Electric cars – Types, features, and brands to check out
In 2022, sales of electric cars increased by two-thirds in the country, accounting for 5.8% of all new vehicle deals. There has been a considerable increase compared to the 3.2 percent market share in 2021. Rechargeable batteries are used to power an electric motor that turns the wheels after being charged with electricity. This energy storage requires a direct current source. Electric vehicles feel lighter to drive since they can accelerate faster than vehicles powered by traditional fuel sources.
Types of electric cars
- Plug-in electric: These types of electric cars are charged with an external current source like a wall socket connected to a power grid. Since they do not require gasoline or diesel to run, they emit no pollutants like regular cars do.
- Plug-in hybrids: In this type of electric car, if the battery dies, you can switch to a gasoline or diesel engine because, even though these vehicles primarily run on electricity, they still have a traditional fuel engine. Plug-in hybrids may be plugged into an electric socket to replenish their batteries.
- Hybrid-electric: In hybrid-electric cars that run on gasoline or diesel, regenerative braking is used to recharge the electric battery. These enable one-button switching between your gasoline engine and “EV” mode. These cars cannot be plugged into an electrical socket for charging because they run solely on gasoline or diesel.
Features
Some useful built-in electric car features that provide the comforts of a modern vehicle, like climate control, GPS, Bluetooth, and parking assistance cameras, make them a perfect choice for those looking to save on fuel costs and have a better driving experience.
Pricing
Electric cars like the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Bolt, and Bolt EUV start at less than $30,000, and many are valued between $40,000 and $55,000, with some high-end variants like BMW, Lucid, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Tesla priced well over $100,000. As production costs decline, electric cars will eventually reach price parity with comparable gasoline vehicles.
Top brands
It could be difficult to choose which electric car to buy or which is the greatest one because almost every popular automobile company now produces electric vehicles. To help you with the selection, some of the best electric cars from top brands are listed below.
- BMW: The German automaker is well-known in the electric vehicle (EV) industry. Since introducing the BMW i3 in 2013, the automobile company has increased its number of electric car variants. They later marketed the BMW i4, BMW i7, and BMW iX and boasted a very impressive fleet of hybrid vehicles.
- Volkswagen: Volkswagen’s wildly successful ID.4 has shown the world that the German automaker has the appropriate electrification approach. In addition to this model, they also unveiled the adorable ID. Buzz, ID.3, and ID.6. The company is all set to introduce the ID.7 this summer and the ID.1 and ID.2 in 2025.
- Kia: The 2023 Kia EV6 was ranked first among luxury electric SUVs by the KBB (Kelley Blue Book) blog post. It’s important to note that the South Korean automaker also produces electric car models in many categories, such as the hybrid, plug-in hybrid Sorento, and Sportage, as well as the tiny SUV Kia Niro. According to Torque News, Kia’s sales of electrified vehicles increased by 142% from the previous year in December 2022.