, what is the other vehicle for? Simple, it will do its duties out on the highway on long weekend drives and long tours.

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So, these were the frequently asked question one may ask before buying an electric vehicle. Still, if there is something we ask, let us know in the comment section below.