Debunking Five Beliefs About Electric Vehicles And Charging Stations

With frequent upsurges in gas prices, more and more consumers are turning to electric vehicles.

Having arrived on the market for only a few years, electric vehicles elicit many questions from future buyers, among others about range, costs, reliability, etc. Thereafter, many of these questionings come to encompass charging stations. That’s when Shawinigan-based company Elmec comes into play with its EVduty charging stations. Reliable and adapted to Quebec winter conditions, EVduty is the charging station that best suits the needs of Nordic Evdrivers.

Here are some answers to consumer questions:

RANGE : I am reluctant to buy an electric vehicle because the range of the models offered seems insufficient to me.

Although frequently encountered, this belief is exaggerated. According to Hydro-Québec, the average daily round trip for work is about 40 km. The number of kilometres that a 100% electric car with a full charge can travel before needing to recharge varies between 120 to over 350 km. This variation depends on several factors:

• Battery size;

• Driving style (Eco-driving makes it possible to optimize range);

• Weather conditions (using heating or air conditioning can consume up to 30% of the power, thus reducing the range)

MONEY: I worry that installing an electric charging station at my home will cost too much.

Installation costs vary depending on the context. On average, setting up a charging station at home can cost between $ 350 and $ 500. A master electrician specializing in the installation of EVduty charging stations will be able to assess your situation more precisely. Savings on gasoline and maintenance costs will quickly absorb this investment!

Important: The EVduty charging station is compatible with all plug-in and electric hybrid vehicles marketed in North America.

INSTALLATION: Installing an outlet for an EVduty charging station seems complicated.

Installing an outlet is relatively simple if done by a master electrician. The electrical panel at home must support the addition of the extra stove/welder port needed to recharge the electric vehicle.

RECHARGE TIME: I worry that fully charging an electric vehicle takes a long time.

You can compare the step of recharging an electric vehicle to recharging your cellphone: you plug it, then you do something else while it charges without worrying about the time it takes. The same goes for the electric vehicle: you plug it in when you arrive at home, at the office, at a restaurant or at another destination, then you do something else while charging. Charging time varies depending on several factors such as the vehicle’s on-board charger, the size of the battery, the level of charge at the beginning of the session and the power provided by the charging station. Depending on the type of charging station used, the vehicle will gain up to 6 km per hour when charging on a level 1 station (120V), up to 40 km per hour on a level 2 station (240V) like the Evduty, and up to at 200 km per hour on a DCFC.

RELIABILITY: I do not know if electric cars are as reliable as gasoline cars.

According to recent data compiled by the American association Consumer Reports, electric vehicles are actually MORE reliable than those running on gasoline. The vehicle design itself as well as the absence of fuel and cooling systems and wear parts, such as filters and spark plugs, are all elements that have been considered by the organization’s experts.

Sources:

https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1062411/voitures-electriques-fiabilite-consumer-reports
http://auto.lapresse.ca/auto-ecolo/201710/19/01-5140616-les-voitures-electriques-plus-fiables-que-les-autres-selon-consumer-reports-.php