Electric driving: 5 employee misconceptions debunked
You’re convinced that electric mobility is a good idea for your company, now you just need to get your employees on board. Don't worry: the answers to these 5 common misconceptions will turn EV doubters into true EV ambassadors in no time at all!
1. “There aren’t enough models on the market”
The range of electric cars is growing all the time. According to the market research firm Jato, no fewer than 74 models were available in Europe at the beginning of 2022. A year previously, there were only 57. The range of affordable models is also growing noticeably.
And more electric models will most certainly appear in the years ahead. After all, the European Commission wants to ban the sale of new cars with an internal combustion engine from 2035. Car brands are responding massively to this ambition and are switching their production to 100% electric. Many brands, including Volvo, Renault and Mercedes-Benz, aim to only produce electric cars by 2030.
In addition, car manufacturers are also responding to the increasing level of interest among consumers. Following the announcement of its 2020 sales results, for example, Volvo announced that it would greatly increase its capacity. As a result, the Ghent plant produced over three times as many electric cars last year than before.
2. “EVs have too small a range”
The average Belgian driver travels less than 40 kilometres a day. On average, however, the range of an EV is up to 10 times more: about 200 to 450 kilometres. And the vehicles are increasingly being equipped with large battery packs. Many new models can therefore cover 500 to 600 kilometres.
As a result, their capacity is coming ever closer to that of petrol and diesel cars, which can travel 500 to 1000 km on a full tank. Innovative batteries are also being worked on daily.
The American start-up Our Next Energy (ONE) has developed one such promising battery, known as Gemini. They installed it in a Tesla Model S and achieved a range of 1,400 kilometres. The company is currently focusing on making the Gemini battery marketable. They aim to go into production in 2023. BMW and Bill Gates have already invested in the company.
3. “Charging an EV takes too long”
The maths seems simple: a 30kWh battery pack and a charge point that charges at 3.7 kW would appear to give a charging time of about 8 hours. However, this idea is based on numerous misconceptions. With the right mindset, it takes less than one minute to recharge your car.
Here’s how it goes: you arrive at your destination, plug in the cable and start the charge point, that's it. In cars with an internal combustion engine, you only top up the tank when you are almost running out of fuel. With an electric vehicle, you have to throw that habit overboard and plug it in when you are stationary. In other words: you don’t stop to charge, you charge when you stop!
You can charge at work, in the store car park or at home. This will always keep the battery between 40% and 90% charged. Incidentally, keeping your capacity on track will become a lot easier in the years ahead. By 2025, the Flemish government wants 35,000 public charge points for electric cars: that’s 30,000 more than last year.
4. “Electric driving is too expensive”
This, too, is based on a major misconception: it’s not the purchase price, but the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) that you need to consider. This is because the costs of energy consumption and maintenance are significantly lower in the case of electric cars.
The extent of this impact on your TCO depends on your charging mix. A sample calculation will make everything clearer.
*These amounts are indicative
| HOME | WORK | AC PUBLIC | DC PUBLIC | ANNUAL TOTAL* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0% | 50% | 25% | 25% | € 1.867,81 |
| 75% | 20% | 0% | 5% | € 1.338,38 |
| 20% | 75% | 0% | 5% | € 954, 06 |
Tax benefits also lead to immediate savings, as fully electric cars have been 100% tax-deductible since 2020. Under certain conditions, this also applies to plug-in hybrids. In addition, the purchase and installation of charging infrastructure is also tax-deductible.
Unfortunately, it is not always easy to calculate the TCO. To make this clearer, the Flemish government has developed a useful tool.
5. “EVs aren’t comfortable enough”
The times when electric cars were small city cars and far from sporty are well behind us. Employees who are given an electric vehicle will certainly not need to drop a few categories. Today, there are EVs for everyone: stylish and sporty, compact for the city or practical family cars.
For the same budget as cars with an internal combustion engine, you also get a lot of modern gadgets. For example, most new cars are not equipped with parking assistance as standard. This usually is the case with electrical models, however. In addition, electric vehicles tend to have the latest infotainment systems.