Thomas Parker built the first electric car in London in 1884, but the technology has, until recently, lived in the shadow of the internal combustion engine due to the limited range of electric cars and how long they take to charge. However, recently electric cars have become much more mainstream with over 10,000 of them on UK roads. We believe that electric cars will, as they become more mainstream, start to impact more and more on the WAV market. Right now, while not generally suitable for Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle conversion, they do provide an environmentally friendly vehicle for families with the need for a second car, which does not need to be accessible.
Whether you have a disability or not it’s difficult to know whether electric cars are right for you, so we’ve compiled a quick guide on the costing, driving and maintenance of electric vehicles.
There are many reasons to buy electric cars, but primarily people invest due to either a fascination with the technology or due to the positive effects that electric cars could have on the environment.
However, it is important for the investment to make financial sense.
Electric cars are generally quite expensive to buy, but they are much cheaper to run than petrol and diesel cars. Therefore, you must take into account 4 factors before investing; upfront costs, fuel costs, servicing and repairs, and insurance.
Furthermore, in terms of driving, most of the modern electric cars use electric motors to boost their performance, and while the two fastest accelerating cars are both electric. realistically, electric cars don’t always match the performance of non electric cars.
So you must keep one things in mind; how does the feel and performance of an electric car differ from petrol or diesel?
Lastly, it is important to consider the maintenance – keeping an electric car in the best condition reduces the risk of unexpected bills and will boost its value if you decide to sell.
It is important that you ask yourself 3 questions regarding maintenance before you decide to invest.
1) How reliable are they compared to petrol or diesel cars?
2) Does all the new technology mean more services and harder maintenance?
3) What is the battery life, and how expensive are batteries to replace?
These are some of the main issues to consider before investing in electric cars as a 2nd car. It may be a long time before they are suitable for WAV conversion, but you can be sure that our engineers will be at the forefront of any quality conversion technology.
We are the definitive wheelchair accessible vehicle provider, dedicated to developing the finest wheelchair accessible vehicles on the market. If you want to find out more – get in touch.
Lewis Reed Group
With over 20 years experience producing and selling wheelchair accessible vehicles in the UK, you can be sure that we can offer excellent customer service with a level of knowledge that is completely unrivalled.