Section 1
Instead of having to always detour to a gas station, EV drivers can top up wherever there's a compatible charging connector. This could be at home, at work, the supermarket or a dedicated fast-charging station on a highway route. As EV chargers are far more ubiquitous than gasoline filling stations and more are being installed every day, charging an EV is only getting easier.
When thinking about EVs, new, EV-only brands like Tesla likely spring to mind. But EVs aren’t entirely new, despite picking up pace over the past decade. Electric passenger vehicles date back to the 1800s — an early breakthrough era for battery and motor development. In 1899 and 1900, EVs were so popular that 28% of all 4,192 cars produced in the US were powered by electricity.
So, why did combustion engines come to dominate? Prior to the 2000s, battery technology was simply no match for gasoline power in terms of performance, range and power. That was until significant leaps forward in battery science, which lead to the growth of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries in the 90s, which can deliver power and range to rival fossil-fueled vehicles.
While battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are considered true electric vehicles as they rely solely on battery power and produce zero tailpipe emissions, there are several other types of electrified vehicle that are sometimes referred to as an EV, all of them have their own acronym too. Let’s go through what each one is and their pros and cons when it comes to range and performance.
The first thing to consider is how far you typically drive in a day. You’ll need to choose a model with sufficient range, but it’s worth noting that for the average driver, most EVs are suitable for everyday driving. The average driver drives less than 40 miles a day ⁽¹¹⁾. So for daily needs most EVs would suffice and would only need charging about once a week.
When deciding if an EV is right for you, you’ll need to consider if you have a convenient place to charge when the day's done. Are there charging stations available where you live and work? Are there fast-charging stations on longer routes you might take? Being able to plug in whenever you are near a charger makes charging an EV very easy.
And then there’s the cost. Generally speaking, EVs cost more upfront than petrol or diesel-fuelled cars. An average brand-new EV costs around £45,000 in the UK ⁽¹²⁾, $66,000 in the US ⁽¹³⁾ and €55,000 in Europe ⁽¹⁴⁾. But new models like the 2023 Nissan Leaf ⁽¹⁵⁾ starting at $28,000 USD prove more affordable models are on the horizon, and demand for affordable city-focused EVs is growing.
Despite the higher upfront costs, the lifetime ownership costs of an EV can be many thousands of dollars ⁽¹⁶⁾ lower than an ICE vehicle. On average, EV owners spend 60% less on fuel, and experience lower maintenance and repair costs too.
Plus, as we all have a part to play when it comes to the urgent fight against climate change, you’d be pleased to know that EVs have been proven to leave a smaller footprint. In fact, EVs beat gasoline cars by 52% ⁽¹⁷⁾ when it comes to lifetime global warming emissions — even when including pollution from battery manufacturing.
If your business relies on fleet vehicles that only cover up to 100 miles (160 km) per day, the savings are even greater. Not only does recharging an EV cost less than refuelling, but there are fewer moving parts in an EV and, therefore, fewer things that can go wrong. Over the life of the vehicle, it’ll spend more time doing its job and less time being repaired.
With the United States Postal Service ⁽¹⁸⁾ vowing to deploy more than 45,000 EVs by 2028, and FedEx planning for an entirely electric fleet by 2040, there’s no doubt that electric trucks and vans can work very well for businesses and fleets.
There are also many EV charging incentives for businesses and drivers alike, motivating the uptake of EVs in business. The UK government, for example, offers eligible businesses, charities and public sector organizations a voucher-based scheme (The Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) ⁽¹⁹⁾ to help with the up-front costs of both the purchase of EV charging stations and installation.
Despite these numbers, many potential EV drivers are still wary of taking the plunge because of the fear of running out of power on the road without a place to charge. And if you’re feeling this, you’re not alone. Range anxiety is one of the leading psychological barriers ⁽²¹⁾ preventing potential EV drivers from making the switch, but it shouldn’t be.
This anxiety is felt by businesses too, especially companies with fleet vehicles. In the world of business, time is money and any time spent charging is money lost. There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to operating fleets. Take delivering goods for example: there’s the loading time, how long journeys take between drop-offs and route planning to consider. Businesses don’t need another hoop to jump through – the hoop being finding a place to charge and spending time charging halfway round a delivery route.
Now that most EVs can cover a few hundred miles on one charge, range anxiety is becoming less of a worry. Instead, EV drivers are experiencing increased anxiety around charging. Charging anxiety is rooted in arriving at a charging point with a low battery and it is unavailable or out of order.
Point to note: just like a conventional car, the actual range you get from your EV can vary based on a number of factors like driving speed, elevation, traffic, weather, and road conditions. Thankfully, there are plenty of tools out there like TomTom’s EV Routing and Range that consider all these variables to provide precise range calculations and to get rid of your range anxiety for good.
TomTom takes the guesswork out of electric vehicle (EV) routing, guiding drivers to their destinations safely and smoothly, with precise range calculations for extra peace of mind along the way.
In TomTom’s own EV charger database there are more than 1.2 million EV chargers from all over the world located and recognized on its map — and that number is growing fast.
There are also plenty of public charging apps, including TomTom’s own, that help you locate charging stations and find accurate information about their availability and how much it’ll cost.
Download for free and connect to Android Auto and CarPlay.
The best recommendation is to combine public charging with overnight charging at your own home — it’s a hugely convenient way to keep your EV ready to hit the road and keep those anxieties at bay. Unlike a gasoline car, by charging this way you can conveniently start the day with full charge when driving an EV. That said, many drivers don’t have access to off-street, overnight charging at their home. While local governments, councils, and municipalities are trying to change this, it’s important to know how you can charge at home before you dive into EV driving.
The picture looks a little different for businesses that rely on vehicles to keep their company moving, but anxieties should still be relatively small. For example, the average cab driver in New York City ⁽²⁵⁾ travels up to 180 miles (289 km) per day. Meanwhile, in London ⁽²⁶⁾, the average taxi driver covers up to 80 miles (128 km) per day. The case is similar in the world of fleet and deliveries - where UPS drivers ⁽²⁷⁾, on average, drive around 125 miles (201 km) every day.
With the average range of an EV sitting around 216 miles (349 km) ⁽²⁷⁾, most models on the market have more than enough juice for you or your business’s daily driving needs. Plus, with growing networks of fast charging stations, driving long distances in an EV is becoming more feasible too. So, it begs the question: what are we so worried about?
Next Section:
EV battery basics
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