Switching From Gas To Electric Car? (5 Common Problems)

The electric vehicle industry is still rapidly growing, and this is great for the fight against climate change.

EVs are surely becoming popular even though people are not entirely sure what it means to own one. The amount of information surrounding electric vehicle ownership often overwhelms consumers.

Sometimes potential owners even go for trusted gas-powered cars because it is the easy option. Upon comparing traditional gas-powered cars to their electric counterparts, buyers often have doubts.

To clear things up a bit, in this article we’ll be talking about five common problems people face when switching from gas to electric cars.

Let’s get started.

Table of Contents

1. Range Anxiety From Potential Buyers

People are actually scared that their electric vehicles will run out of power before they reach their destination. They are anxious about the range of their car because electric cars depend on batteries.

This is a valid concern because affordable electric cars can only go about 100 miles on a single charge. The car will run out of power if there is no charging point within the 100-mile range of your trip.

Range anxiety has potential owners worried about the vehicle’s range and it is a common disadvantage of -battery-powered cars. It is not always possible to buy a high-range vehicle.

Electric cars are now capable of going over 500 miles on a single charge. We’ve seen this with the 2022 model of the Lucid Air, which has a range of 520 miles.

Unfortunately, electric cars with longer ranges come with a hefty price tag that not everybody can afford. It is often a good idea to check your budget and which EV you can afford.

This is especially true for potential buyers who also want to use the car for long-distance drives. Sometimes longer drives mean going to a secluded area that might not have electric car charging stations.

Gas-powered cars are often a simple choice for potential buyers because refilling the car is straightforward. There are also gas stations readily available everywhere, even in secluded areas.

Normal affordable electric cars can now go for 200 miles without a charge. This is enough for everyday commutes and shorter road trips.

With that said, it is always a good idea to plan your trip ahead of time if you’re driving an EV. Check if there are enough charging stations along the way.

2. Charging Time Trauma

There is now a promising future for electric vehicle charging times, which shows an improvement from past years. The notion is that electric vehicles with larger batteries take longer to charge.

Potential electric vehicle buyers are worried about the time to recharge their car before driving off. This is a quick and straightforward exercise with a gas-powered car.

Just like with range anxiety, charging time trauma depends on what electric car is chosen. Electric cars differ in charge times because of different battery sizes.

For a quick example, an electric version of the Ford Focus has a range of 115 miles and a charge time of about 30 hours. This does not necessarily mean the battery has to charge fully to be driven.

Vehicles with smaller batteries are supposed to have shorter charging times. This is not the case for older electric vehicles because of battery technology.

Charge time trauma often gets people comparing the time it takes to refill a gas car to the charging time of an electric car. Gas-powered cars win in this regard because it often takes just a few minutes to fill them up.

Another big factor is long distance drives that might take even longer because of charging times in between. If a trip is 250 miles and your EV only has a range of 100 miles, it means you’ll need to charge again.

It can be frustrating if your trip is planned to take 4 hours only for it to take longer. This will likely be the case if the electric vehicle has a shorter mile range.

Fortunately, the technology for electric cars is advancing rapidly, and it means future cars will take less time between charges. This will take a few years to develop, but the future is looking bright for electric vehicle charging.

3. Lack of Charging Stations

Another major concern for potential EV buyers is the shortage of charging stations. Not all areas are the same and some might have charging stations few and far between.

Unfortunately, there are still a limited number of charging stations throughout the US. On the other hand, there are a lot more gas stations that often have more than five gas pumps available.

The industry is moving towards installing more public charging stations, especially along major highways. This is quite an expensive undertaking and will probably take years to see viable progress.

Governments are also pushing for more environmentally friendly cars with zero emissions. It means the industry will grow for more development of charging stations.

Public charging stations also allow for peace of mind when drivers go on long-distance trips. This is what has potential electric vehicle owners worried when deciding between cars.

The majority of EV owners now charge their cars at home or work because that’s where the car is most of the time. Unfortunately, home chargers are often slow and work chargers might not be enough.

Gas-powered cars are often capable of going 400 miles on a single refill. Electric vehicles, on the other hand, have lower ranges from one single charge.

The worry about the lack of charging stations is also worsened by people who live in sparsely populated areas. It is difficult to find charging stations in the middle of nowhere.

For now, about 80% of electric vehicle owners are charging their cars at home. They might not know how long their cars will last with an overnight charge and this creates doubt about EV buying.

4. Risk of Fire

Back in the day, electric vehicle tests attracted criticism as more of them caught fire. Battery technology for electric vehicles was still in its infancy and lacked sufficient development.

The EV industry has come a long way from that and now EVs are stable and safer. However, people are still worried about the safety of electric cars and whether they will catch fire.

Nowadays, there are electric versions of cars from well-known brands. This gives peace of mind that EVs must be safe for potential buyers.

EV batteries have an operating temperature range between 15 to 45 degrees Celsius. Temperatures below or above the stipulated range can render the battery unsafe.

The batteries you find in electric cars are not very different from the ones you’d find in today’s smartphones or portable devices. The components that make up lithium-ion batteries are easily flammable.

Today, vehicles that catch fire are likely ones that the manufacturer used low-quality materials to make. The result is batteries that are both unstable and likely to explode or catch fire.

Another issue with batteries that catch fire is that they are difficult to extinguish. This is because other components and parts of the battery re-ignite and the fire lasts longer.

Manufacturers take extreme precautions when testing EV batteries to make sure they are ready and safe for consumers.

The EV industry is now large enough that they can develop safer battery technologies.

5. Price and Cost of EV

There are now millions of electric vehicles being sold all around the world, but they are still very expensive. The cost of buying an electric vehicle outright is still a big problem for potential buyers.

Around 40% of car buyers now consider cost as a big buying factor when looking for a car. This also goes for buying an electric car which buyers think is way more expensive.

The EV industry is trying to educate people on the long-term investment of owning an EV. The reasoning is that electric cars are a better investment over a longer period.

At the moment, gas-powered cars are slightly cheaper than their electric counterparts. However, over a longer period of time, gas cars prove to be more expensive to own.

Electric cars have lower ownership costs than gas-powered cars over longer periods. This is when you factor in things like maintenance, repair, and gas costs.

During a lifespan of about 10 to 15 years, electric vehicles will prove more cost-effective. In the long run, gas prices will also rise significantly faster than electricity prices.

The good news is that as more electric vehicles are available, their price will decrease. The battery is the most expensive component in an EV and increases the overall cost.

Batteries that power EVs are expensive to make because of the rare materials used in their production. In essence, if EV battery prices go down, then it makes sense that the overall cost of the vehicle will also go down.

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