Advantages and disadvantages of electric driving

There are many different opinions about electric cars. Is it really an environmentally friendly way to drive? Are they really that quiet? To shed some light on the subject, here are the pros and cons of electric driving.

Benefit: It is an environmentally friendly way of driving

A big advantage of electric driving is that it is much cleaner than driving a traditional car. After all, you don't emit any pollutants. When you charge the electric car with green power from your supplier or self-generated power from solar panels, it is even better for the environment.

Disadvantage: Producing and recycling does have an impact

When talking about advantages and disadvantages of electric driving, one point that often comes up is the production of an electric car. Producing an electric car takes energy. Recycling is also not so easy and has an impact on the environment. However, when you look at the entire lifetime of an electric car and comparing that to a fuel car, the electric car ends up being less environmentally damaging. The production of electricity can additionally become less taxing by generating cleaner energy from windmills and solar panels. At myenergi, you can easily charge your electric car with clean energy from your own solar panels using zappi.

Benefit: Driving on electricity is cheaper than driving on petrol

Especially with rising petrol prices, electric driving offers a great advantage. It is cheaper to drive on electricity than on fuel. Although energy prices are rising fast, driving electrically is still cheaper than filling up with petrol, diesel or LPG. Charging your car at home can save you up to half in costs. If you charge your car at a public charging point, it is often more expensive than charging it at home, but even then it is cheaper than regular fuel.

Disadvantage: Charging takes time

When weighing up the advantages and disadvantages of electric driving, the charging time is a dilemma for many. It does take more time to charge an electric car than it does to fill up at a petrol station. Whereas a petrol tank can be fully filled within minutes, the battery of an electric car needs more time. The charging time depends on the size of your battery in kW and the speed of charging in kWh. On average, you can expect to spend nearly 8 hours with a home charger. At a public charging station, that is about 1 to 2 hours and at a fast charging station half an hour. It does take some planning if you want to drive longer distances.
However, it need not be a major drawback. With zappi can you set when your car should be charged. Our smart energy monitors can also determine when the power is cheapest and charge your car at that time. After that, your car only needs to be charged again when the range is no longer sufficient. At that moment you will have been able to drive electrically for several hours and you are probably ready for a break. You can combine that with charging.

Disadvantage: the purchase of an electric car is higher

If there is one thing that people see as a major disadvantage of electric driving, it is the purchase price. It is true that at the moment electric cars are still more expensive than fuel cars. However, more and more people are choosing to drive electric, so the demand is greater and there will be more supply. The share of second-hand cars will therefore also increase. The purchase of an electric car will therefore become cheaper.

Benefit: Less maintenance required

The purchase price may be a bigger expense, but maintenance is not. This is a major advantage of electric driving. An electric motor has fewer moving parts than an internal combustion engine. As a result, an electric car is less likely to suffer from wear and tear.
In addition, electric driving is encouraged by the government with a subsidy. It also has tax advantages for you. The additional tax liability for electric lease cars is much lower than for gasoline and diesel cars. At the moment, you also do not have to pay road tax or purchase tax (BPM) in the Netherlands. That saves on costs.

Disadvantage: Electric driving does not take me very far

So there are advantages and disadvantages to driving electric. Whether an electric car is right for you depends on several factors. One of the most important questions you should ask yourself is: Is the range enough for my daily activities? The disadvantage of electric driving is that you can't drive as far with a full battery as with a full tank of petrol. On average you can drive between 100 and 500 kilometres with a full battery. With a petrol car, you can cover a distance of 750 kilometres on a 50 litre tank. Here we assume an average consumption of 1 to 15.
The technology is in full swing with the development of batteries that can offer a higher action radius. The expectation is therefore that in the future you will be able to drive electrically ever further.

Advantage and disadvantage: Electric cars are quiet

To conclude our list of advantages and disadvantages of electric driving, we would like to mention that electric cars are much quieter. The electric motor makes much less noise than an internal combustion engine. This is an advantage because it reduces noise pollution. Particularly if you live in an area close to a motorway, it is a lot more pleasant if more people drive electric. However, it is also a disadvantage. Other traffic is less likely to hear you coming. It is therefore possible that a cyclist or pedestrian will overlook you. Causing a collision is of course the last thing you want. This is why some electric cars make more noise at lower speeds on purpose.

Advantages and disadvantages of electric driving, what does myenergi think about that?

The decision whether or not to buy an electric car after weighing up the advantages and disadvantages of electric driving is of course up to you. At myenergi we would like to see more electric cars on the road. Developments are moving fast and electric cars can be driven more and more efficiently and safely. By charging your car with your own solar panels it's a clean and cheap way of driving. We see it as a great step towards a more sustainable future.