1. If everybody drove electric cars, we would run out of electricity.

This is not true. Cars can be charged during low load hours in the night, and whats more, together they can act as a giant energy reserve in combination with smart grids. When the electricity is used in a smarter way, it will suffice longer. It has been calculated that Sweden, for example, needs to increase its electricity production by less than 10% if all cars were electric.

2. It is no use driving an electric car if the electricity is produced with fossil fuels.

In fact, it is. With the current energy mix in the EU, with 50% being fossil fuels in electricity production, the electric car wins over a traditional car when considering the CO2 emissions during the cars entire life cycle. And if the electricity is produced mainly with CO2-free sources like in Norway, the CO2 emissions of the electric car are basically zero.

3. The electric car is too expensive for most people.

That is true for today. However, prices will fall significantly in the future. We will see a rapid development similar to when mobile phones transformed from expensive, heavy items to what they are today. And the batteries will improve too. Just think about how the battery in your phone has developed during the last ten years.

“The electric motor makes better use of the fuel.”

4. Traditional cars are superior in comparison to electric cars.

Quite the opposite. Technically speaking, the electric car is more efficient than a car with a combustion engine. The “wall to wheel” efficiency of an electric car is 80%, compared to the “tank to wheel” efficiency of 15–20% in traditional vehicles. In practice, this means that the electric motor makes better use of the fuel and that the energy price is lower. In addition, the electric motor is less complex with less moving parts, which means that the service costs for the car are lower.

5. With an electric car, there is always the risk of running out of battery power.

Not really. The Tesla Model X, for example, has a driving range of 450-500 kilometres under normal conditions. When using AC or heating, the range will drop some 10%. Normally, the battery is charged within 10 hours during the night using normal 3-phase electricity. On the road, the battery can be fully charged in only 40 minutes using the Supercharger network.