Electric Cars: Did You Know?
Electric Vehicles and the technology to run them is fascinating. Here are some fun facts about EVs:
Growing Popularity
- Roughly 96% of EV owners told AAA they would buy or lease another one.
- By federal mandate, automakers must warranty their EV traction batteries for at least 8 years or 100,000 miles.
- 75% of EV charging is done in the home.
- There are 45,304 charging stations with a total of 111,477 ports in the US; WA = 1,569, OR = 895, CA = 13,496, ID = 103 (Nov. 8, 2021)
- EV sales have increased 119% compared to last year. In the first five months of this year, 204,012 EVs were sold, compared to 93,081 in 2020.
EV Efficiency
- Electric motors are a lot more efficient than gas motors! They can use up to 85% of energy received to turn the wheels of a car, while a gas engine can use 40%.
- AAA predicts that electric vehicles will make up 25% of vehicles in operation around 2040.
- The cost of used EVs has climbed 17.5% since March 2021, but 50% of used EVs are under $25,000. (Recurrent)
- To date, at least 13 states—California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, and Washington—plus the District of Columbia have adopted California’s low-emission vehicle (LEV) and zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) standards requiring manufacturers to sell a certain number of ZEVs per year. (NCSL)
All About Batteries
- Electric vehicles typically have two battery systems: a 12-volt battery and a traction battery. Simply put, the 12-volt battery is similar to that in a conventional car and powers the vehicle’s keyless entry, security system and provides the energy needed to “wake up” the EV’s computer control system when the switch is turned on; and at the heart of every EV is a high-voltage traction battery pack that powers the electric motor that propels the car down the road.
- The EV traction battery is a lithium-ion design that has much greater energy density, albeit at a significantly higher cost. Battery replacement is expected to cost from $2,500 to over $10,000, depending on the vehicle.
- Odometer is just a number: for used EVs, the odometer matters much less than you’re used to! How the battery was charged, stored and used is way more important.
— Writtten by Jennifer Cook
— Top image by Daisy/AdobeStock
