Prejudices and half-truths are on the rise, just like the sales of electric automobiles. What qualities should you check before buying? Which models perform well and which fall short? Our large-scale EV group test is here to assist you in determining your needs, posing important queries, and avoiding greenwashing and marketing gimmicks. You can prevent buyer’s remorse and discover EV delight by doing this.
With electric vehicles, heaven and hell are now closer than ever. When discussing their EV experiences, one person may be overcome with enthusiasm and excitement while the other may be dejected or disillusioned. I guess that makes sense! More so than with a combustion-powered vehicle, selecting the best electric vehicle is a very personal decision that depends greatly on your specific demands and use case. Even if an electric automobile has the greatest range and the fastest charging time, if you ignore this, it can still irritate you. It can also destroy the climate! In particular, electric automobiles give the auto industry rich field for greenwashing and false advertising, thereby allowing you to conduct exactly the opposite of what you had meant. With electric cars in particular, more isn’t necessarily better.
Our thorough EV buyer’s guide is here to distribute important information, show you what you should certainly search for, provide our Tops and Flops, and offer unambiguous suggestions, even if they contradict everything you might have heard from many conservative automotive magazines or influencers.
Both established firms and startups can find plenty of opportunities and hazards in the electric car market.
EVs herald the start of a profound paradigm change and usher in a new era of (auto)mobility. Not just in terms of the infrastructure but also in terms of the (supposed) emissions-free mobility, brands, use cases, and vehicle development. It’s a great chance for emerging and frequently unheard-of brands like Rivian, Lynk & Co., and Nio to promote themselves through intriguing distribution strategies or inventive marketing initiatives. At the same time, companies like KIA, Hyundai, and Honda are seizing the chance to reinvent themselves, putting pressure on the other well-established heavyweights in terms of both performance and design. Additionally, a completely new generation of cutting-edge, compact/micro mobility solutions from companies like Microlino, City Transformer, and XEV are now available. These technologies offer a practical yet endearing solution to many urban difficulties. A complete user experience depends on key technologies that are changing as well. The importance of intelligent software is rising, and user experience and EV sound design now have entirely new meanings. Electric vehicles open up new possibilities and their perceived value depends on entirely different circumstances, therefore they may and must be rethought. Electric automobiles, for instance, are transforming into mobile batteries and power banks for outdoor activities or vocations, even mobile movie theatres and game cars.
Despite hefty subsidies, EVs are making personal transportation more and more expensive, making it an elite pursuit. This is a result of both rising energy prices and the price of EVs, particularly their batteries. There are no electric vehicles available for less than € 20,000 due to the virtually doubling of entry-level model prices. Even Dacia’s entry-level model costs € 22,550. Market stimulation strategies include climate bonuses, subsidies, and the highly dubious emissions certificate trade. Unfortunately, it’s often overlooked whether or not this genuinely helps the environment and how much of it is merely an excuse for shopping.
An overview of our test area for electric vehicles
There are various ways to approach your daily tasks: it’s estimated that 90% of all Mercedes G-Classes are driven on terrain and over distances similar to those of VW Polos. Throughout the city, the countryside, and sporadically on highways In other words, with a novel form of vehicle, such as electric cars, comparing categories doesn’t really make sense. Instead, you should consider the big picture and decide what you hope to accomplish by buying an EV. The cause is that automobiles no longer serve a necessary purpose in our lives and have taken on a different, less significant role as a result of home offices, structural changes, and growing expenses. You’re probably going to have a lot of questions if this is your first electric vehicle and not a lot of personal experience to draw from. What are the capabilities of electric vehicles? Can I use it to replace my present combustion-powered automobile, or will it serve as a backup or third vehicle?
We gathered our initial test field to offer you an overview of the industry and help you choose your first electric vehicle because there are significant differences between individual electric vehicles, with dimensions still being the most noticeable. This article is meant to serve as the foundation for an extensive buyer’s guide for electric vehicles, which we will continue to add to and improve. As a result, it will frequently be updated, making it worthwhile to return frequently.
Even though the majority of people enjoy graphs, tables, and lab results, we purposefully omitted a table with data on acceleration, power, charging speed, and battery capacity. We do this because, when viewed separately, these values are essentially meaningless. Asking questions that we can address in the individual EV evaluations and in our buyer’s guide is much more significant to us.
At what speed do you require how much acceleration?
How much of its potential can the EV safely unleash, and is it enjoyable?
How long can it maintain the highest charging power, and is fast charging even necessary in daily use?
How far will you typically drive the EV, how much electricity does the motor use, and what kind of driving do you undertake?
Do the finest charging stations get found by the navigation system, and are they taken into account when planning routes?
The important things in daily life aren’t always as evident as you would believe. Simple inquiries and straightforward solutions don’t satisfy us. We must make sure to ask the right questions so you can avoid purchasing the incorrect vehicle and get the most out of your investment.
There isn’t just one ideal EV, but that would be getting ahead of ourselves. Making a general proposal would be incorrect because unique criteria and use cases are far more important than they are with combustion-powered vehicles. This explains why other magazines’ point- and matrix-based grading systems frequently don’t correspond to reality.
2030 Downtown Agenda
It’s crucial to determine what truly matters and to communicate it, rather than escalating buyer (range) anxiety. That is precisely what we intend to achieve. At DOWNTOWN, we’ve made it our goal to actively contribute to shaping the future of urban life and mobility. Naturally, this applies to both electric automobiles and ebikes, as well as everything in between. In order to make the metropolises and suburbs of this globe more livable, compassionate, exciting, and plain better, we want to inspire new possibilities and lifestyles, to question current developments, to give impetus and set trends. No dogmatic or hypocritical “greenwashing,” simply sensible, practical, and useful counsel. And we want to enjoy it because if we didn’t, life would be quite miserable, wouldn’t it?
Since we published our very first piece, as seasoned readers of ENDURO, GRAN FONDO, and E-MOUNTAINBIKE magazines well know, we’ve embraced doing things differently and establishing new trends.
