15 Compelling Reasons to Get an Electric Car in 2021

It seems like every highway, back road, and parking lot is filled with electric vehicles. It almost feels like we missed a memo about EVs taking over. After doing some research about electric vehicles, it becomes blindingly obvious why so many people are making the switch.

In this article, we’re going to give you 15 compelling reasons to get an electric car in 2021. We don’t have any skin in the game, we’re just in love with this new technology and we want to tell you how great it is.

#1: They’re Cheaper to “Fuel Up”

If you’ve ever gone to a gas station in your life, you know that the whole process sucks.

You can spend upwards of $50 just so you can drive yourself to work and do errands. This idea is ingrained into our minds, so it doesn’t seem like a big deal — that is, until you pick up an electric car.

As you already know, electric cars are run on electricity, not gas. When you charge your car overnight, you might only spend pennies on electrical costs.

We calculated that a Tesla 3 costs about 3.6 cents per mile in fuel costs. Comparatively, a standard gas-powered car will set you back around 15 cents per mile.

If you have the equivalent of a 10-gallon tank and an average of 30 mpg, that’s a difference of $34 every time you fill the tank.

Want to be blown away? Estimate how many miles you drive a year and multiply it by 0.114. that’s how many dollars you’ll save every year in fuel if you switch to an electric vehicle. If you drive 12,000 miles a year, that’s $1,368.

#2: Government Tax Credits Are Still Around

The government has really been pushing for the sale of electric cars. The best way to incentivize people is to give them free money.

That’s exactly what’s been happening with EVs across the country. There is a federally-backed program that gives the buyer a potentially huge rebate on their purchase of an EV.

The only problem is that the credit is paid in a lump sum upfront. As the manufacturer sells more cars, they offer smaller credits until there’s no money left.

For example, Tesla is out of this tax credit. Newly released EVs like the Hyundai Kona or the Mustang Mach-E still have enough money to offer more than $7,000 to certain buyers.

#3: Range Anxiety Is a Thing of the Past

When electric cars came out, there was an overwhelming case of range anxiety. The batteries would last a few dozen miles before needing to be plugged in.

Nowadays, an electric car can easily go hundreds of miles on a single charge. Some drivers only charge their vehicle on a weekly basis instead of every night.

#4: Public Charging Is Expanding

What happens when your range is dwindling during your road trip? Well, you just pull into a handy Fast Charging station.

In the US, there are over 41,000 EV charging stations, and around 5,000 Fast Charging stations. The number is expected to increase as President Biden rolls out federal money and different programs.

In the past, it might have been hard to find a charging station in your area. Today, they’re all over the place.

A lot of workplaces now offer charging stations in their parking lot. That means free fuel for you as long as you work there.

#5: You Have So Many Options

When it comes to electric cars, it’s not just Tesla 3 or Chevy Bolt. There are more than 75 options of electric cars to choose from. 

Each of these cars has a spectrum of features that you can pick and choose between. The result? You get the exact car you’re looking for without any compromises.

Since auto manufacturers are seeing the writing on the wall, you can expect this number to get even bigger.

The fact that major players like Porsche, BMW, Hyundai, and Ford are happily throwing their hat into the EV ring is a good sign.

#6: Zero-Emission Way to Drive

Study after study, EVs are proven to be much more “green” to own and operate. It’s pretty obvious when you see a Tesla accelerating next to a big diesel truck with plumes of smoke coming out of their exhaust.

Since electric motors don’t use combustion to operate, they produce zero emissions. As we know, global warming is getting worse thanks to daily pollutants. A major source of pollution is driving cars on the road every day.

Switching to an electric vehicle reduces your carbon footprint and helps to slow down global warming.

#7: Resale Values Are on the Rise

It’s not just the environmental impact that we love, it’s also the resale value of these EVs. In the beginning, the resale value was pretty junky. Cars would quickly depreciate 50% just because the technology was new and there were a lot of unknowns.

Now, the depreciation values are dramatically lower. A Tesla 3 will only depreciate about 10% in the first 3 years. For reference, the average gas-powered car depreciates 39% over the same time span.

#8: Maintenance Costs are Lower

Electric cars have fewer moving parts. That means fewer things that can break, fewer things that can go wrong, and less time spent on the side of the road.

The biggest thing to note is that these EVs don’t need oil changes. Ever. Some other things you won’t find in an electric car are:

• Valves
• Timing belts
• Spark plugs
• Tailpipe
• Starter
• Clutch
• Distributor
• Hoses
• Catalytic converter

So, what does a trip to the mechanic look like in an EV? Basically, just a tire rotation, brake pad replacement, and a quick look at some filters.

If you want to convert this into dollars, it’s a saving of around $1,500.

#9: Solar Panels Make Free Energy

If you want to go another step forward, you can set up some solar panels. These panels harvest power from the sun and convert it into electrical energy. You can use this acquired energy to charge your electric car.

This results in free fuel for your vehicle for as long as it’s sunny. There’s an upfront cost when it comes to solar panels, so you’ll have to do some math to find out when you’ll see a return. For many homeowners, it’s a decade or two.

In the meantime, you don’t have to worry about paying anything to charge your car.

#10: Forget the Low Gas Heart Attack

Here’s a nightmare for the everyday American: you’re on the highway visiting the biggest ball of yarn in the world. You take a look down at your gas gauge. It’s hovering over E.

40 miles until the next gas pump. All you can do is panic and have a heart attack. Without stopping at a gas station, there’s no way to avoid this situation.

Now it’s time to introduce the alternative: an EV. As long as your battery was charged the night before, you can drive circles around the biggest ball of yarn before going back home. There’s no “low gas heart attack” anymore.

#11: Acceleration is Nutty

There are some pretty special physics and dynamics at play when you look at an electric vehicle. An electric motor doesn’t have any ramp-up delay or lag.

When you stomp the gas pedal, you get immediate acceleration. More importantly, the acceleration is much quicker than a gas-powered engine of the same power.

You get to enjoy a quicker 0-60 speed. You’ll use this every time you get on a highway, want to race a buddy, or need to get somewhere in a hurry.

The top speed is usually lower than a combustion engine, but the acceleration is always much faster.

#12: Performance is Respectable

With a faster acceleration, you’ll get a more respectable overall performance. Track days in an EV result in better times. The brakes are usually stronger, the motor keeps churning out power, and you don’t have a performance difference depending on how much gas is in the tank.

Overall, the performance is just better when you’re looking at an EV compared to a gas-powered option. The only place where the gas-powered car wins is in a long enough straight line where the top speed really matters.

#13: Forget About Gas Prices Ebbing

Think back on gas prices in the past 5 years or so. We’ve seen some massive peaks and valleys. It’s impossible for us to predict when gas prices will shoot up — we’re just at the mercy of the gas station.

With a gas-powered car, you’ll also shop around to find the lowest price in town. This is a hassle and downright annoying.

An electric car always offers about the same price to completely fill it up. Household electric prices really don’t fluctuate. In most states, they don’t move at all unless there’s a written notice ahead of time from the electric company.

You’ll have a more predictable fill-up when you switch to an EV.

#14: Silent Driving Is Surreal

A lot of EV drivers don’t even know when their car is running until they hit the gas pedal. That’s just how quiet an electric car is.

It feels surreal to accelerate up to 60 mph in a jiffy and not hear a single bit of engine noise. You can have a sleeping baby in the backseat while you’re whipping around a track. Well… probably not, but you get the gist.

This all goes back to the fact that electric motors don’t use combustion and there are no pistons jumping around. A motor just silently spins around super-fast. You get all the fun of going fast without the eardrum-shattering noise that you’re used to hearing.

Need to leave the house at night without waking up your roommates? Not a problem with an EV.

#15: Gas Cars Will (Probably) Be Illegal in the Future

One of our recent articles talked all about how gas-powered cars will probably die in the future. Federal and state-level decision-makers have foaming mouths over the idea of getting rid of gas-powered cars. They only want to see alternative energy used on the road.

Whether or not you agree with this idea, it seems as though the end is nigh. For that reason, it’s a good idea to get used to electric vehicles today so you’ll be ready when the roads are completely filled with EVs.

It’s almost like the government is announcing that jean shorts will be illegal to own or wear in 2025. Are you going to stock up on jorts or make the switch to khaki shorts?

Conclusion

If you were on the fence before, hopefully, our 15 reasons to get an electric car in 2021 changed your mind. We’re in love with the technology behind EV and we’re happy with the progress we’ve seen so far. Once you drive a nice EV, it’s hard to go back.

For more guides, news, and reviews, check out the rest of our blog. Also, make sure you have the best accessories and tools in your car and garage.