Electric vehicles - what you need to know about them?
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More and more electric vehicles are appearing on Polish roads. People are interested in them for various reasons. Some are attracted by the aura of novelty, others by the opportunity to save money, and still others by the environmental aspect of this type of vehicle.
However, despite the growing interest in this topic, the electric car still remains a mystery to many people.
If you belong to this group, you have come to the right place. Do you know, among other things, what an electric car is? How it works? How does it move? Where and how is it charged and how much does it cost?
You will find out the answers to these and other questions by reading the article.
What is an electric vehicle? How it works?
As the name suggests, an electric vehicle is a vehicle that uses an electric motor instead of a traditional internal combustion engine. There is no liquid fuel here, which goes into motion when the explosion in the cylinder is triggered. There is electricity. It goes to conductive coils that create a magnetic field. It contains a rotor that rotates and thus generates movement.
Of course, there is a difference in energy storage for the engine.
You will find a fuel tank in a traditional car. And in the electric one there is a battery that stores electricity. They are similar in design to the batteries we know from cell phones or laptops, but, as you might guess, they are correspondingly larger.
Curiosity! The electric motor takes up less space and is lighter than an internal combustion engine. However, the battery is much larger and heavier than the fuel tank.
Which electric car should you choose?
Looking to buy an electric car? Then pay attention to several important points, namely:
- reception
- battery capacity and of course
- цена.
The first two points are connected to each other. Usually, the larger the battery, the more you will travel without recharging. However, the overall vehicle range varies depending on the technology the manufacturer has used for the engine. Better and more economical models will run more on the same amount of electricity than their cheaper counterparts.
Since we are priced ...
How much is the cheapest electric car worth?
The price of an "electrician" largely depends on the capacity and mileage of the battery. The final value is also affected by the power of the engine and the amenities you will find inside - just like in a traditional combustion car.
However, the electric car is still a novelty, making it much more expensive than an internal combustion model of similar power. Even for the cheapest deals, be prepared to spend around $ 100. zlotys.
Below you will find a few examples of models that are considered the cheapest in Poland:
- Skoda CITIGO IV – PLN 82 (power reserve: 050 km; engine power: 260 hp and 82 Nm; battery capacity: 212 kWh);
- Smart equalizer Fortwo – PLN 96 (power reserve: 900 km; engine power: 135 hp and 60 Nm; battery capacity: 160 kWh);
- Volkswagen e-up! – PLN 97 (engine and battery exactly the same as in Skoda);
- Smart equalizer for four PLN 98 (equivalent to the previous smart for four people);
- Renault ZOE R135 – PLN 118 (power reserve: 900 km; engine power: 386 hp and 135 Nm; battery capacity: 245 kWh).
As you can see, these are not cheap toys.
How is an electric car driven?
In appearance, an electric car practically does not differ from an internal combustion vehicle - both inside and out. However, you will already notice a few important changes while driving.
You will not hear a sound when starting the engine. It is also quiet while driving, which makes the ride more comfortable.
What's more, power flows to the wheels in a constant stream. This means you don't know the delays when accelerating or changing gears. Most EVs have only one gear ratio.
For this reason, the best electric models have exceptionally good acceleration. The result of 3-4 seconds per hundred is the norm for them.
Unfortunately, there are also downsides.
Electric vehicles are generally heavier than combustion vehicles, which can impair their driveability (but this is not the case). Plus, even with the best models, you won't get the pleasure of driving fast. In everyday driving, you will quickly learn to conserve range, and this is due to more gentle handling of the accelerator pedal.
Where to charge an electric car?
You can even make it at home. All you need to do is plug the appropriate cable into a standard outlet - just like with all other electrical appliances. However, this has a downside - charging speed. A standard socket is an inefficient solution, since each hour of charging corresponds to approximately 10-15 km of run. This means that you can fully charge your small car's battery overnight.
A 16A socket (usually red), which is often found in a garage, is much more efficient. Thanks to this, you can replenish your energy in an hour for about 50 km of driving.
There is another outlet - 32A, it is slightly larger and twice as large as its predecessor. You will find them mainly in hotels and car charging stations. By connecting the car to such an outlet, you will cover 100 km in an hour, and sometimes more (depending on the power of this station).
How to charge an electric car?
Unfortunately, small towns still have very few or no charging stations. Therefore, as an electric car owner living in such an area, you will be doomed to charge the battery in your home outlet, whether you like it or not.
This is best done at night when the tariff is lower.
However, remember that cars from different manufacturers have different solutions. They don't always fit every charger or charging station.
Electric vehicle charging time
As you may have guessed, the charging time depends on the power of the charger. In a regular outlet, you will charge your car with a small battery overnight, but for more capacity, you will need at least two such sessions.
The already mentioned 16A sockets are a much better solution, reducing the charging time of small cars to a few hours. Overnight, you may even be able to fully replenish your energy reserves in a more capacious model.
The last and fastest option is high-speed sockets at charging stations. With their help, you can replenish up to 80% of the battery charge in just half an hour. Unfortunately, there are still too few of them in Poland.
Electric car charging cost
In Poland we pay about PLN 1 for 57 kW of electricity. If you have, for example, a Renault Zoe (battery capacity: 40 kW), you can charge it up to 320 km for about 23 PLN. This is an extremely low price even when compared to the cheapest gasoline cars.
Take, for example, any model that uses 5,5 liters of gasoline per 100 kilometers. You will pay about PLN 100 for the same distance.
Therefore, you save 77 PLN on an electric car.
Moreover, the battery from the electric vehicle will serve you as an additional source of energy. You can connect to it, for example, a washing machine and do your laundry. In addition, it can store excess energy from photovoltaic panels.
Is an electric vehicle safe?
It's even safer than an internal combustion car. Every "electrician" has a tough, robust design with components located in more favorable locations. There is no large internal combustion engine under the hood, so in the event of an accident it will not be carried away towards the cab.
You will not find flammable fuels or oils from an electrician.
“What about charging?” - you ask.
It also features the highest level of security. Even in difficult weather conditions (rain / snow), you can charge your vehicle with confidence. The charging system, regardless of the model, has several safety levels that protect the driver from unpleasant accidents.
How much is the Electric Vehicle Tax Credit?
Since the Polish government passed the law on electromobility, anyone interested in buying an electric car will receive various discounts. The most important of them is the state subsidy for the purchase of a car. It comes in three varieties:
- Green car – subsidy up to 15% of the cost of the car (max. PLN 18), but the price of the car cannot exceed PLN 700;
- Hummingbird – subsidy for professional drivers (for example, taxi drivers) up to 20% of the value of the car (max. PLN 25), but the price of the car cannot exceed PLN 150. zloty;
- eVAN – subsidy for vans (max. PLN 70).
However, there is a high probability that changes will be made to the above programs. First of all, because of the low interest of citizens (only a few hundred people took advantage of the subsidy).
The reason for this is probably the maximum cost of the car. This severely limits the range of models available, especially for private drivers.
Additional privileges for electric vehicles
Thanks to the law on electromobility, driving an electric car is also more convenient and cheaper. As the owner of such a vehicle, you can use bus lanes to avoid traffic jams. In addition, you are exempt from fees for using paid parking zones.
You also have the opportunity to stand out from the crowd. How? Each newly registered electric car can drive on special green plates.
Should you buy electric vehicles? Summary
While environmental storytelling brings more and more environmental benefits to life, and electric vehicles have many benefits, they are still not enough for drivers.
First of all, this is held back by the high price of this type of car. It is true that they are cheaper in day-to-day use, but the upfront cost is an insurmountable hurdle for many people.
Another disadvantage, at least in Poland, is the small number of specialized charging stations. This forces you to use inefficient household outlets and limits your options on long trips.
Driving comfort and ecology are of little interest to drivers who have to spend about 100 thousand dollars. PLN for the weakest car model. As if this were not enough, while driving, they constantly look at the remaining power reserve, because they are far from home, or even further to the nearest charging station.
What do you think of electricians? Share your opinion in the comments!
