Price is a major barrier for people interested in owning an electric vehicle.
In a recent survey by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, 60% of people said the high cost of electric vehicles is one of the main reasons they would not own an electric vehicle.
WRAL 5 On Your Side took three electric vehicles on road trips around North Carolina. Our first report brought a Rivian R1T to Wilmington. These trucks start around $75,000.
Our second report took us to Charlotte in a Kia Niro, which retails for around $46,000.
Electric vehicles can save you money, but Consumer Reports found that those savings typically only come when you’re trading in a gas-guzzling or very expensive vehicle.
In general, electric vehicles are more expensive than gas cars. The average selling price of an electric vehicle was about $59,000 in March 2023. That’s $11,000 above the average for the entire auto industry.
The cost to set up a home charger can also vary widely from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars, depending on what you want.
However, it is not a price for everyone. The 5 On Your Side team met up with Gene Reed at a gas station in Charlotte. He was driving his Mustang Mach-E from Maryland and said it was electric from the environmental impact.
“I absolutely believe the internal combustion engine car has to go,” Reed told us.
He said he doesn’t mind taking a road trip in an electric vehicle, despite the charging times.
“So, you have to make a plan. Today we’re driving nine hours and we’re stopping three times, but we made a plan and each time, we get an hour and a half out of a two hour drive and we stop and get paid for half an hour,” explained Reed .
There is something called “range anxiety” with electric vehicles that can come with driving long distances. It’s the fear that you’ll run out of battery before finding a charging station to fill up.
“Range anxiety is bad planning,” Reed said when 5 On Your Side asked him about it.
Planning is really the key, because if you’re going to Charlotte for a Panthers game, a race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a day at Carowinds, or shopping at Ikea, only Bank of America Stadium and Ikea have chargers next to or next to . . For other attractions, you will need to make a separate stop for a fee rather than charging while at your entertainment destination.
“If you don’t plan in a car like this, you’re going to have a problem because there’s not as much infrastructure as everyone would like,” Reed said.
The charging station where 5 On Your Side found Reed was in a Walmart parking lot with several stores and restaurants within walking distance.
Chargers were also significantly faster than our first experience in Wilmington. It took about an hour and 40 minutes for the Wilmington charge to build up enough range to get home. The Charlotte charger we used brought us to about 81% of our battery capacity in about 30 minutes.
Typically, an electric vehicle’s battery will only charge between 80% and 85%. This is the best way to preserve battery life.
For us in the Kia Niro, 81% charge was enough to get us back to Raleigh.
There is a $7,500 tax credit for new electric vehicles that meet specific requirements related to battery components and minerals. A list of all EVs eligible for the full and partial tax credit can be found here here.
Used vehicles also qualify for a tax credit of up to $4,000. Eligible vehicles may be found here.
On Wednesday, the final EV road trip test in our series puts our team inside a Tesla to show how they’re different from other electric vehicles.
