ScOgLiO
100+ Head-Fier
Weighing in as someone who bought an EV recently-ish and waiting for delivery in (hopefully) a few months.
There's obviously an environmental aspect to it kicking in for a (I assume non-negligible) chunk of households who decide to go the EV route, mine included as we're really trying to reduce our footprint on the planet (being it reducing plastic usage, growing fruit/veggie in the backyard...), but as already mentioned by some of you the shift is as cost-effective as it's ever been.
I personally live in a country where ICE-powered cars and petrol have been for years heavily taxed with the purpose of pushing people towards greener alternatives and, with petrol now flirting with the 2.5 Euro per litre mark, driving any ICE cars has become an incredibly expensive affair. Now, in The Netherlands ICE-powered cars are so heavily taxed at purchase that the price difference one usually observes is completely levelled, making an EV an even more compelling buy (I literally saw a second hand hybrid version of the Volvo XC40 I bought going for a higher price than my new, full EV one, at the same dealership I bought mine).
I'm going to play the devil's advocate for a second: it's obviously still an evolving technology and not quite for everyone yet.
You have people who genuinely travel a lot more than average and for whom the (relatively) short range of most EVs is a hurdle. You have people who can't charge at home (because they live in apartments or other reasons) and charging on the street may be both inconvenient and expensive (although I think pretty much anywhere the unit price difference between electricity and petrol is well above an order of magnitude...so it's a bit of a moot point).
As someone living in the EU, there's only so much time left for you to buy an ICE-powered car and that means you better believe car manufacturers will adapt their ranges to serve the market accordingly, which will push EV solutions further.
As Ableza mentioned above, it's really the ideal solution for most short commutes and therefore for city cars: this is where the EV shines in terms of efficiency compared to ICE (not to mention eradicating emission from the people-packed, relatively small areas of cities) and technology trickle-downs can't come soon enough to make it a viable option for someone looking for a cheap, small car.
Of course, how you source your electricity is the main factor when you consider the "save the planet" factor. My energy provider makes electricity from renewable sources only (and mostly from within the Netherlands, 100% from the EU), which is great, but we're obviously more of an exception than the rule.
What I really hope for is a revolution in solar panel technology, to make it more accessible. I am fortunate enough to be able to feed my house with them and have a lot extra, currently sold back to the grid at market rate and, in a few months, allowing me to charge the car for free once per week. Enough power for a house and for commuting, throughout most of the year, in a country, The Netherlands, renown for gloomy, rainy weather...quite amazing, when you think about it.
Combine the above and, likely, advances in battery technology to improve range, and I can't see many people holding onto petrol cars within a few years, really.
Welp, I've put together a wall of text...
There's obviously an environmental aspect to it kicking in for a (I assume non-negligible) chunk of households who decide to go the EV route, mine included as we're really trying to reduce our footprint on the planet (being it reducing plastic usage, growing fruit/veggie in the backyard...), but as already mentioned by some of you the shift is as cost-effective as it's ever been.
I personally live in a country where ICE-powered cars and petrol have been for years heavily taxed with the purpose of pushing people towards greener alternatives and, with petrol now flirting with the 2.5 Euro per litre mark, driving any ICE cars has become an incredibly expensive affair. Now, in The Netherlands ICE-powered cars are so heavily taxed at purchase that the price difference one usually observes is completely levelled, making an EV an even more compelling buy (I literally saw a second hand hybrid version of the Volvo XC40 I bought going for a higher price than my new, full EV one, at the same dealership I bought mine).
I'm going to play the devil's advocate for a second: it's obviously still an evolving technology and not quite for everyone yet.
You have people who genuinely travel a lot more than average and for whom the (relatively) short range of most EVs is a hurdle. You have people who can't charge at home (because they live in apartments or other reasons) and charging on the street may be both inconvenient and expensive (although I think pretty much anywhere the unit price difference between electricity and petrol is well above an order of magnitude...so it's a bit of a moot point).
As someone living in the EU, there's only so much time left for you to buy an ICE-powered car and that means you better believe car manufacturers will adapt their ranges to serve the market accordingly, which will push EV solutions further.
As Ableza mentioned above, it's really the ideal solution for most short commutes and therefore for city cars: this is where the EV shines in terms of efficiency compared to ICE (not to mention eradicating emission from the people-packed, relatively small areas of cities) and technology trickle-downs can't come soon enough to make it a viable option for someone looking for a cheap, small car.
Of course, how you source your electricity is the main factor when you consider the "save the planet" factor. My energy provider makes electricity from renewable sources only (and mostly from within the Netherlands, 100% from the EU), which is great, but we're obviously more of an exception than the rule.
What I really hope for is a revolution in solar panel technology, to make it more accessible. I am fortunate enough to be able to feed my house with them and have a lot extra, currently sold back to the grid at market rate and, in a few months, allowing me to charge the car for free once per week. Enough power for a house and for commuting, throughout most of the year, in a country, The Netherlands, renown for gloomy, rainy weather...quite amazing, when you think about it.
Combine the above and, likely, advances in battery technology to improve range, and I can't see many people holding onto petrol cars within a few years, really.
Welp, I've put together a wall of text...