The Non-Environmental Reasons for a Massive Switch to Electric Cars

The everyday practical reasons to choose a plugin electric car over a gas powered car are already here. However, consumer demand for them have been underwhelming. Consumer awareness of electric vehicle advantages lags, believes San Diego land use attorney Bill Adams, using his own learning curve as an example. Much of the public is still under the impression that owning an electric vehicle is an exercise in paying more and getting less to save the climate. He predicts that consumer knowledge about the practical non-environmental advantages of purchasing an electric car will soon result in a swift and massive switch in consumer preference from gas to electric vehicles. Practical benefits include: 

1) Convenience: Forget about gas stations—fuel up at home at night. Quick charging at charge stations for long trips is improving.

2) Fuel Cost: Charging up is cheaper than fueling up. 

3) Reliability and maintenance cost: Fewer moving parts mean fewer repairs and less maintenance. 

4) Performance: Electric vehicles have superior torque and no transmission gear change delays. 

5) Tax credits and rebates: For new vehicle purchases, buyers get a $7,500 tax credit, and in California, a $2,500 rebate ($4,000 for people with income up to 3 x poverty level). 

6) Infrastructure: Charging stations are relatively easy and cheap to build compared to gas stations.

7) Inevitability: The global conversion is inevitable, which itself will drive demand as consumers will not want to purchase new vehicles that will become obsolete.  

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