Human beings had always been fond of travelling. In ancient times, before farming was discovered, perhaps the only constant thing the early humans did was to travel in search of prey and food to eat.
Since travelling was such an important part of human activity, people were constantly thinking of ways on how to travel better and faster. Thus paths were carved, roads were built, horses were trained, and even wheels were invented.
Fast forward a couple of millennia, one of the most numerous and most used human public means of transportation being utilized around the globe became known as the car. It is defined as a road vehicle that is powered by an engine that runs on fossil fuels.
However, in light of the development these recent years this definition may be updated and change to accommodate a strong contender that is slowly gaining ground in the automotive industry.
Battery vs. Petroleum
A showdown between two power sources is being wage right now and in lieu of environmental issues that are on the rise due to climate change, one side seems to be gaining more and more favor among the car manufacturers and consumers alike.
If you are looking to buy a brand new vehicle perhaps you might find yourself choosing between an electric-battery powered car and a traditional diesel or gasoline powered one. Both candidates have strong cons and pros to consider.
There are two obvious differences that separate the two types of technology from each other. For one is that the electric engine model still lacks the support in terms of community size and the number of service stations. This is due to the fact that the number of electric cars currently running is significantly fewer than the established petroleum car models in current use. The second difference would be the difference between the levels of environmental footprint each type of car leaves behind.
There are actually a lot more differences and currently it is a case of personal preference. But be informed however that there are now governments around the world that are pushing for the banning of combustible cars in the near future.
A Nissan Leaf has been our only vehicle since February 2015. It easily meets all of our daily driving needs and wants. Recharge time is largely irrelevant. More often than not, we drive all day on the overnight charge. When we do need to charge away from home, it’s almost always while we are doing something else. Eating out, shopping, going to a movie, concert or sporting event. We aren’t waiting for the car to charge, it’s charging while waiting for us to return from other activities. On the very rare occasion where we are actually waiting to charge it’s 30 minutes to an hour planned for ahead of time, and we are prepared for it.
Longer trips involve renting an ICE (internal combustion vehicle). With an average ‘fuel cost’ of $35-$40 a month, we save so much money driving the Leaf, an occasional rental is a relatively inexpensive inconvenience. However, after driving a slow, vibrating, noisy, smelly, expensive to fuel ICE we can’t wait to get back in our EV. Our current range is 100 miles and we’ve made many 200-250 mile trips with very little effort. Sure, more range would be great, and EVs are getting there. The Chevy Bolt can go over 230 miles and some Tesla vehicles can go 300+.
We are sticking with electric. Maintenance costs are almost nothing and recharging is much cheaper than gasoline. Not to mention the comfort and fun of driving an EV has no comparison in the ICE world.