Although electric vehicles still have the image of being unaffordable to the average person, this really isn’t the case anymore. Yes, some top-of-the-line electric vehicles, EVs, are beyond the reach of the average salaried worker, but that is the same with fuel powered cars as well, isn’t it? Not all cars are Mercedes Benz, Porsches or Lamborghinis, and that would be the equivalent of some of the more tech savvy EVs. Even so, there are so many benefits to owning one, that 2022 just might be the year to look into why you should be shopping affordable electric cars. Here are just five reasons to get you started.

1. Year-on-Year Reduction in New Car Costs

One of the most interesting aspects about buying electric vehicles is that within the past few years the cost of a new car has been coming down rather than rising like fuel powered vehicles. According to several EV consumer sites, just the year 2018 saw a 13.8% reduction in a new EV price over the year before of the same model and make.

That is not something you would find with gas or diesel cars and that is a really great reason to check into these affordable electric cars on this comparison website. This particular site compares some of the most affordable electric cars so that you can get an idea of just how affordable they really are. Imagine for a moment the MSRP of $31,679 for a new Nissan Leaf. That’s more than comparable with a fuel powered car.

2. Little Maintenance Over the Lifespan of an EV

This is perhaps the biggest selling point of all. With a traditional combustion engine, you’d need to take your vehicle in for servicing every few thousand miles. You’d need an oil change, a tune up, all the fluids checked and so forth. You have none of that with an EV, so those savings add up year after year. Then there are states where you’d need your car to pass smog inspections and that cost adds up as well. What about if your catalytic converter went out on your gas-powered car? That’s a huge repair expense and one you couldn’t avoid making or you’d be slapped with a fine on top of an order to get it repaired/replaced.

3. State Rebates and Incentives

While some of the states have retired their rebates based on the availability of funds, other states still offer them. Some states have a wait list for rebates and incentives as funds become available, but it is truly something worth looking into. It is all in an effort to reduce our carbon footprint. While the large oil producers are still lobbying against some of these incentives and for such ecological dangerous practices as fracking, more and more legislators are becoming aware of the very real dangers to the planet. It is now common knowledge that, within the next decade, much of this damage will be truly irreversible and this is why states are trying to find the funds to offer incentives to consumers who are willing to make the change.

4. Greater Number of Commercial Charging Stations & Longer Distances

In the early years of producing EVs for the market, charging stations were few and far between and the battery power necessary for driving longer distances was not yet available. Now, there are so many charging stations at almost every big box store nationwide. Already in 2018 there were more than 120 EV charging stations at Walmart stores in 38 states. That was almost four years ago so it can be safely assumed that that number has risen significantly.

In fact, there are more than 25,000 Tesla supercharger stations around the globe and if you look at the red dots on this map for these 15 minute supercharger stations in the United States, you will see that going distances is no longer the issue it once was. Imagine, the length of time it takes to stop for a rest room break and cup of coffee could see your EV being charged for another 200 miles.

5. Great Selection of Models

Contrary to popular opinion, today’s EVs are not those early mini golfcart size cars. There is a wide range of sizes from economy cars to SUVs. However, the larger vehicles will require a larger battery and so the cost will be in keeping with the technology involved, but those options are available. As an example, let’s look at the Nissan Leaf mentioned above. This would be an economy size EV, and the mileage is amazing at 111 MPGe (the equivalent to miles per gallon in a fueled car). With the cost of recharging a vehicle somewhere between a third and half the cost of gasoline and then the 111 miles per gallon combined with city and highway driving, that’s an amazing reduction in the operating cost.

A Quick Summary of What You Can Take Away from All This

If there were just a few points you should consider when trying to understand why 2022 is ‘the’ year to buy an affordable electric vehicle, it could be summed up in this way:

• Year-on-year cost reduction – percentages often in double digits
• Plenteous recharging stations and batteries able to run for much longer distances
• Many states are still offering rebates and incentives to help offset the cost
• Longer lifespan of EVs and little maintenance during that time – cost effective
• Within the window to do something to offset greenhouse gases for planet Earth

And those are just the key points to take away. Not only will you be in a vehicle that will require little to no maintenance over its lifespan but the very longevity we are talking about is much longer than a conventional fueled vehicle. Since all leading scientists and climatologists say that the window for doing something about global warming and climate change ends within a decade, if you are going to do something for the world you are leaving to your children and grandchildren, this would be the time to do it. The deals get better by the day and with the current technology, you just can’t lose!