How Electric Transportation Can Help You Save Money
Electric Cars at NAIAS 2013 (Photo credit: motorblog)
With the price of fossil fuels constantly increasing, more and more people are making the decision to take the plunge and try out an electric vehicle. This does not mean, however, having to have a rather odd looking car sitting in your drive that has a very low top speed and an even lower daily range.
Today’s modern electric cars look as sleek and well designed as any current petrol or diesel models and have the acceleration to match. Many models also boast a range of 100 miles or more on one single charge that can cost as little as £3.00. When you consider that a modern electric car price is only slightly higher to that of an up to date petrol or diesel model, the savings really start to become evident.
There are also electric scooters and cycles, as well as the electric cars, which for city commuters could be the perfect transport solution. It seems that the age of electric transport is here, and in the not too distant future seeing electrics vehicles on the roads will not be uncommon at all. There are also many ways electric vehicles can save you money and below we will look at a few of them.
Road Tax
All electric vehicles in the UK are exempt from road tax. This can obviously be quite a saving especially if you are switching from larger petrol or diesel powered cars. It also makes having an electric car as a second vehicle much more attractive for those people who really would only like to use the electric vehicle for commuting, but still prefer a petrol or diesel for longer out of town journeys.
The London Congestion Charge
For those people that live and work in central London the congestion charge has been a bit of a double-edged sword. On the one hand traffic congestion has decreased significantly but not being able to drive directly to work can at times be a bit inconvenient, especially in the winter on cold and wet mornings. This however, is not a problem if you own an electric car as the congestion charge is waived and you are free to drive through central London when you please. When you combine this with the readily available reduced parking fees for electric vehicles, it really is quite a benefit.
The Mileage
From one charge a modern electric car will generally have the range of roughly 100 miles. This charge takes about 3 to 4 hours and costs on average between £2 to £3. When you consider that and average petrol or diesel car will cost between £12 and £18 to complete the same distance, the savings over a few years will be quite significant.
Parking Costs
If you live in London there are many boroughs that are actively encouraging the use of electric vehicles by offering owners reduced, or in Central London even free parking spaces. This scheme is mainly only in the London area at the moment but within a few years will be sure to move to other cities and even rural areas. Free parking will definitely be something that all motorists will approve of, and will ultimately lead to quite noticeably lower motoring costs over the period of a working year.
Maintenance Costs
The maintenance of an electric vehicle is also considerably lower than the more traditional petrol or diesel car. This is due to the fewer amounts of moving parts in an electric motor compared to the combustion engine. When something becomes worn on an electric car it is simply replaced with a new part quickly and cleanly.
About the Author:
Lydia Bradley is a witty entrepreneur that also promotes green life. While doing business, she uses an electric car as a way of transport. The electric car price varies differently.
Category: Car Purchase
