As with many other emerging technologies, electric vehicles (EVs) have been prone to numerous rumours and misconceptions. Are they more dangerous than regular cars? Will too many charging at the same time cause blackouts? Isn’t the range too short?

Here we shine a light on some of the more pervasive myths regarding EVs, and see if they stand up to scrutiny.

Are electric cars more dangerous than petrol or diesel cars?

It’s true that electric vehicles can be disconcertingly quiet. And anecdotally, this may make them harder to notice by vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians or cyclists.

However, the claim that they’re more dangerous isn’t supported by statistics. There's no evidence that EVs are involved in more accidents than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.

In addition, all four-wheel EVs need to be fitted with an acoustic vehicle alert system. This makes a sound to warn other road users when the vehicle is reversing, or moving below 12mph.

Are electric cars slower than petrol or diesel cars?

In some ways, EVs feel faster than ICE vehicles. They tend to accelerate more quickly, as an electric motor generates power more quickly than an internal combustion engine. And the fact that they’re low slung makes them feel more sporty.

But their top speeds don’t usually match their petrol equivalents. This is in part because EVs often have limiters, to make sure they don’t drain the battery too much. This also helps to stay within the speed limit – which it’s best not to exceed in any case.

This doesn’t mean that EVs are slouches in any sense. As an example of the speed capability of electric cars, the Formula E Gen2 can accelerate from zero to 62mph in 2.8 seconds, with a top speed of 174mph!

One way in which EVs can be said to be ‘slower’ than petrol or diesel cars is that they’re at their most efficient at lower speeds. Although this does make them ideal for urban driving.

Find out what it’s really like to drive an EV here.

Can you only make short journeys in an electric car?

Limited range has been an issue for EVs, but it’s worth noting that battery technology is progressing quickly. There are several models on the market which can exceed 250 miles on one charge. And you’d be unlikely to travel that far without taking a break – which would provide the opportunity to recharge the battery.

According to the Energy Saving Trust, 68% of the journeys we make are under five miles1. This puts long journeys firmly in the minority. But when it comes to longer journeys, it’s good to remember that range is increasing all the time.

Can the UK’s energy grid cope with the mass charging of EVs?

A common myth is that – if everybody switched to EVs and charged their cars overnight – the energy grid wouldn’t be able to cope.

The National Grid refutes this, however. It estimates demand would increase by 10% in this scenario, which is within the range of the manageable load function.

Graeme Cooper, the organisation’s transport decarbonisation director, explains how the National Grid would cope with the power demand here.

Are electric cars more expensive than petrol or diesel equivalents?

EVs do seem expensive by comparison on the face of it. However, while the upfront cost is a bit more of a hit, it’s worth considering the overall cost of the vehicle over the course of its life.

EVs are much cheaper to run, with charging being far more cost-effective than refuelling. It’s estimated that maintenance costs could be around 70% less over the car’s lifetime, as there are fewer moving parts. Plus, they’re exempt from vehicle excise duty (VED), aka road tax. As such, an EV could well be cheaper than its ICE equivalent overall.

Are there enough EV charging points?

In order to ease potential adopters’ range anxiety, there needs to be an infrastructure in place to support the charging needs of motorists.

While there aren’t yet enough chargers as a safety net for the new ICE car ban in 2030, there are nonetheless charge points being created daily. According to Zap-Map, there are now over 42,000 charge point connections in the UK, in over 15,500 locations.

In addition, GRIDSERVE opened the UK’s first electric forecourt in 2020 in Braintree, Essex. Two more will be opening in Norwich and Gatwick in 2022. And a further 20 ‘electric hubs’ will be opening at UK service stations, each with ultra high-power chargers, capable of adding up to 100 miles of range in under 10 minutes.

The government also committed to providing £1.3 billion over three years (from November 2020) to support EV infrastructure. This includes a £950 million rapid charging fund, to help motorway and A-road services prepare the network for 100% zero-emissions vehicles².