Tips for Buying a Used Electric Car

With millions of electric vehicles on the road, it’s a sure fact that thousands will be on the used car market at this time. As a relatively new technology, there isn’t a lot of grassroots knowledge about how electric cars with the latest technologies work. People who are looking to buy a used electric car need to be aware of a few things when considering a used EV.

There are two major types of electric vehicles, the first being the pure electric vehicle and the other type the hybrids. The pure electric, as its name implies, is “refuelled” from a charging station or overnight from a household receptacle. When you consider buying a used electric car, take into account your driving range, as this will have a bearing on the type of EV you should buy. If you will be driving short trips on relatively flat routes, then an all-electric vehicle will be good enough for you. With an electric vehicle, once your battery’s juice runs out, you’re stranded at the side of the road. It may be more realistic to target a 60-70 mile range between charges to ensure that you can get yourself home, instead of the 100 miles manufacturers usually claim.

Which brings up the case for hybrid electric cars. Hybrid EVs have a small conventional engine installed together with an electric motor coupled to a transmission. But even with a gas engine, consumption figures are at least half of what you would get with a gasoline commuter car. In the case of the batteries, industry practice is to warrant the traction battery for only 100,000 miles or 150,000 in Toyota’s case. So, if you buy a used electric car that has done, say, 50,000 miles, you can realistically expect only half of the original battery life left on your used EV.

When inspecting a used EV, do a test drive on a full charge and see how much the battery discharges with your normal driving style. Prices quoted nowadays for replacement battery packs are in the $5,000 range, although some wild estimates claim twice that amount. CVT-type transmissions are a fairly well-known technology, but Toyota’s Hybrid Drive needs specialist knowledge to be serviced and cost more than $10,000 to replace. But Toyota and other Japanese manufacturers have proven to the public that they produce reliable vehicles, so their electric vehicles should follow the norm. Electronics are also extremely reliable nowadays so that isn’t much cause for concern when buying a used electric vehicle. After those EV-specific checks, the rest of the car is as we know them to be for the past decades, and inspecting for faults and issues will be no different from checking a conventional fossil-fueled car.

Hybrid Cars History

Hybrid cars have been around in the U.S. for about 10 years; the best known and most popular hybrid is the Toyota Prius but most car manufacturers now make at least one hybrid model.

A hybrid car is a vehicle that is powered by two energy sources; namely gas and electricity. Open the hood of a hybrid car and you get to see a regular gas engine and an electric motor. Both work in conjunction with other.

When you are driving around town, or accelerate from a stop position the electric motor drives the car. As soon as the car reaches a certain speed the regular gas engine cuts in and takes over. The benefit of a hybrid car is you don’t have to find electric charging stations. The batteries that power the electric motor get recharged when the gas engine is working or when the car is free-wheeling, such as going down a hill. Additionally, when the car breaks, the electric motor acts as a power generator, which also charges the batteries.

Hybrid cars are the stepping stone between a regular gas car and a full electric car. Many observers believe that with ever dwindling oil supplies, the regular gas powered cars days are numbered. However, this is still some way off, because while there are several examples of electric cars around, their speed and low mileage between needing to get charged only makes them suitable for short distances in town.

Nonetheless, hybrid cars and the people who have bought them, has meant there has been exceptional investment in battery and electric motor technology. Hybrid car batteries still weigh a considerable amount and take up a lot a room, but over the past decade they are gradually getting smaller, lasting longer and charging faster.

The next transitional stage between a gas and electric car is headed toward the hybrid plug-in car. It’s still a hybrid, but it can also be plugged in to charging stations. It means it can have larger batteries, so it can travel farther, get charged at a charging station overnight, or while you take a break for a coffee. However, it still has a gas engine, so if you need to go a bit faster, the gas engine cuts in and charges your battery at the same time.

The problem with a hybrid car is the price, which is quite a lot more than a same sized regular gas car. Hybrid converts say that the savings you get on gas pay for the extra upfront costs over a period of time. Critics argue that well before the time you get to recover the extra outlay; you will need to replace the very expensive batteries, or may even need to replace the car.

In any event, there are many people who would never buy a regular gas car again and the increase in sales across the U.S. tends to support this. There is no doubt that oil will run out, so it’s best the world tries to find an alternative method for powering the much loved car sooner rather than later.