Electric cars are beginning to dominate the world and at Proautoenthusiast.com we discuss some points that you should consider if you plan to buy one.
Previously, electric cars were not as reliable, but over the years they have been improving and offering a range similar to that of compact cars, in addition to some features of a premium car. They have undoubtedly made their way to the point of becoming a viable option in Mexico, but there are some things you should consider before buying an electric car , so at Proautoenthusiast.com we will give you some buying advice.
1. What use do you plan to give it?
The first point you should consider before buying a new electric car is your needs. For example, if your needs call for a work truck, an electric option is hardly the best idea. On the other hand, if you are a person who plans to use your car to cover urban mobility needs, making this investment is a viable option.
Remember that many of the electric cars are designed for a sector that seeks to move effectively in the city and therefore offer services focused on this objective. Of course, the improvements we talked about above offer the possibility that an electric car can make long trips. However, the first thing you should think about is whether it covers your basic mobility needs.
2. Budget for the car
It is a key point to acquire a new car and could not be left out of the list that you should consider before making an investment. In terms of electric cars, prices for the Mexican market have been adjusted over time to the point of becoming a real possibility for consumers. Remember that the economic budget is established by you and it must be in accordance with your monetary possibilities. Fortunately, in the market you can find a new electric car within an affordable price range.
The affordable price range goes from 319 thousand to more than 500 thousand pesos, within this spectrum you can find models such as the Renault Twizy , whose price is 319 thousand pesos and is the perfect definition of an urban mobility vehicle, or Well, there is the possibility of the JAC E-Sei 1 with a list price of 495,500 that offers all the basic elements for a city car, and for more than 500 thousand pesos you can buy an electric car from the Mexican firm Zacua . If your budget is higher, you can bet on a range that exceeds one million pesos, figures for which you can buy a Tesla brand car .
3. Charging points and charging times
Remember that an electric car uses a battery that works in a similar way to our cell phones, so there will come a time when you have to recharge the battery of your electric car. Fortunately, there are thousands of charging stations in the Mexican Republic, however, most are concentrated in metropolitan areas such as Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara, etc.
You can recharge your electric car battery in different ways, either at a public station or from home . For this last option, you will have to adapt a charging station in your home, which will mean an extra expense on your electricity bill, but it will not be too much since, in the case of Mexico, CFE is in charge of installing an exclusive meter for your car and thus the direct consumption of your home will not be affected.
As for public charging stations , there are some shopping centers that offer them free of charge, except for paying the parking ticket, but you can take advantage of the time your electric car is charging with a short walk inside the shopping center, take a coffee or watch a movie depending on the charging time the car needs.
Each electric car has a normal charging cable and others have a fast charging cable. Depending on the station and the cable, the charging time of an electric car can vary, although there are some that recover 80% of the total in 30 minutes, although there are others that require up to 8 hours to complete their charge.
On the other hand, it is also good that you know that just like your normal combustion car, you will be charging the battery of the electric car once a week or maybe every two or two if you use it for your day to day, but it is still cheaper, in fact, it is said that the average cost of charging an electric car at home is 350 pesos, almost half of what one spends to fill the fuel tank of a compact car.
Surely you have heard of some electric car conversion kit in Mexico, and the truth is that they are real and you can convert your current vehicle into an electric car, but the advantages of these are not as attractive as those of a factory electric car .
The reason why it is more convenient to buy a new electric car than to convert yours is that the autonomy of the electric car is greater than that of a converted one due to the battery used by the manufacturers, not to mention that the conversion cost ranges between 80,000 and 300,000 pesos. , depending on the autonomy you want and the type of vehicle.
If we keep in mind that the JAC E-Sei 1 has a price of 499,000 pesos and a range of about 400 km, it may be better to invest in buying it than to convert your car for a lower cost, but with less range and that despite have warranty, the kit may not be as good as the new model.
4. Autonomy range
The last point you need to evaluate is the distance you can go on a charge. Like the time to fill the battery, the range of autonomy will depend entirely on the benefits that the electric car offers. In this way we have options that provide 100 km like the Renault Twizy, others that provide 240 km like the Nissan Leaf , 400 km that the JAC E-Sei 1 grants, up to the more than 600 km that the Tesla Model S boasts . Therefore, the autonomy of the car is completely related to your budget. Follow these tips if you plan to buy a new electric car and be part of the process of consolidating these cars.
Now you have more knowledge about electric cars and you can apply it when you are faced with the decision to buy an internal combustion or an electric car. Keep in mind that many manufacturers are in the process of converting to all-electric firms and that there will be more and more options and it could even be that the cost of some will go down.