Benefits of an Electric Car

When it comes to news in the automotive world, nothing has dominated the headlines over the past few years more than the rise of electric cars. It seems like every single day there is a new innovation, a new model, new features, and it goes without saying that it is a very exciting space to keep track of. With that being said, old habits die hard and many people are still sceptical about how this technology weighs up against its traditional, combustion engine counterpart. 

What is the difference between an EV and a PHEV?

Electric Vehicles (EVs) are automobiles that rely on electric motors powered by batteries. This is in contrast to a traditional engine that uses fossil fuels, usually petrol or diesel, to create kinetic energy through combustion. EVs have gained an increased popularity due to a range of different factors. 

Gone are the days of performance being hindered by the technology of EVs. In the past, owners of EVs had to compromise on performance to take advantage of the benefits of an electric vehicle. The latest generation of EVs are easily comparable to the performance of their combustion engine siblings, and in some cases even overtake them when put head-to-head. Combine this with the financial savings from owning a vehicle that isn’t bound to the price of petrol at the pump and an electric vehicle may be the best choice for future proofing your driving experience. 

However, there has always been one slight drawback to owning an electric vehicle - its range. Currently, the world’s infrastructure is set up to accommodate combustion vehicles. You seldom will find yourself too far from a petrol station and are therefore free to explore the country at your own leisure. On the other hand, EVs require a power source to charge their batteries, and while Fast Charge stations are being increasingly adopted, many people will have to rely on charging their cars at home. This is the very reason for the term “range anxiety”, the fear of running out of battery power and not being able to get to your destination.

While the infrastructure for electric cars and their range increases year-by-year, it still may be a bit of a speed bump for cautious individuals who rely on travelling extensive distances on a regular basis. Thankfully, taking advantage of this incredible technology isn’t reserved solely for fully electric vehicles. PHEVs, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, combine the best of both worlds. Like an EV, they use electric motors powered by a battery to drive the wheels. The battery and electric motors provide more than enough performance and range to take care of the average kiwi’s daily commute, potentially allowing them to enjoy the cost-saving, fuel-free freedom of a full electric vehicle. However, the ace up the sleeve of the PHEVs is that it is also able to combine this all electric performance with its combustion engine. Not only does the pairing of electric and combustion engine provide incredible fuel economy when run in parallel, it also increases the range of the vehicle exponentially. No longer is there any fear of running out of battery on extended road trips and the combustion engine can be used to help top up the battery's charge if you are running a little low.

Running and Maintenance Costs for an EV or PHEV

The cost in electricity to fully charge an EV or PHEV is entirely dependent on the size of their battery. One thing is for certain, kilometre for kilometre, the cost is significantly lower than the cost of petrol. The cost to charge an EV is approximately $3 per 100km of range, a cost point that is hard to ignore given that, at the time of writing this blog, can not even buy you a single litre of petrol.

With EVs and PHEVs being on the forefront of automotive technology, you would be forgiven for assuming that their running and maintenance costs were more than a standard combustion engine vehicle. In 2020, Consumer Reports published a whitepaper that actually showed the opposite. In this report they discovered that electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle owners were saving up to 50% on their maintenance costs for the vehicle's lifetime. The data analysed was based on surveys from hundreds of thousands of vehicle owners. In this same report, they discovered that out of the three options, EV, PHEV and Combustion Engine, PHEVs had the lowest lifetime maintenance costs. 

Government Incentives for EVs and PHEVs

Keep New Zealand green. We’ve all heard the slogan before, and its relevance to the general consumer is more important now more than ever. In 2021, the New Zealand Government took steps towards making New Zealand a predominantly electric vehicle country by introducing the Clean Car Discount. This scheme is set up to provide a cash-back incentive for the new registration of low emission vehicles, most notably EVs and PHEVs. The clean car discount is a means to lower New Zealand's carbon footprint by not only incentivising the purchase of EVs and PHEVs, but penalising higher emission rated vehicles. This means that customers looking to purchase an EV are entitled to an $8625 cash-back on a new import and $3450 on a used import. PHEVs are also eligible for the discount, vehicles such as the Next Generation Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV are eligible for a $5750 cash-back.

Mitsubishi Stands at the Cutting Edge of Electric Vehicle Technology

Mitsubishi has long established its name for pioneering and innovating electric vehicles. Starting with the release of the Mitsubishi i-MIEV back in 2009, Mitsubishi has continued to refine and evolve its electric vehicle technology to the present day. In that time, the benefits of owning an EV and PHEV have continued to increase and there seems to be no end in sight for where this technology may go. So to find out more about all the benefits one of Mitsubishi’s electric vehicle offerings have for you, call into the Simon Lucas Mitsubishi Showroom. Our team of expert salespeople can provide further detail and insight into your next vehicle purchase. For more information, get in contact with Simon Lucas Mitsubishi today!