Mustang Mach E 
Kia EV6 GT 
Hyundai Ioniq 5
It seems that the conversation around electric vehicles has really been picking up this year and many automakers are making their mark on the category. Just within the last month we saw the announcement of two new vehicles from Kia and Hyundai as well as the release of the Ford’s official mass market EV. In January, we saw one of the largest automakers in GM announce their commitment in going all electric by 2035. I’ve had a personal interest in these types of vehicles as I’ve been driving a hybrid since late 2018. However, with so many battery powered EVs (or BEVs) coming to market it may be time to get in on the action myself.
Why Your Next Car Could Be Electric
To bring everyone up to speed, electric vehicles are not new. The idea has been around since the 1800’s with it falling in and out of popularity many times since then. Yet it wasn’t until the 1990’s where two laws helped renew interest in electric vehicles, spawning the first electric vehicle in the US, the Tesla Roadster. In 2010, the Nissan Leaf became the front runner of the EV market after the Roadster was discontinued. Additionally, the popularity of the Toyota Prius, a fully hybrid vehicle, also helped spur innovation in the battery technology that would bring electric vehicles of all types to the standard they are today.
As mentioned earlier, I currently drive a hybrid Hyundai Sonata which I love driving. It’s really great on MPG, allowing me to drive over 500 miles on a full tank of gas. The combination of both a battery and a gas engine gives hybrids (also called fully hybrid electric vehicle or FHEV) the advantage over their all battery or all gas counterparts due to limitations in the size of the battery and gas tank that each vehicle can have.
What is an Electric Car?
With the recent push for more hybrids worldwide though, we are seeing them come in many different forms, from your hatchbacks like the Prius to SUVs and minivans. Additionally, you will find hybrids that can be labeled as plug-in or PHEV. This simply means that you have the option to charge the battery by plugging it in to an electrical source. This gives the cars an additional all electric range on top of its MPG. Once the electric range has been depleted, then it will revert itself back to a traditional hybrid vehicle.
Given all the improvements to hybrids, there is still one big reason to go all electric, which is to become more eco-friendly. BEVs ditch gas altogether and get their power from the battery, which does need to be charged on a regular basis. Now if you live in a house or have an outlet that’s accessible, you can enjoy charging the vehicle at home. However this can become an issue if you live in an apartment building. Another knock on the current state of BEVs is the lack of fast and reliable charging stations. As of this writing there are less than a handful of stations near my home in Cutler Bay.
Charging Locations near Cutler Bay
Telsa Chargers 
Electrify America Chargers
Yet this is a changing situation as charging stations are rapidly being built up in large part by Tesla and Volkswagen. Additionally, the current presidential administration has laid out plans to invest in infrastructure incentivizing the construction of more charging stations, with a goal of building 500,000 by 2030. Plans like these lay the groundwork for PHEVs and BEVs to make a much bigger dent in the US automotive market. As of November 2020, sales forecasts predict that EVs, from fully hybrid to battery powered, will see a jump in sales to 6.9 million units. This is up from only 1.4 million forecasted for 2020.
As EVs become more popular, partly due to a tax credit of up to $7,500 on certain makes and models, it is easy to see why they will eventually replace the traditional gas powered vehicle. Even some vehicles that we traditionally think of relying on gas are transitioning into mild hybrid elective vehicles, with features like auto start-stop making their way into large trucks and SUVs helping to improve fuel economy. Thinking about my own car situation, getting a hybrid has been the best decision so far. I feel that changes in gas prices doesn’t affect me too much and making less trips to the station is an added bonus.
So if you’re looking to go hybrid feel free to ask me any questions and I’ll be happy to answer. Check out the links below for more information as well.
Resources
Car and Driver: What is a Hybrid Car and How Do They Work?