Are you thinking about getting an EV? As the spotlight moves to electric vehicles, there are a lot of misconceptions and outright myths about EVs. Some concerns include their longevity and environmental impact. However, not all of these concerns are as serious as you might think.

Myth 1 – EVs Are Worse For the Environment

Electric vehicles don’t make any emissions by driving them, but there are emissions involved in producing them. EVs need six times the amount of minerals as a regular gas vehicle, which means increased mining in the future.

However, the supply chains are currently infested with forced labor and risky tech. Despite those negative facts, EVs still only claim less than a third of the emissions associated with gas vehicles.

Myth 2 – EV Batteries Don’t Last Long

A very common misconception about EVs is that the batteries only last for around five years before needing to be replaced. However, this myth is easily debunked, considering that every automaker with at least one EV model offers battery packs that have a minimum of eight years and 100,000 miles worth of warranty.

The Department of Energy estimates that most EV batteries will last even longer than that, with an average lifespan between 12 and 15 years. Considering that the average vehicle on the road in the USA is 12.6 years old, that’s plenty of life.

Myth 3 – EVs Put a Huge Strain on the Electric Grid

Electricity demand is up from 2.5% in 2023 to 4% in 2024. That’s the highest annual growth rate since 2007. Part of that increase is definitely due to more EVs on the road. The electric grid is projected to handle it, though, as energy production continues to grow. It’s likely to take at least until 2050 for all vehicles on the road to be electric, even if only EVs are sold by 2035.

By then, the electricity demand would likely increase to 26% compared to 2023. However, this only requires the grid to grow by 1% per year, which is well below the actual average annual growth rate.

Myth 4 – EVs Are More Likely to Catch On Fire

The lithium-ion batteries used in EVs have caused alarm because they are allegedly at a higher risk of catching fire. However, only 25 fires occur per 100,000 EVs sold. On the other hand, 3,475 fires occur per 100,000 hybrid vehicles sold, and 1,530 fires occur for every 100,000 gas vehicles sold.

There are some legitimate concerns about the potency of an EV battery fire. It took 50,000 gallons of water to put out a fire caused by a Tesla Semi crash, and the battery reached 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit while burning.

Myth 5 – EVs Can’t Go Very Far

Charging anxiety is a common reason people avoid buying an EV. This is the fear that the car will run out of charge before they can find a station. Indeed, improvements to the charging infrastructure are sorely needed, but most people don’t need to be that worried. There are at least 30 EV models available that can go at least 300 miles on a single charge. The average car owner only drives about 37 miles per day.

Knowing the truth about EV misconceptions can help you feel more confident about visiting an electric vehicle dealer to buy an EV.