Best Electric Vehicles

Unlike vehicles that use internal combustion (gasoline or diesel) engines, electric vehicles (EVs) rely on electricity for propulsion. EVs use energy stored in battery packs to power one or more electric motors that move the vehicle. The battery packs can be recharged from an external source such as a home charger or a public charging station. Think of the battery pack as equivalent to the fuel tank in a conventional car, and the electric motors as equivalent to the engine.

One of the most significant benefits of electric vehicles is that they do not directly produce any carbon emissions, which is better for the environment. While electric vehicles still pull energy from a power grid that leans heavily on fossil fuels to generate power, the EPA states that even when accounting for the emissions generated from producing electricity, an EV still typically produces lower levels of greenhouse gases than an average new gasoline car. Electric vehicles also tend to require less maintenance than other vehicle types, as electric motors have fewer moving parts than gas and diesel internal combustion engines.

EV range is the distance that an electric vehicle can travel on a single charge before needing to be plugged back in. Think of it as the distance a gasoline-powered vehicle can travel on a full tank before it runs out of gas. However, EV range can be greatly reduced by several factors that don't impact internal combustion cars as significantly. Extremely cold temperatures can dramatically reduce EV range, mainly because heating systems (both for warming the battery pack and for warming the cabin) draw so much power. The amount of range you observe can also vary due to the type of driving you do. EVs are more efficient in stop-and-go city driving, as their regenerative braking systems are able to recoup energy when slowing down. Maintaining high speeds, such as on the highway, can negatively impact EV range due to drag and less usage of the regenerative braking system.