The biggest reason I’m not considering an EV now isn’t the extra cost.

A lot of people are jumping on the EV bandwagon these days, and it’s easy to see why. Cox Automotive reports that the average price of a new EV has fallen significantly in recent months.

In September 2023, it was $14,300 lower than a year ago. As a result, purchasing a new EV can cost, on average, $2,800 more than purchasing a new car.

Of course, getting car insurance can cost more for an EV than a gasoline-powered car due to the higher price of the vehicle and associated parts. You can expect to save on fuel costs by using an EV, but this may be offset by cost savings such as battery replacement. Ultimately, EVs may end up costing you more to buy a car.

But the higher cost isn’t the main reason I’m not considering an EV now. Rather, the reason comes down to logistics.

The infrastructure is not in place yet.

Recently, a friend and I took a day trip in her EV to a city we wanted to explore. We spent most of the afternoon window shopping and eating.

As we were getting ready to eat dessert and unwind before heading home, we drove around to find a charging station. The charging station was one that the village boasted of providing for free. However, when we got to the area where the station was located, we found that there were only 4 stations in total and they were already occupied.

Thankfully, my friend’s car had enough charge to get him home without too much stress. But this experience only highlights why I’m not ready to buy an EV. From what I’ve seen, there aren’t enough EV charging stations to make it convenient for these types of vehicles.

When my car needs gas, I drive to one of the many gas stations in town and fill it up. And even when you’re far from home, there are usually plenty of gas stations to choose from.

With an EV, you may have to go to great lengths to find a charging station. In some cases, just because you can find a charging station doesn’t mean it’s available.

Filling your car with gasoline takes only 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the size of the tank. And usually, we fill our bellies and are on our way. However, charging an EV battery can take more than 30 minutes, which explains why it is so difficult to find an available charging station outside the home. That’s an inconvenience I don’t always want to grapple with.

As infrastructure improves, you may want to consider an EV.

Filling up your car with gas can be a pain. So trust me when I say that I like the idea of ​​not having to do it every week. It seems much more convenient to charge it overnight at home and avoid charging it every week.

But once you’ve driven your EV a reasonable distance, you’ll need to take care of charging the car. The same applies if you travel outside the city with your car. And I know it’s not time to take the EV route just yet, because I’ve seen EV owners struggle in that regard.

However, if infrastructure improves, I would definitely consider purchasing an electric vehicle in the future. And who knows? By then, depending on your circumstances, the purchase price may be similar to or even cheaper than a gasoline-powered car.

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