You may well be wondering what a certified automobile enthusiastic and mechanic by trade is doing talking about electric cars? I assure you, a decade ago I would have sooner laughed in your face if you tried to get me to approach the subject, let alone dare to write a piece about them!

However, to ignore their creation and subsequent increasing popularity in recent years would be to ignore progress. We all must move forward to keep up with the world, and the car industry is no different here. In fact, this is one area of the car world which I have been trying to keep up with as much as possible because, in the end, it is an issue that we all, as car enthusiasts, may just have to deal with at some point in the future.

Having said all that, I know the subject of electric cars still irks many diesel and petrol car owners, in particular when they feel as though they are unfairly targeted now for having such vehicles. Therefore, I wanted to offer a basic guide to the electric car to get a discussion started with how we approach them as we move forward.

Where and How You Charge an Electric Car

An obvious question is the charging process of an electric car. Manufacturers are keen to point out that these vehicles can be charged at home by just plugging them in. Some workplaces offer a charging point service and so too I notice, does the odd car park. However, for those out and about they can access charging points at various locations. We are talking here about more and more train stations and shopping centers, alongside service stations, hotels and refueling stations.

For those worried about needing to charge midway through a journey, you can check out the nearest location of charging points before you set off and even register for a scheme to find your closest charging point online.

Regarding how often, well this has always been the factor that puts many people off as there is a significant fear that electric cars will not get you down the road, let alone to your required destination further out. Yet, once again the more you read into the specifics of these cars, the more you begin to realize that this is not the case.

Firstly, electric cars can be plugged into domestic power supplies in the home and secondly, they consist of rapid charging units which means you could have an entirely charged car in under 45 minutes.

Secondly, they do not require you to stop and start your journey to refill on a continual basis. Latest figures show that most average day to day traveling can be completed on a day’s battery time. The average range of a fully charged battery is around 100 to 150 miles before needing a recharge and several top end electric cars, and we are talking sports car ranges here, can even run to 330 plus miles before needing to be charged again!

I am pretty sure that with the technological advancements we have at our fingertips these days, it is only a matter of time before this mileage figure is swiftly increased in years to come.

Savings and Advantages with An Electric Car Choice

Naturally, the savings for these car types come in the form of not having to pay for fuel costs! For a couple of cents per mile, it has been suggested that by cutting the fuel cost, drivers can look at saving around an average of $1,100 per year in fuel bills alone!

Some other examples of the saving initiatives being trialed all over the world with electric cars currently range from:

• Free Road Tax
• No Need to Pay Congestion Charge Fees
• Free or Reduced Parking Fees
• Incentives for Employees Changing to Electric Cars Through Registered Workplace Schemes

Situations Where Electric Cars Still Require Improvement

Okay, I may have highlighted the possible benefits of these cars, but that is not to say that there aren’t areas which still need working on, and perhaps can be deduced as good enough reasons for many people still choosing to ignore their existence!

These are the areas that still require some work on them:

• Electric Cars remain more expensive to pay for upfront than conventional cars.
• Many electric models being marked for launch from the big dealers are to be labeled as premium, meaning the higher end and more expensive of the range!
• The batteries of electric cars will die out over time, meaning you will need to replace them, but currently, they are said to last for around up to 60,000 miles.

Overall, they may not be the most exciting of cars, but with impending technological advancements and more and more companies looking into the possibilities of switching to them, it does indeed look like electric cars will be sticking around!