Electric vehicles have become increasingly popular over the last couple of years around the world. They have been designed to have a lower impact on our planet and the environment. In 2019, sales of electric cars had topped 2.1 million across the world, after a record year in 2018. There’s no doubt that EVs still have a long way to go to reach the same sales levels as conventional automobiles, but the signs are really positive.
In New Hampshire, the popularity of electric vehicles has also increased over the past years. At the moment, according to data, in New Hampshire, there are a few thousand electric vehicles registered. The state of New England is, however, the only one that is not a zero-emission vehicle mandate state. This means that no regulation forces automakers to sell a specific number of EVs and trucks within a particular time frame. Yet, this doesn’t mean that the people living there don’t show interest in EVs. Quite the contrary.
Automakers investing more in developing new EV technologies and charging stations, the state’s support, and people’s increasing awareness of environmental problems, are all factors that have contributed to the rise in popularity of EVs.
1 million electric heat pumps by 2030
Across New England, it is expected that there will be 1 million electric heat pumps by 2030, showing that the interest in purchasing EVs and having the possibility to charge them is increasing. This is excellent news for the climate because a massive switch to electric vehicles in the area will significantly reduce the carbon footprint brought by traffic.
The future of Evs’ popularity is also bright and has seen a boost thanks to automakers like General Motors, Volkswagen, and Volvo, who have all announced that within 10 to 15 years, they will only be selling electric vehicles.
Now, with significantly more charging stations being announced across New England, more people will likely feel encouraged to purchase an EV and switch from vehicles with a high impact on our environment to cars that do not pollute so much.
The state offers great incentives to support the purchase of electric vehicles
The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services also supports the mission of seeing more electric vehicles on the streets of the state. The project to reduce diesel emissions in New Hampshire has led to the state’s decision to offer funding to up to 80% of eligible project costs, which are available to not only businesses but also individuals, and local and state agencies that will contribute to reducing diesel emissions in the state.
Besides that, another support coming from the state authorities is the fact that drivers who can provide evidence of idle reduction technology’s weight through written evidence may go around the state gross, axle, tandem, or bridge formula weight limits by close to 550 pounds.
It’s good news to see that New Hampshire is finally getting more electric vehicles on its streets. Using these low-impact vehicles benefit not only the environment but also the people living there who will get better air quality and less pollution.
Now, the rising sales of electric vehicles and people’s interest in purchasing them are not only driven by government policies meant to reduce carbon emissions. A key factor contributing to the increase in popularity of EVs is the fact that these cars are simply better technology.
What makes EVs better?
There are a number of reasons why electric cars are becoming more mainstream these days. And, the technology supporting them is constantly improving, making drawbacks like high cost, limited range, long charge time, and performance problems disappear.
The most obvious way EVs are better than gas vehicles is the fact that they are better for the air we breathe. They have zero tailpipe emissions, which allows our planet to dream of cleaner air as roads are getting busier with more electric cars than gas ones. Another reason is the fact that they eliminate the need to buy gas or oil. To “refuel” them, EVs’ owners can simply plug them in at home, work, or charging points on the road.
While EVs are known to be pricier than gas vehicles, they actually cut down costs in the long run. More precisely, besides the fact that their purchase costs are going down each year as they are in greater demand, they also cost less to maintain. With fewer moving parts, there are also fewer things in electric vehicles that could break or need fixing or replacing. This, too, saves EVs’ owners money and time.
A massive transition from traditional gas-burning cars to EVs around the world will definitely result in a better future for our planet and our budgets.