We know that Electric vehicles (EVs) are extremely beneficial due to their dependence on electricity and response to climate change, but due to range anxiety, EV sales are lower than anticipated. A prospective customer would not purchase an electric vehicle if charging stations are not always available and compliant.
Impact of Range anxiety on decision making.
- Consumers want to help fight climate change and are motivated to purchase an EV through government incentives.
- Range anxiety prevents some people from adapting to electric vehicles.
- Without assurance that they will be able to easily recharge their car, the risk is too high for the vehicle’s expense.
- According to studies, a consumer’s decision to purchase an electric vehicle is directly linked to the availability of charging stations and supportive infrastructure.
You may read: Why you should not buy an electric car! Disadvantages of EV
So. that’s been said let’s explore the term Range anxiety a bit more in detail.
What Is Range Anxiety?
When the battery charge is low and the normal sources of energy are inaccessible, an electric vehicle (EV) driver experiences range anxiety. It causes anxiety about being stranded, which adds time, hassle, and stress to a trip.
Range Anxiety And Its Impact On The EV Market
As I have mentioned earlier the range anxiety is one of the predominant hurdles which prevents people from buying an EV. Early electric vehicle models had a bad reputation for having a short-range between charges.
In the past electric vehicles had issues like,
- Despite the manufacturers’ arguments, drivers often found that they couldn’t get much more than 70 miles out of a fully charged battery.
- This tainted the electric vehicle market’s reputation in the early days of EV.
- This is still trying to shake to some degree despite the fact that EVs has come up a long way.
Even while driving a gasoline-powered car, you will experience range anxiety. When the fuel level drops too low and you can’t find a gas station, this happens. If you’ve ever run out of gas in your vehicle, you know how terrifying it feels as the engine sputters to a halt and you coast to the shoulder.
Addressing The Range Anxiety
The fear of their car’s battery failing mid-trip and leaving them stranded in the middle of nowhere has paralyzed several future electric vehicle drivers. The reality is, however, the scenario is unlikely to occur. Your car would die if you drive far enough without parking at an EV charging station. The same can be said for a vehicle that runs on fuel.
In the case of electric vehicles currently available in the market,
This is an irrelevant story because
- The electronic vehicle available in the present market has a range of 220 miles on average.
- 220 miles range is more than enough to satisfy our 40 miles per day requirement.
- The competition taking place in the electric vehicle sector is so high, all major electric vehicle manufacturers are in the race to come up with new battery technologies.
- The newly developed batteries are more reliable, safe and have great capacity while keeping the size and weight as minimum as possible.
Yeah, there are more gas stations than EV charging stations on our highways. However, this does not imply that you are more likely to run out of battery.
The reality is that if you drive a decent amount and remember to charge your car at night, you will never have a problem. However, for some people, this isn’t enough to persuade them. So, here are a few reasons why you shouldn’t be concerned about adapting to an electric vehicle.
#1. Home Sweet Home.
You can charge your electric car at the convenience of your home plug in the car and go sleep just like you do with your mobile except the car has wheels and is much bigger.
Advantages of electric cars when it comes to the ease of charging.
- You’ll be allowed to add a charging station in your garage or driveway when you buy an electric car.
- Your charging station will be a level 2 charging station in the United States. You’ll need to mount a 1-phase or 3-phase charging station in Europe (depending on the capacity of your home).
- Your car can be plugged in and charged while you aren’t driving with this handy gadget.
- As a result, once you leave home in your EV, it will have a fully charged battery.
#2. No Room For Comparison
We should not compare the EV charging and refueling of gasoline cars. Many people who drive gasoline-powered cars currently fuel up when they reach the dreaded “E” on their gas gauge. That’s not how you’d fill up your electric car.
Instead of waiting for the battery to fully discharge before charging an electric vehicle, you can plug it in while your car is parked in your driveway or near an EV charging station (e.g., at restaurants, hotels, or parking garages).
#3. How Many Miles?
The majority of people have ‘range anxiety’ when they hear that an electric vehicle can only travel 100 miles (160 kilometers) on a single charge. It would have been a legitimate concern if it weren’t for the fact that the average person drives 37 miles a day (59.5 km). Even if it’s just half-charged, that’s well within the capacity of even the smallest EV battery.
#4. Ever Growing Charging Networks
Currently, there are about 44,000 public charging stations located throughout the United States (many along highways or places where you might start running low on battery). There are nearly 120,000 in Europe.
In reality, you’re probably even driving past EV charging stations on a regular basis without even realizing it. There are hundreds of useful mobile applications that will help you locate certain stations. Plus, in the next 5-10 years, almost every parking lot will have public or commercial charging stations.
#5. The Batteries Are Getting Better And Better.
A new Tesla Model 3 with a range of over 300 miles can be purchased for $35,000. In fact, the Tesla S set a new record for the longest single-charge drive — 670 miles! .This trend keeps on going since all major players are focusing on their batteries and the efficiency of their batteries. As time proceeds the reliability and the safety of the batteries will go on increasing.
Conclusion
The reality is, range anxiety is a thing of the past. The electric vehicles currently available in the market has a very good range and when we consider the fact that we won’t drive for too long often, the anxiety starts to get faded.
Though we don’t drive for too long both electric vehicle manufacturers and other companies are investing a hefty amount of money in developing better and more efficient batteries and supporting infrastructure for electric vehicles because as you know, THE FUTURE IS ELECTRIC
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Key points
- What is range anxiety?
- How to address range anxiety?