Lack of driver appeal, expensive, dangerous – there are a lot of myths about electric cars out there.

2020 is expected to herald the final breakthrough for electric cars, but many drivers still view them with scepticism. Here we take a closer look at the facts and dispel some popular myths.

“E-cars don’t have a long enough range”

The days when electric cars had to stop every 96 kilometres to recharge are long gone. Range serenity has replaced range anxiety. “The everyday range of a BMW i3 is up to 258 kilometres,” explains Karin Krüger, Product Manager Onboard Portfolio at BMW Charging. “User studies show that this clearly exceeds the daily needs of the average driver.” In the future, one charge will be able to cover up to 604 kilometres. For daily use and relaxed weekend trips, this is more than sufficient – and it’s even enough to go on vacation.

“It takes forever to charge an electric car”

It is true that when plugged into a domestic power outlet, it can take an entire night for an empty electric car battery to fully recharge. With wallboxes (powerful, permanently installed charging stations for the home) and fast charging technology, charging time can be significantly reduced – in most cases by around two-thirds. Or, as Benjamin Bucksch, Product Manager Wallboxes at BMW Charging, explains: “With high-power charging it is even possible to recharge sufficiently in 20 minutes – around the time it takes for a coffee break.”

The best way to do this is to fill up with electricity and, above all, to do so sufficiently while the car is stationary – at home or at work. The future is about optimised charging: whether at home overnight, at work, or in a carpark.

Read the full article here.

To find out more on electric cars and plug-in hybrids at BMW Group Australia, contact governmentfleet@bmw.com.au.

Comment below to have your say on this story.

If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@governmentnews.com.au.  

Sign up to the Government News newsletter