The auto industry has changed immensely in the past few years. With so much talk of future technology such as self-driving cars and smart technology being implemented into future vehicles, there’s a lot to think about for your future vehicle purchases. But there’s one new technology that’s widely available today – the electric car. The question is, is it wise to invest in the electric car? Today we will be weighing in on whether or not electric vehicles are worth your money.

 Environmental Factors 

If you are strongly opinionated about environmental health, then an electric car is a no-brainer for you. Cars produce a ton of carbon emissions that are shot up into the atmosphere and are a huge factor in causing pollution and greenhouse gasses. An electric car is the solution to these problems. Electric cars produce virtually no carbon emissions or greenhouse gases, meaning by driving one around you are no longer a contributor to this pollution.

 No Gas Required

Another advantage of electric cars is – of course – you’ll never have to pay for gas. The average American spends between $2000 – $4000 dollars every year on gas. While yes, you can expect your electricity bill to go up, at the end of the day electric cars are still much cheaper to run. On top of the gas savings, often times the government will give you money back for going green. With these incentives, it’s hard to find reasons not to get an electric vehicle.

 Recharge Points

However, there are still many disadvantages to owning an electric car. One of the biggest ones is the lack of recharge points. Recharge points are areas where you can recharge your vehicle – the batteries present cars are using run out rather quickly. Think of these recharge stations as gas stations for your electric vehicle.

If you live in an urbanized area, this may not be as much of a concern as there will likely be recharge stations nearby. However, if you ever plan on going on a long road trip an electric car would not be your safest bet. If you run out of juice with no recharge station nearby, you’ll be in a lot of trouble.

Another negative to this is the length of time it takes to recharge a battery. While you can fill up a gas tank in a few minutes, getting a full charge to your electric car can take up to 4 – 6 hours. That’s a lot of time to be waiting around if you run out of juice.

 Battery Replacement

Depending on how much you drive your electric vehicle, you may have to change your battery more frequently. This can be anywhere between 3 – 10 years. Batteries for electric cars are also costlier than fuel-powered cars so maintenance is definitely something to keep in mind when thinking about investing in an electric car.

 Should You Invest?

So the question is should you invest in an electric car? The answer to that is more complicated than just a yes or no answer. At the end of the day, the deciding factor to owning an electric car is how much you care about environmental health, and how strongly you feel about not being a contributor to greenhouse gasses and pollution. While owning an electric car may a bit more inconvenient and costly, at the end of the day most people generally agree that they are the cars of the future and can be a key factor in reducing environmental pollution. Be ahead of the curve and ensure that these electric cars gain popularity so that they can sooner become the general car for Americans.