Is now the time to buy an electric vehicle?
Mar 22, 2022, 2:52 PM | Updated: Mar 23, 2022, 8:30 am
Go Ultra Low Nissan LEAF on charge on a London street. Ultra-low emission vehicles such as this can cost as little as 2p per mile to run and some electric cars and vans have a range of up to 700 miles. Photo credit: Getty Images
SALT LAKE CITY — The price of a gallon of regular gasoline on Tuesday in Utah was $4.35. A year ago, it was $3.15, as reported by AAA. Is it time to start thinking about an electric vehicle? But what if you can’t find a charging station and run out of juice between your house and the airport? Now what? Also, can you afford to buy an EV?
Upon release, the Mazda MX-30 will start at around $32,000. On the other end of the price scale, the first-to-arrive Edition 1 2022 GMC Hummer EV will cost $112,595. Later, other versions are expected to cost $80,000 and $100,000. The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS is promising a range of over 470 miles and up to 516 horsepower.
See the rest of the electric vehicles coming in 2022.
Craig Bickmore, executive director for the New Car Dealers of Utah, joined KSL NewsRadio’s Dave Noriega and Debbie Dujanovic to answer common EV questions.
Test drive is a must
Debbie wanted to know if there is a waitlist for electric vehicles.
“You know there’s a waitlist for most cars, to be honest with you,” Bickmore said. ” . . . electric vehicles, hybrids, ice [internal combustion] engines, they’re all very difficult to get. The supply chain is getting better. I have a friend of mine who ordered a vehicle over eight months ago, and he’ll get it next week.”
If you are contemplating buying an EV, Bickmore said the test drive is “so critical.”
“People really need to see touch, feel and drive the vehicle,” he said, ” . . . because it’s a big purchase, and it’s not inexpensive.”
What are you going to use an electric vehicle for?
“What do people fear more: the price tag or running out of volts?” Debbie asked.
Bickmore said it’s all about application. If you need a work or commute vehicle, a battery-electric would be a good choice, but not so much for a vehicle built to pull a load.
“My son’s got horses. You can’t pull too much with a battery-electric,” he said.
Debbie wanted to know if the price for an electric vehicle will rise even further or start leveling off as Utah home prices are expected to do.
As technology advances, competition increases and supply starts to meet demand, Bickmore said the price for an EV with fall.
“We’re not going to always have this supply problem. And vehicles then naturally will come down,” he said.
Related: Committee working to end “range anxiety” for electric vehicle drivers
Dave & Dujanovic can be heard weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon. on KSL NewsRadio. Users can find the show on the KSL NewsRadio website and app, as well as Apple Podcasts and Google Play.
