Electric Cars are on a Roll
Electric cars are becoming a more popular item in the consumer market through their several benefits.
PHOTO | Tribune News Service
Traffic comes to a halt at the first checkpoint as residents and others head southbound on US 1 toward the upper and lower Keys on Sunday Sept. 17.
As Hurricane Irma loomed off the coast of Florida, gas stations saw lines miles long as evacuees fueled their cars for their journeys out of state. Some gas stations shut down, and others ran out of gas, stranding Miami Beach residents with no gasoline to flee from the threats of Hurricane Irma, according to Common Dreams.
However, not all residents in Miami had issues getting gas to flee the hurricane. Some locals have electric cars which enabled them to evacuate without the concerns of long gas lines or empty fuel pumps. Electric cars are an expensive option but considering their many advantages, such as not needing gasoline to operate, they should be a more popular item in the consumer market.
Critics view electric cars as having a limited range, a long fueling time and a higher cost for the car. The most affordable electric cars only have about 80-100 miles of range per charge, and they take several hours to charge, only adding 25 miles in range each hour. But electric cars provide an exhilarating driving experience through their ability to be quick and quiet.
According to Green Car Report, electric cars range from an almost $24,000 Mitsubishi to a $140,00 Tesla. Although the initial cash outlay can be hard to stomach, in the end electric cars are cheaper to operate. The cost per mile is approximately one-third to one-quarter the cost of gasoline, according to Plug in Cars.
Charging at home is yet another benefit to this option. Being able to just pull into a garage or driveway to charge and never have to go to a gas station again is yet another benefit to owning an electric car.
Also, they are not only beneficial to the consumer, but also to the environment. Electric cars have no tailpipe emissions, providing the advantage of improving the air quality for the community.
Electric cars are an expensive option but clearly without them, many more would have been stranded to withstand the harrowing winds, storm surges, and floods in Irma’s path of destruction. It is safe to say that electric cars are well worth the investment when it comes down to life or death situations like seeking safety and shelter from Hurricane Irma or for just improving our environment.