With the government proposing a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 and new emission charges being introduced, it seems inevitable that most of us will be driving electric vehicles (EVs) in the not-too-distant future.
You’ve probably seen an increase in the number of EVs in the stadium or training ground car park, as the electric car industry is booming. Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SSMT) statistics show a record 175,000 new registrations for EVs in 2021.
Here are three reasons you might want to make the switch to an electric car as a professional footballer.
1. EV performance is rapidly catching up with petrol and diesel cars
As the technology has improved, EV performance has drastically caught up with their petrol and diesel equivalents.
In fact, if you now want to beat the car next to you off the line when the traffic light turns green, your best bet may be an EV, thanks to the often superior acceleration offered by the batteries that power them.
Here are some of the fastest EVs currently available in the market:
Source: heycar
While these figures don’t quite match up to the very fastest petrol and diesel hypercars – the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut can reportedly get up to an eyewatering 330mph – it’s still a vast improvement from even a few years ago.
So, while petrol and diesel road cars may still wear the top speed crown for now, EV’s rapid improvements over the last few years suggest it surely won’t be long before they start to outpace everything else on the roads.
2. You can reduce your impact on the environment
Perhaps the biggest reason that EV producers have experienced such success in the past few years is because of the environmental concerns over using vehicles that burn petrol and diesel.
Electricity can be generated renewably without having too great an effect on the environment, whereas petrol and diesel release a range of dangerous emissions when they’re burned.
That means you could reduce your own greenhouse gas contribution by switching over to an EV.
You may not be that personally concerned about your carbon footprint, but environmental sustainability is a hot topic right now.
No wonder, then, that many celebrities are now the proud owner of an EV. From George Clooney to Leonardo DiCaprio, many high-profile individuals are now choosing electricity over petrol or diesel for their cars.
Even Kylie Jenner reportedly has a Ferrari Aperta, the Italian carmaker’s foray into the EV market, among her collection of supercars.
At the very least, driving an EV could help you to show your social awareness of the environmental issue.
3. EVs can save you money
Switching to an EV could save you a bit of money, too.
Firstly, they can be cheaper to run. You’ve no doubt noticed the arrival of the £1.60 litre price of petrol in the UK, with BBC News reporting an average of £1.67 at the end of March.
With the average family car fuel tank capacity of around 50 litres (11 gallons) that’s £83.50 to fill up.
By comparison, according to charging point providers Pod Point it costs around £15 to fully charge an EV.
Even when compared to how many miles you travel on a full tank, you’ll get 13 miles to the pound from an EV (assuming a range of 200 miles) compared to 4.79 miles to the pound from a petrol car (assuming a range of 400 miles).
Additionally, EVs pay no road tax, saving on average another £155, and they’re also exempt from the London congestion charge. With nine professional teams having grounds inside the congestion charge zone, this could save you a little bit extra if you’re with one of the London clubs.
These smaller amounts of money probably don’t make a material difference to your pocket, but at the very least you won’t have to worry about the admin of sorting them for now.
EVs still can’t quite cover the same distance
Of course, EVs still aren’t perfect, and one of the common objections to buying one is the issue of “range anxiety” – the thought of suddenly grinding to a halt on the motorway, or in a match day traffic jam, because your car is out of charge.
This is an understandable concern, but one that the EV industry is addressing. For example:
- Batteries are getting more efficient, and manufacturers are working to increase their range – Elon Musk says an electric car with a 435-mile range is coming.
- According to EDF Energy, there are now over 42,000 public charge points in 15,000 locations around the UK – more than the number of petrol stations.
- Around 500 public charging points are being added to the network each month.
Clearly there’s a fortune waiting for the person who invents a mobile charger!
Speak to us
If you’d like to find out more about the financial considerations of buying an EV, please speak to us at ProSport.
Email enquiries@prosportwealth.co.uk or call 01204 602909 to find out how we could help you.