Electric vehicles have looked set to take over the motor world for the past decade at least. The need for environmentally-friendly solutions, along with the rising price of gas, has seemingly created the perfect context for EVs to take off. However, in 2022 we are still far from a world in which electric cars are common.
The main reason for this is price. Electric cars are still too expensive for most drivers. It is becoming cheaper to insure an electric car, but you are still insuring a car worth approximately ten grand more than a traditional vehicle. Monthly car and insurance payments add up.
EVs are becoming cheaper, and we should soon see affordable EVs available everywhere. Furthermore, as the trend towards EVs ramps up, more second-hand EVs will hit the market. But will lower prices mean that electric cars are actually affordable and convenient?
The spanner in the works is electric car maintenance and repairs. Here’s why.
Repairing an EV
To repair your traditional car, you simply go to your nearest mechanic. They will diagnose the problem, source parts, and carry out the labor. With an EV, the process is not nearly this simple.
Your average auto mechanic cannot fix an electric car, as some of the parts that make it run are entirely different to those in a traditional car. It requires a different kind of expertise, and only people who have been trained specifically to fix EVs can carry out these repairs.
Parts are another issue. They are generally more expensive, because they are not yet as modular as the parts in most gas-powered vehicles. In other words, replacing one part may require the replacement of the entire segment. You end up paying a massive sum for the breakdown of a minor part.
Providers in your area
Another problem you may face is that actually finding a provider in your area may be impossible. While there are mechanics who specialize in EV repairs all over the country, there are many small towns that do not have such specialists. The reality is that a specialist is more likely to work in a city where there are many people with EVs, rather than in a place where a handful of people at most drive EVs.
This may not be too much of an issue if you can find someone one town over. But if you have to travel far to find someone to fix your EV, you are in for a whole host of extra costs, along with a major inconvenience.
If your car is not drivable, you will have to find a company to tow it all the way to the mechanic. If you can drive it there, you may have to leave it there and find transport back home. A job that takes a day or two may leave you without a car for significantly longer if you don’t have the opportunity to go fetch it due to work.
Are trends changing?
Electric cars are becoming more popular, and this will inevitably solve many of the above issues. There will be many more mechanics who can fix them and sourcing parts will not take long. Determining exactly how long this switch will take is impossible, but with fuel prices rising, there is more incentive to drive an EV than ever before.
In terms of the repairs themselves, new EVs will inevitably be easier to fix, with parts becoming more modular. A simple repair for a minor part on future EVs will only require the replacement of that small part. For now, however, you may have to deal with frustrating setbacks.
Driving an EV is increasingly becoming the rational choice. However, you will still face difficulties when trying to get your car repaired.
