Top 10 concerns and myths about electric cars

Almost a fifth of petrol and diesel car owners are put off going electric because they’re worried about driving in adverse weather conditions such as a lightning storm, new research has revealed.

Interest in green motoring continues to grow as we look to cut their carbon footprint and reduce their running costs, with sales of pure electric cars up by 151% in October.

But despite the growth, and Government plans to phase out the sale of conventional petrol and diesel cars by 2040, several myths around electric vehicles (EVs) remain.

A survey of petrol and diesel drivers revealed 22% would not feel safe charging an electric car.

Meanwhile, 18% said they didn’t think it would be safe to drive through a lightning storm, and 12% wouldn’t feel happy about charging their phone in an electric car.

Leading EV manufacturer, Hyundai, conducted the myth-busting research in a bid to help the transition to a zero-emission motoring future.

“It’s been fascinating to hear about some of the misconceptions that people still have about electric vehicles,” said Hyundai’s Sylvie Childs.

“We’ve all been told you don’t mix electricity with water, but when it comes to EVs there’s absolutely no extra risk of driving in a lightning storm – they are just as safe as a petrol or diesel car.

“Range anxiety is also an interesting one. When electric cars first came out the range was an issue we had to tackle, but these days you can get almost 300 miles on a single charge and this will increase further in time.”

Here are Hyundai’s Top 10 concerns and myths about electric cars:

1. Range anxiety bringing you down?
Don’t panic. A typical electric vehicle (EV) covers between 100 and 200 miles on a single charge and even longer on some models with ranges of more than 300 miles. Hyundai’s KONA Electric can actually go as far as 279 miles with one charge.

2. Worried you won’t find anywhere to charge?
No need to be! There are currently more than 14,500 public charging points in more than 9,000 locations in the UK and the network is growing rapidly.

3. Think an electric vehicle is too expensive?
Think again. With more and more affordable and competitive options and fewer moving parts to fail or need replacing, EVs are in fact cheaper to run than conventionally fuelled vehicles.

4. Worried that electric vehicles are too sluggish?
Not true! Instant torque delivery means EVs can accelerate just as quickly and if not much quicker than their petrol or diesel counterparts. For example, Hyundai’s Kona Electric can accelerate from 0-62mph in just 7.9 seconds.

5. Think you can’t take an electric vehicle through the car wash or drive in a lightning storm?
Of course, we’ve all been told that you don’t mix electricity with water, but when it comes to EVs its perfectly safe to use a car wash and there’s no extra risk of driving in a lightning storm.

6. Not enough choice in the market?
The electric car market is expanding rapidly. In fact, Hyundai currently has the largest e-mobility fleet in the world including the latest in electric, hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

7. Worried that electric vehicles’ batteries are adding to the landfill crisis?
EV batteries can be recycled just like the batteries in petrol or diesel cars. EV power cells can be used to store solar and wind energy, or they can be broken down with their more-valuable elements reused .

8. Doubting the safety of electric vehicles?
Rest assured that EVs undergo the same rigorous testing and meet the same safety standards required for petrol or diesel fuelled cars.

9. Worried about your breakdown cover?
No reason to be. The majority of breakdown suppliers now provide services for all EVs as well as conventional vehicles.

10. Don’t think an electric vehicle will fuel your petrol head needs?
You won’t be disappointed. As soon as you push down on the accelerator, the transition from stationary to speed is almost instantaneous.