Electric Vehicles or EVs have been in headlines recently and it is not wonder with gas prices around 4 dollar a gallon, consumers are looking for alternatives. Are EVs really cost effective? Let’s talk about it.

My Name is BW and you are watching BTV.

Simply put an EV has a battery and an electric motor instead of a gas tank and an internal combustion engine. I will give you 3 pros and 3 cons to an EV, and you can decide.

Number 1 pro – no gas : you are going to be driving past a lot of gas stations, because you are running on electricity. So if gas prices rise, you will remain unaffected.

But there is con to this as well. Number 1 con to this is, lack of range. EVs can’t go the distance. An average EV will go about 200-250 miles compared to more than 300 miles for a full tank. Without widespread charging stations, you could easily find yourself with a dead battery.

2 pro – energy savings. According to energy data, you could reduce cost by 50% by going electric, when compared to gas. Electric V are zero emission too, so you are helping the planet right?

#2 Con – it still takes energy to charge EV, that energy may be provided by coal powered plant depending on where you live and charge. That means your utility bills could go up.

Finally, lets talk about costs. This can be a pro and a con. On pro side, you save money on gas and every consumption. You can save as much as $1500 a year if you drive about $1000 per month. And with fewer parts, your maintenance and repair bills will be lower unless you have to replace your battery.

Unlike gas cars, EV batteries can cost several thousands of dollars, and EV batteries and generally more expensive than their gas powered counterpart.

But there are incentives and rebates for owning an EV. So is it worth it? Clearly there are pros and cons, ultimately it is up to you. If you are in the market for a new car or truck, you may want to take a look at EV. If your current car is running fine, you may want to wait.