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Electric Cars Exposed: What Smart Drivers Need To Understand

Vukasin Herbez May 30, 2023

In the last decade, electric cars have become common on streets and roadways all over the world. Marketed as the obvious replacement for fossil fuel-burning vehicles, they are a popular choice for many drivers. Of course, these are the drivers who are looking to help the environment, be carbon neutral and enjoy new technologies.

EVs have zero emissions, are silent, and are a great proposition for use in urban areas. Yet they also come with more than a few secrets car companies don’t tell you about. You might be so surprised by all the sobering truths of EVs that you might change your mind about electric vehicles altogether. Check them out here.

Range Anxiety

Range anxiety is the number-one factor when it comes to EV downsides. Simply, modern electric vehicles are still range-limited due to their small-capacity batteries. Most affordable electric cars on the market have a bit more than a 130-mile range. However, Teslas and some other expensive vehicles offer double that number (via National Grid).

That is still not comparable to the average gasoline-powered vehicle, not to mention a diesel-powered vehicle. Modern cars can cover 500 or even more miles on a single tank, so electric cars still have a long way to go in this area.

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Long Charging Times

Long charging times are another big problem concerning electric cars. To fully charge the batteries, you need to connect your vehicle to a power source. This can often take several hours. However, Tesla and Porsche advertise their models with supercharging abilities. That means they can recharge their batteries to nearly 80 percent in only 20 to 30 minutes (via EV Connect).

Even though Tesla and Porsche have made significant improvements, charging is still far from the speed to fill a gas tank. Putting the fuel in your car only takes a couple of minutes compared to charging your vehicle overnight. If the industry doesn’t find a solution to this problem soon, it could seriously hurt the electric vehicle market.

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Trip Planning

Small ranges and long charging times can put a strain on any road trip plan. You can’t plan a fast trip in an electric car without knowing the location of charging stations. You will also need to know the estimated duration of charging or supercharging. Other factors to be aware of are the latest weather conditions and temperature changes. Those metrological circumstances affect the electric car’s range significantly (via Intellias).

That is why electric cars are only suitable for short trips. You can forget driving from coast to coast, at least, not in a reasonable amount of time. You’ll have to plan each charging stop along the way to avoid getting stranded in the middle of nowhere.

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Mainly Good For Urban Use

So, what is the main playground for electric vehicles? Simply put, it’s urban areas. The EV’s range is longer if you drive in the city. Second, there are far more charging stations in metropolitan areas (via IntechOpen).

Also, if you run out of juice while driving in the city, which often happens with electric vehicles, you can easily find a cab, Uber, bus, or some other form of transportation to get home.

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Not Actually Environmentally-Friendly

While it’s true that electric vehicles have zero emissions, did you ever think about what it actually takes to make just one electric vehicle? The process of making a big chunk of Lithium-Ion batteries as well as their disposal is polluting since they aren’t recyclable (via JD Power).

Also, electric vehicles demand more electricity. That comes from thermoelectric or nuclear power plants, which are extremely dangerous because they’re choking the Earth. The rising demand for electric power will only raise the level of global pollution. This is far beyond what internal combustion engines are doing now.

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Batteries Can’t Be Recycled

The biggest problem with EV car batteries is the cost and environmentally-problematic production methods. But there is also a recycling issue. As we all know, batteries tend to fail over time and lose their capacity. When that happens, the only solution is a costly replacement. Yet what happens with the old batteries (via BBC)?

They get dumped and the industry still has no idea how to recycle them. Since there is a significant number of EVs around, their batteries will create environmental problems in the future.

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Too Expensive

Since electric vehicles feature the latest, most advanced technology, they cost more. For example, there is a range of electric cars for sale on the current market, with the top models going for well over $100,000 (via Autoblog).

Although there are affordable models like the Volkswagen Golf E or Nissan Leaf, electric vehicles still cost significantly more than models that run on fossil fuels.

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Repair Difficulties

If you own an electric car, you can forget to go to your local shop or fix it inexpensively. Regardless of the type and the model, all-electric vehicles require specific maintenance and service procedures as well as extremely high safety standards (via Medium).

Also, servicing electric cars can be quite dangerous because most of the car’s mechanics consist of battery packs under high voltage. Also, in case of a fire, you can’t just put it out with water. You have to use a special fire extinguisher since the batteries burn at a much higher temperature.

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Too Heavy

One of the main downsides of having a big battery pack underneath your car is the additional weight. While most modern vehicles are heavy due to all the extra safety and comfort options, electric vehicles are the heaviest champions. On smaller models like the Kia Soul EV, the electric batteries add around 450 extra pounds of weight (via Click on Detroit).

However, on some of the high-end models like the Tesla Model X, the battery pack weighs in at over 1,000 pounds. Also, the car itself weighs over 2.3 tons. Heavy vehicles mean more tire wear, more energy consumption, and maintenance too.

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Cold Temperature Issues

When it’s freezing outside, electric vehicles are notorious for displaying specific problems. One of the most common issues is the loss of battery power. It’s similar to old cell phones that would stop working once you took them out of your pocket in the winter (via AP News).

Since the bulk of the electric vehicle market is in the Northern Hemisphere, where the winters are cold and snowy, cold weather battery drain can be a big problem for everyday use. Owners report a reduced range and even the failure to operate in especially harsh winter conditions. That could be life-threatening.

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Low Top Speeds

Although there are some electric supercars with insane high speeds, like the Rimac Concept One, most regular everyday EVs are quite slow. The top speed of the Golf E or Kia Soul EV is limited to below 100 mph, for instance (via Recharged).

Having such a low speed is not only disappointing, but it can also be a problem in emergency conditions or for European drivers where the speed limit on the highways is much higher.

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Highway Driving Consumption

To fully understand the range problem of modern electric vehicles, you have to comprehend the energy consumption circle. The advertised range that many manufacturers brag about is the average or city driving figure. However, the highway range is much smaller, sometimes up to 50 percent less (via Bloomberg).

The reason is that electric vehicles get a lot of energy from regenerative braking, which is the process of getting some power back from stopping or coasting. During city driving, you use your brakes a lot, which reduces your energy consumption. However, while driving on the highway, there is far less or even no braking, so the batteries drain quickly.

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High Heavy Load Consumption

Tesla may tease their fans with the Cybertruck, a rig they designed to be the first fully-electric commercial vehicle, but the truth is that is far from reality. No matter how strong or big your battery pack is, the energy consumption under a heavy load is excessive (via Automotive IQ).

Regardless of the big torque that electric engines produce, when you put a lot of weight on them, they drain the battery quickly. Yes, the internal combustion engine also uses more fuel under a load, but not nearly as much as the electric.

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Ease of Tracking Your Movements

Most upscale electric vehicles like Tesla Model S or Porsche Tycan have advanced infotainment and driving aid systems as standard equipment. Tesla even has the infamous autonomous driving system, which has proven to be far from perfect, resulting in many crashes, even some fatal ones (via MOBI).

Those systems are designed to track your driving habits, locations, charging points, and so on. Are you sure that you want your every move to be recorded on a server?

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Just Plain Ugly

Some electric vehicles are stunning beauties, but most of them are just plain ugly or ordinary, at the very least. In the case of the Golf E and Kia Soul EV, the design hasn’t changed a bit. However, in the case of Tesla cars or the Nissan Leaf, the design is specific to the model and not everyone’s cup of tea (via Motor Biscuit).

Even the 2021 Mustang Mach E, which shares many design elements with the regular, gasoline-powered Mustang, is not an attractive car. Most car enthusiasts think of the Tesla Model X as a big, egg-shaped design failure with falcon doors.

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Threatening Existing Economy Models

Some economic experts fear that the mass production of electric vehicles and focus on this kind of technology will destroy the current economic model. That, in turn, will affect global politics and all the worldwide monetary systems as well. If the oil companies lose their monopoly on energy and the oil-rich nations lose their authority on the global political scene, the world could be heading toward another crisis (via Guardian).

Also, think about the enormous car industry with all the companies that make fuel-related products, such as engine parts, fuel injection systems, transmissions, and drivetrain components. All those companies and millions of people will be out of a job, which would put further strain on the economy and global standards.

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Major Car Companies Aren’t So Sure

Although almost all the major car manufacturers have at least one electric vehicle in their lineup, most of their CEOs are not fully convinced that electric cars are the future of the industry. Their board of directors and marketing people have observed how problematic the EV segment is, so they hesitate to go all-in on electric cars. Toyota is an obvious example (via CNBC).

Also, there is still a lot of money to be made on internal combustion engines and a lot more development to do, so none of the big-name players is going fully electric anytime soon.

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Practically Unusable in Third World Countries

The EV craze is limited to just a few first-world countries and markets in the world. But other than that, electric vehicles in other areas are nonexistent. Even China, the world’s biggest market, has a hard time implementing any initiatives for electric cars outside its major cities (via TRT World).

If you go to remote parts of the world or any of the developing countries, you’ll notice that fossil fuels are still the primary source of energy, and that’s not likely to change soon.

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Still A Gimmick

Although Tesla has sold over a million cars all over the world, with other manufacturers posting considerable production numbers, most car buyers still consider EVs to be some sort of a sales trick. Their specific operation procedures, limited usability, and different driving dynamics make their cars for tech geeks but not as regular transport devices (via Discover).

Car consumers are still waiting for mass-produced electric vehicles that will fully replace gasoline-powered models. But to do that, they’ll need to introduce some improvements that will draw buyers to EVs.

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An EV Can’t Be the Only Car in Your Household

There are many limits to electric vehicles in general. Even if you own one or are looking to acquire an EV, you should know that it can’t fulfill all your transportation needs. That’s especially true if you have a family and need a dependable vehicle for your family (via EPA).

You could use your electric vehicle in the city for your everyday commute. However, if you want to go on a road trip with your family, you will need an internal-combustion vehicle due to range concerns and personal peace of mind.

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A Hard Sell

Most drivers lease their electric cars and then return them to the dealer after a few years to get a new model. However, those people who have bought electric vehicles could experience great difficulty selling them on the used car market or trading them in at the dealership. That’s because electric cars depreciate much faster than gas-powered vehicles since the technology is so new and still evolving (via US News).

People looking for deals on the used-car market are still extremely cautious when it comes to electric cars. They don’t know how the used electric vehicles act or how to maintain them properly. Many also don’t know what the common problems are, for example. Hopefully, EVs will continue to evolve and improve, making them easier to drive long distances, less expensive to repair, and more dependable.

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EV Buyers Won’t Buy Another One

According to recent studies by reputable companies, not all EV owners will go buy another one, which is pretty alarming. Only 60% of current EV owners will have another EV car, while 26% will go back to ICE-powered vehicles. Some will go back to hybrids of PHEV models, which are a great balance between fully electric models and gas-powered cars (via CNBC).

This shows that not all EV owners are satisfied with their vehicles, and due to the aforementioned reasons, their experience was less than ideal. Also, over 50% of American drivers are not even thinking about buying an EV. All of that could affect future sales.

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Electric Cars Exposed: What Smart Drivers Need To Understand

Range Anxiety

Long Charging Times

Trip Planning

Mainly Good For Urban Use

Not Actually Environmentally-Friendly

Batteries Can’t Be Recycled

Too Expensive

Repair Difficulties

Too Heavy

Cold Temperature Issues

Low Top Speeds

Highway Driving Consumption

High Heavy Load Consumption

Ease of Tracking Your Movements

Just Plain Ugly

Threatening Existing Economy Models

Major Car Companies Aren’t So Sure

Practically Unusable in Third World Countries

Still A Gimmick

An EV Can’t Be the Only Car in Your Household

A Hard Sell

EV Buyers Won’t Buy Another One

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