Buying an electric car: 4 tips

More and more people are interested in an electric car. Not only the environmental benefits, but also rising fuel prices and growing supply play a role. But what do you pay attention to when buying an EV? There are different things to consider with an electric car than with a diesel or gasoline car. Are you going to buy an electric car? Then read these tips.
At the end of 2021, there were 381,815 electric passenger cars on the road. That's three times as many as in 2016. The electric car is going to play an increasing role on our roads. Used electric cars are also increasingly popular. So it is not surprising that more and more people are seeking information about buying an electric car.

I want to buy an electric car, what do I look for?

There are a number of things to consider when buying an electric car. We have listed some of them below:

Does the car suit your use?

Probably the first thing you look at is the price of the car. That plays an important role, of course, but the price should be commensurate with your needs. What do you plan to use the car for? Will you be going back and forth to work every day or will you be using the car primarily to Taking your children to the sports club? Calculate approximately how many miles you drive per day. Ideally, the electric car you choose should be able to drive this number of miles with one charge. Buying an electric car but then finding out that it doesn't suit you is obviously a waste.
Tip: As a private individual, you may be eligible in the Netherlands for the Subsidy for Electric Passenger Cars Private (SEPP).. This can save on the purchase cost of your car.

Where can you load the car?

You will need to charge an electric car regularly. An electric car drives by means of a battery that needs to be charged. You can charge on the road at a charging station or at home or in the street at a charging post. A charging station at home is often much cheaper than charging at a commercial station.

How long does it take to load?

Not entirely unimportant is your car's charging time. The charging time depends on the size of your battery in kW and the speed of charging in kWh. So before buying an electric car, it is a good idea to look at the battery. For an average battery of 54kWh, a public charger of 50kWh will take about 64 minutes to fully charge the car. An average home charger of 7kWh will take about 7 hours and 42 minutes.
Want to buy a used electric car? Then it is important to check the quality of the battery. This is because the range may diminish over time.

Combining with solar panels

Do you already have solar panels on your roof and do you want to buy an electric car? That is a perfect combination. The 'free' power that you generate with your panels can be used to charge your car. Our smart EV charger zappi makes this even easier. The device checks whether you have generated solar power and uses it to charge your electric car. Did you not generate enough power or do you have no solar panels? Then zappi uses energy from the grid. Via different modes, zappi can be set to charge your electric car only when the most advantageous tariff applies.