Purchasing an electric vehicle: Is it worth the money?
With gas prices as high as they are, drivers might consider buying an electric vehicle. However, EVs come with plenty of questions.
Posted — UpdatedThe average price for a gallon of gas has surpassed $4 per gallon in North Carolina.
With gas prices as high as they are, drivers might consider buying an electric vehicle. However, EVs come with plenty of questions like:
- Will it really save drivers money?
- Is it convenient to charge?
- What are my options?
Shirlene Baskerville enjoys driving her 2022 Nissan Leaf.
“I don’t need to change the oil or go to the gas station,” she said. “None of that.”
Instead of paying about $4.10 for a gallon of gas in Raleigh, it costs Baskerville between $6-$8 for a full charge at her home.
“I charge it once every two weeks, maybe,” Baskerville said.
Every full charge means Baskerville can drive up to 300 miles.
Plug-in NC Program Manager Jaocb Bolin explained that there are pickup trucks and SUVs that are completely electric. Plug-in NC has worked since 2011 to establish North Carolina as a leader in electric transportation.
“There are more and more charging stations coming every single day,” he said.
North Carolina has about 2,900 charging stations, according to Bolin.
There are different charging station levels:
- Level 1 charging: 120-volt: Level 1 charging uses a common 120-volt household outlet. Level 1 is the slowest way to charge an EV. It adds between 3 and 5 miles of range per hour.
- Level 2 charging: 208-volt to 240-volt: This is the kind someone would use to plug in a clothes dryer. It takes between seven to eight hours for a car to fully charge, according to Derek Parker of Leith Nissan in Cary.
For example, at the fast-charging station at the Ridgewood Shopping Center, it takes 15 to 45 minutes to charge up. It costs between $12 and $20.
“The objective is to really charge your car kind of like you do your cell phone, where you’re not worried about going, necessarily, from 0% to 100%,” Bolin said.
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